JBL Heritage: Shearer Horn / W.E. Mirrophonic

[RacerXtreme]

Got some questions for the experts.

Was the Shearer Horn the same basic speaker (but turned on it's side) as the Western Electric Mirrophonic? Never really noticed it before, but they look the similar - just with different baffles on the sides (Mirrophonic) or bottom (Shearer Horn).

What's a W.E. "Diaphonic" ? How about an RCA "Photophone" ?

Are these systems based on the Shearer design?

From the Lansing Heritage site on the Shearer Horn:

"MGM built 12 Shearer Horns for subsequent theater tests in a number of different cities. It confirmed the positive results from the development testing and production was ordered for 150 units for use in MGM's Loews's Theater Circuit. WE and RCA each received contracts to build 75 units."


What is the total # of Shearer horns that were made over the years?
How many W.E. Mirrophonic's ?

2 more questions:

Ever heard one of these monsters? Impressions ???


Here's some photos:

http://www.audioheritage.org/images/lmco/photos/products/shearer/shearer5.jpg

http://www.wec.co.jp/ta7396double.htm


Thanx..............................

[Steve Schell]

RacerXtreme, I just wrote a loooong reply to you. The forum login is acting really screwy for some reason though, and my post was lost. I'll try to reconstruct it tomorrow.

[Steve Schell]

Here we go again. Those having login problems please read Don's sticky on the Forum Issues board.

The MGM prototype Shearer Horn systems, and the ones produced by Lansing Manufacturing Company at first, oriented the W bins horizontally; see:

http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/lmco/bulletins/5b.jpg

For some reason unknown to me, the W bins were being used vertically by the time of the Altec buyout of Lansing. We figure that the picture you linked to was taken by a photographer hired by the new Altec management, probably in early 1942.

"Diphonic" was the Western Electric trade name for their two way horn systems that debuted in 1936, as part of their new "Mirrophonic" line of theatre equipments. In the literature I've seen, they used double stacked horizontal W bins with a total of four 18" woofers, type TA-4181. Very few Mirrophonic systems were built and sold, as they were only marketed for about a year before the consent decree with the U.S. Government forced W.E. out of the business.

"Photophone" was RCA's marketing term for their theatre sound division. They used it from about 1928 until 1950 or so. The term generically refers to a device that converts light intensity to electrical potential. RCA was the first (I think) to successfully commercialize the optical soundtrack. Their use of the Photophone term highlighted this in the late '20s and early '30s, while W.E. was still struggling with the Vitaphone system, which used 16" phonograph discs (!) for film sound.

Probably several thousand Shearer type systems (W bins, multicellular horns) were built in total by Lansing, Altec Lansing, W.E., Jensen, Stephens and others. There were probably only a few hundred Mirrophonic installations, due to the short time they were on the market. Lansing struggled with sales, and looking at driver serial numbers it appears that a few hundred systems were sold by Lansing and Altec Lansing before the VOTT replaced the Shearer systems in their line. Stephens and Jensen sold them for a long time, though their numbers were not great from looking at the used market for the drivers and horns. Other companies like I.P.C. and DeVry marketed systems with components sourced from the major manufacturers. Many components from W.E. and Lansing found their way to Europe, South America and Australia, though the enclosures were probably built locally.

I've never heard a big Shearer system, darn it, except maybe as a kid at the movies. The miniaturized Lansing Monitor systems sound extremely good though, enough so to make one question the actual progress over the past 70 years. Their sound is very clear and alive, yet relaxing at the same time. I once heard a Lansing Monitor 500B head to head with a Patrician and an early Hartsfield, and to me it was no contest at all.

http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/lmco/bulletins/3a.jpg

[RacerXtreme]

The Lansing Monitor 500B sounded better than the Patrician and the Hartsfield ??? Really ? Hmmmm...........

What is a Mirrophonic system worth in today's market (approximately) ?

How about a Shearer system ?

The link I posted of the Mirrophonic system is in Japan. It's inside of some type of business that's open to the public to come and listen to
the vintage audio gear on display. I was told that the gentleman that owns it is a surgeon at Tokyo's biggest hospital. If you've never gone through the site - you should. Rare Klangfilm speakers, JBL and Altec, .......you name it - it's there.

Why do they hang stuff from the speakers ???? :blink:


Thanks for all the info Steve ................... :applaud:

[Steve Schell]

Hi Racer,

My hat is off to whoever in Japan paid to have those systems shipped there in their entirety. It must have cost a fortune, but they are still together for folks to enjoy.

I haven't seen prices for complete systems, as they are usually disassembled and sold piecemeal. Looking at a full blown Mirrophonic system with electronics, $60 or $80 grand might buy all the pieces. It seems to me that at least a few of these systems should be preserved intact for future generations, and for historians to study. If only one of the Microsoft founders was into vintage theatre gear...

I know of only one intact Shearer system, taken out of service but still in its original theatre. It has two Lansing 284 or 285 drivers on a Y throat, mounted to an early encased style RCA 10 cell 300Hz. horn- the kind with the Frankenstein mounting pipes sticking out the sides. Four perfect Lansing 15XS drivers are mounted in the dual RCA W bins. Funny story- a retired RCA sound engineer told me that the RCA W bins were made for them by a casket company in their spare time. Anyway, the theatre owners keep it as part of their historical collection, and have no interest in selling it. Probably a good thing, or else it would have been scattered like most other systems.

