1920s The Straight Horn Speaker


Exhibition Room 6 showcases the beginning of Western Electric audio history.


Let's begin by listening to sound produced by a cone speaker, the 560-AW. This speaker, as shown on the top shelf, dates from a hundred years ago.


The amplifier for this speaker, the 7-A model, is of the same age.


Although its design differs from today’s speakers, this model can be considered the progenitor of modern speaker technology.


The company behind this innovation, later expanded into the public address (PA) system market, 


providing sound systems for purposes such as election campaigns.


The speaker hanging from the ceiling at the entrance of Exhibition Room 6 has a design recognizable to this day, particularly during election periods. The modern PA speakers you see today are nearly identical to those made a century ago, including the shape of the horns and their drivers.


The 11-A speaker at your front was produced in 1924 and was used as an outdoor PA system. 


Audeum is the only place in the world where you can experience music through these historic PA horns. 


After a brief listen to a piece of music through the cone speaker, you will hear the same music in its entirety through the 11-A sound system. 


Once the music ends, please proceed to the next exhibition room.