VI VII

Contents1 Introduction and Historical Overview3 Loudspeaker Milestones from the Acoustic

Era to the Modern High End7 Bell Labs and General Electric10 Alan Blumlein

13 Introduction and Historical Overview15 Celestion16 Tannoy17 Quad27 Altec and JBL29 Klipsch33 Acoustic Research37 KEF47 KLH and Advent49 Arthur Janszen and the KLH Nine51 Bowers & Wilkins (B&W)61 Spendor��� ,QÀQLW\�6\VWHPV��� �2WKHU�6LJQLÀFDQW�3URGXFWV�����–1970

79 Introduction and Historical Overview81 Magnepan93 Acoustat94 IMF��� 36%�6SHDNHUV105 Dahlquist107 Thiel117 Dynaudio127 Vandersteen137 Meridian147 Harbeth149 SoundLab���� 3UR$F153 Focal163 MBL175 MartinLogan���� 3DUDGLJP���� �2WKHU�6LJQLÀFDQW�3URGXFWV�����–1980

193 Introduction and Historical Overview

195 Wilson Audio Specialties205 Sonus faber215 Kharma218 Apogee Acoustics219 DALI229 Rockport Technologies239 Avantgarde Acoustic���� �2WKHU�6LJQLÀFDQW�3URGXFWV�

1980–1995246 Oddities and Wonders

249 Introduction and Historical Overview

251 Magico259 Revel267 Technical Audio Devices (TAD)271 Raidho Acoustics279 YG Acoustics���� �2WKHU�6LJQLÀFDQW�3URGXFWV�

1995–2013290 Oddities and Wonders

292 The Heil AMT293 The BBC Monitor295 Horn-Loaded High-Sensitivity Loudspeakers297 Canada’s National Research

Council (NRC)299 Ceramic Drivers301 Single-Driver Loudspeakers���� 7KH�&RURQD�3ODVPD�'ULYHU303 Glossary of Loudspeaker Terms307 Index311 Contributors

01The Pioneers

11The High-

Fidelity Era:1945-1970

191The Industry

Matures:1980-1995:

77The Modern

High-EndEra Begins:1970-1980

247The New

Generation:1995-2013

291Features