596-A driver by Western Electric

Why it mattered

01
Part of the first three-way wide-range theatre systems.
02
The Wide Range system's flaws led to the Shearer HornMGM / LansingShearer Horn system1935–36The Shearer Horn was developed from 1933–34 by John Hilliard of MGM's sound department, under Douglas Shearer, with James B. Lansing, to fix the time smear of Western Electric's Wide Range system. It combined 15-inch drivers in a bass horn with a multicellular horn and compression driver, and won a Technical Achievement Academy Award in 1936.Open profile →.
Pictured in this passage
MGM / Lansing Shearer Horn system© Harman International; courtesy Mark Gander and John Eargle · © Harman International / Lansing Heritage archive; used for identification and historical commentary

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2026 equivalent

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