My impressions were that the Lansing Monitor whupped the other speakers, but then again I am hopelessly smitten with the Lansing products and far from impartial. The EV Patrician had greater bandwidth, but sounded confused with so many drivers, time arrival errors, etc. The Hartsfield was good, but sounded edgy next to the Lansing. The collector who owns these systems played them through an ultra rare RCA Photophone theatre amplifier that used a single UX-250 tube in the output- outrageous!

[RacerXtreme]

$60 to $80 grand ????

Holy crap...............

So three Shearer horns (empty) are probably worth a grand eh?

With respect to their sound, what about the obvious phase problems?

Seems like it would be somewhat difficult to get them integrated into a system...........

They look really cool tho. Since it's not too easy to find them, would it be worth the effort to build some? Maybe drop some newer 15" or 18" JBL's in them???

Maybe I'm just dreaming.................:blink:

[paragon]

Please, some pics of this Shearersystem, if possible.:applaud:

[neonman]

$60 to $80 grand ????
...

So three Shearer horns (empty) are probably worth a grand eh?

With respect to their sound, what about the obvious phase problems?

Seems like it would be somewhat difficult to get them integrated into a system...........

They look really cool tho. Since it's not too easy to find them, would it be worth the effort to build some? Maybe drop some newer 15" or 18" JBL's in them???

Maybe I'm just dreaming.................:blink:

Actually, I wouldn't mind building a couple if I could find some detailed plans. I've read good and bad things about them. I have the components from three of the original systems and would like to get a sense of what they sounded like. My components came from systems like the ones pictured here: http://www.audioheritage.org/images/lmco/photos/products/shearer/shearer1.jpg

Jim

[glen]

The link I posted of the Mirrophonic system is in Japan. It's inside of some type of business that's open to the public to come and listen to
the vintage audio gear on display. I was told that the gentleman that owns it is a surgeon at Tokyo's biggest hospital. If you've never gone through the site - you should. Rare Klangfilm speakers, JBL and Altec, .......you name it - it's there.

Damn! Steve, are you saving up for a trip yet?

[Steve Schell]

RacerXtreme, the phasing problems in a Shearer system shouldn't be too bad. The W bin horn flare is actually quite short, like five feet. In the original prototypes the h.f. driver extends past the back, so the time misalignment was probably no more than a couple of milliseconds.

Paragon, sorry but the best I can do for now is to send you to the old article on my Lansing Monitor system. I need a new digital camera, but haven't gone shopping yet.

http://www.audioheritage.org/html/perspectives/found.htm

Jim, I'm sure you know that all of the theatre components built by Lansing Mfg. Co. are scarce and valuable. A pair of 284B compression drivers recently sold on ebay for something like $9,500. What pieces do you have? I'd love to know. If you could post pictures that would be great.

I don't have plans for the large W bins, but do have accurate drawings for the 500A and 500B Monitor enclosures. Let me know if you would like these.

Glen, don't tempt me!

[RacerXtreme]

Steve:

Don't know what you want in a digital camera, but just bought an 8.1 megapixel Canon Rebel XT that's just awesome. If you ever get a chance to make it down to that theatre with the Shearer horn, make sure you take a tape measure. I'd love to build a copy of them. Do you think it's a design that would work well with much more modern drivers? What about the monitor system ? Sounds like the original components would be expensive and hard to find............

Thanks for the info.


Guy

[Tom Brennan]

Paul Klipsch owned an RCA Shearer system with W-bin and wings and a multicell with double drivers. I saw it in the Klipsch museum in Hope a few years ago.

The compression drivers are as big as your head. There's also another RCA system there that uses a different folded horn that looks kind'a like a corner horn, taller and narrower than a W bin and with side exits.

[Steve Schell]

Hi Tom,

I have seen pictures of that system with the corner horn. The bass bin looks like it could have been an early Klipschorn prototype. The high frequency driver is the late 1930s RCA 1400 series driver, MI-1428B or MI-1443. I couldn't figure out the strange looking little horn it is attached to at first; it is the throat section of one of the RCA multicellulars, the long cells having been removed.

[neonman]

Steve,

The components I have include the following:

Model 415 15" field coil speakers,
Serial # 1616, 1630, 1765, 1771 with B&W Lansing labels,
Serial # 2343, 2350 with RW&B Altec labels. The 2343 has an inspection tag on it with the date March 20, '45.

Model 287 field coil drivers,
Serial # 904, 973 with B&W Lansing labels,
Serial # 1331 with RW&B Altec label.
all attached to 1505 tar-filled horns.
One of these is non-functional, the voice coil detached itself from the diaphram. I'd like to get it fixed.

I have 3 F-500A field coil supplies. One doesn't work, I have never bothered to find out why, it blows primary fuses. One had the capacitors go bad last Christmas, I have replaced them from the schematic you provided, Thank you. The other is original and works fine.

I also have 3 terminal boxes and 3 TJ401-B transformers. There are some other pieces that are packed away somewhere.

I'll take pictures and post them, but it'll be awhile, as I'm still in the film era of photography.

Jim.

[RacerXtreme]

Tom:

Got a picture of that other RCA corner horn? :blink: