| Who made the first decent professional cinema subwoofer? [message #307756] |
Sun, 30 March 2008 03:55  |
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Michael 'Bink' Knowles
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Registered: April 2004
Location: Oakland, CA |
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I know Cerwin Vega constructed the Sensurround subwoofers in '73 and '74 for the movie "Earthquake" but those Universal-designed boxes only reproduced a simple triggered noise track. What about subwoofers that were expected to reproduce music and actual sound effects? Who made the first ones?
-Bink
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| Re: Who made the first decent professional cinema subwoofer? [message #307833 is a reply to message #307756 ] |
Sun, 30 March 2008 13:18  |
 Craig Hauber
Messages: 278
Registered: December 2004
Location: Simi Valley California |
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I'm guessing JBL, but Altec could have too.
They had those super-loose 18's in reflex boxes out before the '80's and were definitely in the theater-cabinet product line and were not intended as the primary low frequency device below the 2"
-Also EV and their TL series.
Craig Hauber
CSA Productions Inc.
Simi Valley & Burbank CA
www.csaproductionsinc.com
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| Re: Who made the first decent professional cinema subwoofer? [message #307886 is a reply to message #307756 ] |
Sun, 30 March 2008 16:49 |
Tom Danley
Messages: 318
Registered: March 2005 |
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Hi
Other than the special run installation subs, like the CV subs used in movies like Midway etc, I think it was Tomlinsin Hollman’s work which lead to the THX standards that (among other things) drove the need for extended low end. Jurassic Park was the turning point in the movie industry so far as getting down if I recall.
I think the first modern widespread “standard” subwoofer for theaters was the Kintec KT-90 if I remember right. It was a 2X15 vented box, self powered and made specifically for cinema use and installed in many theaters. I remember that one as they were the same size as the TPL-2 we made at Intersonics at the time.
Prior to that when there was lf extension it was via big horn systems made by Altec, RCA, WE and others. Big cool looking and impossibly large cabinets and horns, ah and no power compression either (because the voice coils came off the former before they got that hot)
Keep in mind the technical “knowledge base” even in the 80’s said that for live sound, nothing below 80Hz was needed or desired and you can’t make real bass with a horn.
It was a great time to come up with a motor driven horn loaded woofer I’ll tell you haha.
Best,
Tom Danley
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| Re: Who made the first decent professional cinema subwoofer? [message #307898 is a reply to message #307829 ] |
Sun, 30 March 2008 17:37 |
Al Limberg
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Registered: April 2004
Location: Saginaw, MI |
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I recall reading an article regarding Meyer subs vs. the CV 'Earthquakes' years ago in Mix Magazine. Meyer was only slightly less than flabbergasted that a theatre full of typical viewers being used as test subjects repeatedly picked the CVs as 'louder' even though actual test results showed the opposite. Perhaps that was what lead to the 'added' distortion solution to the problem.
?;o)
Al
Some people are like a Slinky.....not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.
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| Re: Who made the first decent professional cinema subwoofer? [message #307943 is a reply to message #307898 ] |
Sun, 30 March 2008 20:47 |
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Mac Kerr
Messages: 6292
Registered: April 2004
Location: Westchester County, NY |
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| Al Limberg wrote on Sun, 30 March 2008 18:37 |
I recall reading an article regarding Meyer subs vs. the CV 'Earthquakes' years ago in Mix Magazine. Meyer was only slightly less than flabbergasted that a theatre full of typical viewers being used as test subjects repeatedly picked the CVs as 'louder' even though actual test results showed the opposite. Perhaps that was what lead to the 'added' distortion solution to the problem.
?;o)
Al
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That sounds like what I remember, i don't know when that would have been, but I think it would have been before 1986 when I left my full time sound company job.
The large Altec cinema speakers, like the A2 were loaded with Altec 515 woofers, which were the lowest extension speakers they made at the time, I think they were rated for 75 watts. I don't know what were in the CV W "Earthquake" subs, but the only time I ever used them 4 of them got blown away by two Meyer 650s. This was long after they were out of the movie theaters. Associates and Ferren were using them as SFX speakers, and I thought they sounded awful so I replaced them with the Meyer. That would have been in 1991.
Mac
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| Re: Who made the first decent professional cinema subwoofer? [message #308090 is a reply to message #307833 ] |
Mon, 31 March 2008 12:19 |
Iain Macdonald
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Registered: August 2005
Location: UK Europe |
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Hi Craig,
The pic is an 8182 Altec dedicated cinema sub from 1981/82. THX research started in 1982 at Lucasfilm before the name THX was incorporated. Design work was done specifically for Return of the Jedi, #3 in the series.
Iain.
Attachment: 8182 1.jpg
(Size: 13.17KB, Downloaded 860 time(s))
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| Re: Who made the first decent professional cinema subwoofer? [message #308480 is a reply to message #308090 ] |
Tue, 01 April 2008 17:07 |
Craig Hauber
Messages: 278
Registered: December 2004
Location: Simi Valley California |
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8182 Altec, -thats exactly the one I couldn't remember. Some audiophiles were using them too -They went quite low, but weren't very powerful but who cares because they out-did everything else in that 25-30Hz range.
Also remember coming across some pre-1970 30" EV drivers in the back of a theater once too -about the size of a minivan and with a 90-watt tube amp. -They were probably for the organ.
Craig Hauber
CSA Productions Inc.
Simi Valley & Burbank CA
www.csaproductionsinc.com
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