Western Electric, history plus new speakers!

[DanielT]

Here interesting sound, HiFi history, for those who are interested in such:

Company History — Western Electric - Maker of electron tubes and high fidelity

The Western Electric of today is shaped by a rich and sometimes unexpected history. This narrative style timeline pays respect to the people, places, and events that electrify what we do today.

www.westernelectric.com

Plus a new speaker. Of course you want one. I get accocations to a steam locomotive. It does not get better than that, the look of the speakers, he he.
Note, I do not know if it is a Western Electric speaker, the construction or if it is "only" the driver from Western Electric in the speaker:

777 Midrange Driver For Loudspeakers — Western Electric - Maker of electron tubes and high fidelity

www.westernelectric.com

Western Electric To Debut 777 rAMT Midrange Driver at High End Munich 2022

After successfully rebooting tube production in the US with the relaunch of the 300B, and introducing the stunning new 91E Integrated Amplifier, Western Electric has been busy in other areas. Charles Whitener, the entrepreneur and current president and CEO is determined to take Western Electric...

audioxpress.com

 

[Chrispy]

I enjoyed the company history. Much was new to me. I like the bit about how movie sound helped give birth to audio for the home....more audiophiles should read that bit.

My grandfather (dad's side, actually his step-dad) had a history with WE, even had a franchise/distributorship towards the end with them (of some sort, not sure of the actual type of business they did or supplied to, but know it was under the WE banner), he retired by the time I was old enough to understand just what it was and then never clarified it with him.

 

[Purité Audio]

Congratulations to WE on attaining a new benchmark for ugliness.
Keith

 

[dougi]

It looks like the robot from Lost in Space.

 

[DanielT]

Congratulations to WE on attaining a new benchmark for ugliness.
Keith

They look completely bizarre. I wonder if it really is a serious attempt at speakers or if it is, hm some kind of art installation? Maybe they should reflect WE history, considering the design? I do not know. Just guessing now.

Seriously who can have, or want, a couple of these at home in a combined listening room, living room?

 

[voodooless]

So the question is, what is this company now? They went defunct in 1996.

Looks like somebody bought the name (and history) and tries to make another buck out of it..

Edit: ah, it is actually all in the history. Whitener is the new owner of the brand

 

[DavidMcRoy]

Here interesting sound, HiFi history, for those who are interested in such:

View attachment 204840

View attachment 204842

Company History — Western Electric - Maker of electron tubes and high fidelity

The Western Electric of today is shaped by a rich and sometimes unexpected history. This narrative style timeline pays respect to the people, places, and events that electrify what we do today.

www.westernelectric.com

Plus a new speaker. Of course you want one. I get accocations to a steam locomotive. It does not get better than that, the look of the speakers, he he.
Note, I do not know if it is a Western Electric speaker, the construction or if it is "only" the driver from Western Electric in the speaker:

View attachment 204843

777 Midrange Driver For Loudspeakers — Western Electric - Maker of electron tubes and high fidelity

www.westernelectric.com

Western Electric To Debut 777 rAMT Midrange Driver at High End Munich 2022

After successfully rebooting tube production in the US with the relaunch of the 300B, and introducing the stunning new 91E Integrated Amplifier, Western Electric has been busy in other areas. Charles Whitener, the entrepreneur and current president and CEO is determined to take Western Electric...

audioxpress.com

For those into “steampunk.” All it needs is a pressure gauge.

 

[voodooless]

For those into “steampunk.” All it needs is a pressure gauge.

It’s probably on the back, right next to the coal hatch.

 

[nerdstrike]

Plus an ice maker and a juicer for the high frequencies? Wacky design alright!

 

[DanielT]

Plus an ice maker and a juicer for the high frequencies? Wacky design alright!

Although they may sound / measure well?

Anyone who buys them is welcome to send them to Amir for a test. It will then be for Amir both a fun test plus strength training. They probably weigh a lot, and it's also probably too much to ask Amir to carry, drag around on such large speakers.

