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Discovery Channel "How its made - Loudspeakers" video


kenyonbm

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I've seen that clip before, and I think it is rather strange. A typical speaker factory turns out a driver every few seconds. Even the most tweaky, boutique manufacturers use batch processes and standardized parts that are completely different from what is shown in the vid. I can't figure out where they got that footage!

-k

I found this on YouTube as well but this is better quality.

http://realmofexcursion.com/videos/Various/loudspeaker.wmv

They show frame and magnet assembly, magnetizing, voice-coil winding, cone assembly etc.

The commentary is OK but you can also get a lot from the video directly.

Ken

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I was able to read the label they applied, "TRansparence", they are made by Belisle Acoustics Laboratories Inc of Quebec Canada.

Products are aimed at sound reinforcement.

Here is a link.

Belisle Accoustics

K do you know of any other videos?

I thought the largely hand methods looked like something a restorer could make use of.

Ken

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OK, I watched the vid again... it's plausible. I think the editor made the work flow seem more sequential for clarity. Also, they showed metal machining processes that are probably used for only a few of their models. It's not the way consumer speakers are made, and I over-reacted to presenting it as a general, "how speakers are made," instead of, "how 1% of speakers are made."

There used to be a great overview of speaker manufacturing that Loctite Corp. put together. It doesn't seem to be on their site anymore, but I will dig out my copy, and put it on my server. I don't know of any other videos, but here is a pretty funny link:

http://hondaswap.com/computers-games-elect...p-itself-82599/

-k

I was able to read the label they applied, "TRansparence", they are made by Belisle Acoustics Laboratories Inc of Quebec Canada.

Products are aimed at sound reinforcement.

Here is a link.

Belisle Accoustics

K do you know of any other videos?

I thought the largely hand methods looked like something a restorer could make use of.

Ken

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Oh, sure, I can think of several companies that still build drivers, especially in the sound reinforcement field. I just don't think too many of them are cutting metal in a machine shop. Did AR ever do that?

-k

I can think of one other speaker Company ATC of UK still make their drivers the old fashion way like AR used to do in the old day. The Price tags explain how they would be able to do it that way in today's market place...!

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...ficial%26sa%3DN

Minh Luong

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Oh, sure, I can think of several companies that still build drivers, especially in the sound reinforcement field. I just don't think too many of them are cutting metal in a machine shop. Did AR ever do that?

All the AR drivers I've ever seen (live or photos) had stamped/drawn housings and frames. I don't recall ever seeing any with machined housings or frames or parts of same.

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The only machined parts in the video were the back plate, pole plate and pole piece. The ceramic AR3a woofer I have has stamped steel plates. Can't see the pole piece. My recollection of earlier Alnico magnet 3a woofers is they also have stamped steel plates.

Of course AR transitioned from cast frames to stamped steel ones.

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Oh, sure, I can think of several companies that still build drivers, especially in the sound reinforcement field. I just don't think too many of them are cutting metal in a machine shop. Did AR ever do that?

-k

Hi Ken

I meant labor intensive drivers assembling and manual works by the workers in house. I don't think AR had heavy duty machine shop to deal with what we see in that video. Even the speaker cabinets were contract to outside shop ran by a family to be made... Tom would know much more in details about the early AR operation than I do.

Minh Luong

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