For those who are interested and have the opportunity to visit the fair so ..:

"In the first of two spacious listening rooms, Western Electric will demonstrate its most popular product, the type 300B electron tube, and flagship amplifier the type 91E. In the second listening room, visitors are invited to the public debut of a new driver for loudspeakers, the type 777 rAMT Midrange Driver. The 777 is the first of its kind, elevating the popular Air Motion Transformer (AMT) to perform as a true wide-range driver. The driver itself will be mounted in a three-way speaker prototype, also never before seen in public. Join Western Electric for live demos each day for the duration of the show. "

High End Munich 2022 + Western Electric — Western Electric - Maker of electron tubes and high fidelity

After a long hiatus due to pandemic restrictions, Western Electric exhibited products at its first trade show since 2019. High End 2022, the world’s largest hi-fi show, took place in Munich from May 19-22. Details about the show can be found on the organizer’s website .

www.westernelectric.com

 

[tomtoo]

For those into “steampunk.” All it needs is a pressure gauge.

A mixture between a steamengine and a b class,1950, scifi nuclear reactor. Interesting

 

[FrantzM]

I got to give credit when it's due: It was a coup to secure the famed Western Electric's brand name. At&T history is storied, their Bell Labs have practically invented, almost everything we now use in our lives, from the Transistor to PCM or even Stereo and LP... in passing with Digital communications (Claude Shannon worked at Bell Labs and came up with his theorem during his time there...)and Cellular Telephony... Even the dial telephone was invented by these people... The transistor too... That is a lot .. It is difficult to pick up an electronic item that hasn't been worked on or emanated rom Bell Labs... Just in passing they found out the existence of Cosmic Rays...

Western Electric was the manufacturing arm of AT&T. They made the gear. They made the innovations come true. Now this intelligent person has found a way to use the name for its gears... I find this clever, in the same way people use RCA, Westinghouse and other name on their gears... Really Clever. They sell a lot of stuff and these are expensive. VERY. Fortunately to keep up with the tradition of innovations at Bell Labs and the old Western Electric, better performance, in smaller package is available for a fraction of the price, the factor can be as as high as 120 times less

For comparison purposes:

Here is their $124,999.00 per pair (No Typo, One Hundred Twenty Five Thousands US legal tender called US Dollar)
SPECIFICATIONS:
Rated Power Output
80 watts RMS per channel
Input Sensitivity
0.50 volts for full output
Input Impedance
500k ohms
Frequency Response
+/- 1 dB from 10Hz to 100kHz

Total Harmonic Distortion
10 watts output: < 0.05%
50 watts output: < 0.15%
80 watts output: <0.90%
Damping Factor: 16
Power Consumption
400 watts (true RMS)

And here, ASR members can drop any amplifier under $1000.oo, they believe objectively surpass those ..

....


Peace.

 

[kipman725]

Well the original WE got out of Cinema sound due to having systems that cost far too much compared to the competition, perhaps history repeats itself.

 

[DanielT]

I got to give credit when it's due: It was a coup to secure the famed Western Electric's brand name. At&T history is storied, their Bell Labs have practically invented, almost everything we now use in our lives, from the Transistor to PCM or even Stereo and LP... in passing with Digital communications (Claude Shannon worked at Bell Labs and came up with his theorem during his time there...)and Cellular Telephony... Even the dial telephone was invented by these people... The transistor too... That is a lot .. It is difficult to pick up an electronic item that hasn't been worked on or emanated rom Bell Labs... Just in passing they found out the existence of Cosmic Rays...

Western Electric was the manufacturing arm of AT&T. They made the gear. They made the innovations come true. Now this intelligent person has found a way to use the name for its gears... I find this clever, in the same way people use RCA, Westinghouse and other name on their gears... Really Clever. They sell a lot of stuff and these are expensive. VERY. Fortunately to keep up with the tradition of innovations at Bell Labs and the old Western Electric, better performance, in smaller package is available for a fraction of the price, the factor can be as as high as 120 times less

For comparison purposes:

Here is their $124,999.00 per pair (No Typo, One Hundred Twenty Five Thousands US legal tender called US Dollar)
SPECIFICATIONS:
Rated Power Output
80 watts RMS per channel
Input Sensitivity
0.50 volts for full output
Input Impedance
500k ohms
Frequency Response
+/- 1 dB from 10Hz to 100kHz

Total Harmonic Distortion
10 watts output: < 0.05%
50 watts output: < 0.15%
80 watts output: <0.90%
Damping Factor: 16
Power Consumption
400 watts (true RMS)

And here, ASR members can drop any amplifier under $1000.oo, they believe objectively surpass those ..

....


Peace.

It's a very interesting story. Not only for those who are interested in HiFi itself but also in general way regarding the technical development.
Western Electric, Bell Labs...

 

[tomtoo]

50w thd 0.15% i would say thats around tpa3255 level. But the tpa would do it much more efficient.

 

[sergeauckland]

So the question is, what is this company now? They went defunct in 1996.

Looks like somebody bought the name (and history) and tries to make another buck out of it..

Edit: ah, it is actually all in the history. Whitener is the new owner of the brand

I hope I'm not alone when I think that buying a brand name is just plain wrong. A brand isn't just a name, it has history, it has a past life, and anyone buying the rights to a name doesn't get any of that, whatever the legalities of the purchase.

There are far too many brands, in my view that now have nothing whatsoever to do with their origins, just a commodity to be traded.

Here in the UK we have previously proud and historic brands like Goodmans that are applied to cheap nasty commodity OEM items, even Nakamichi has gone that way. Quad and KEF are at least still in the Audio business, but owned by entities that have no connection other than financial with the brands. Leak is just a name, no connection whatsoever with Harold Leak.

I would much prefer classic brands were allowed to die and be buried decently once they can no longer stand up to today's markets. Far better this than to be attached to crap products.

S.

 

[voodooless]

I hope I'm not alone when I think that buying a brand name is just plain wrong. A brand isn't just a name, it has history, it has a past life, and anyone buying the rights to a name doesn't get any of that, whatever the legalities of the purchase.

Generally I’d agree, but it depends who buys it, and for what reason. Some just want to squeeze out the last drop of profits the name might bring, others want to bring back the name as an homage to the old days and really try to build on top of the history.

In this case, at least from the outside, it looks like it’s more the latter than the former. Stil, a pair of $124k amps…

 

[DanielT]

50w thd 0.15% i would say thats around tpa3255 level. But the tpa would do it much more efficient.

And... $124,999.00 per pair! WHAT?!

I suspect that the steam locomotive speakers from WE will not be cheap.

 

[Pluto]

 

[FrantzM]

Sometimes, Brand names get so diluted as to mean something , only to the people who thought they were making a great decision/purchase/acquisition. The vast majority is no longer aware of the brand.. Nokia, Blackberry, As an example Palm... of the Palm Pilot fame makes.. wireless buds, endorsed by Stephen Curry and known to no one outside of him

This is about Western Electric, just a name to put on shiny, expensive, High End Audio products whose performance can only be termed middle of the road... Anyway, tt bears to know that the storied Bell Labs is now owned by ... Nokia, they of the cell phones fame. No longer a leader in this category after having been bought by Microsoft, then ...

Bell Labs was acquired by Alcatel when they , acquired Lucent which was, in essence, the Old Western Electric... ... Alcatel was acquired by Nokia and they inherited Bell Labs in the process. Bell Labs is a shell of its former self. ...Nokia too? It was purchased in 2013 by Microsoft then dumped in 2014 or 15 to a Finnish conglomerate, HMD. Nokia is no longer the leader in the cellphone space... They do make some smartphones, I've never seen one...

Peace.