1.b&; W

In 1966, John Bower, a British electronic communication engineer, and Roy Wilkins, a friend, jointly opened an audio shop in Worthing, which was called B&; The origin of W. John Bower is here to help people assemble speakers, with B&; The first product launched by W brand is P1, and they use the money they earn to buy some second-hand testing instruments. The P2 loudspeaker introduced in 1967 adopted ion treble and bass of laminated glass cone, which was well received and became B&; W the first exported horn, B&; W how to establish the tradition of innovation. 197 b&; W established the R&D department, and introduced the DM7C speaker designed by mixing static electricity and cone basin. In 1974, we began to study the manufacture of loudspeaker monomer with DuPont bulletproof cloth Kevlar, and the first pair of finished products DM6 were launched two years later. As for the B&; W modeling, which started in 1977, is a revolutionary B&; W 81 horn was introduced in WCES in 1979, and it made great progress in testing with laser interferometer. Abbey Road of EMI took the lead in adopting 81 as the monitoring horn, and then Decca and German Polaroid Group joined in. Today, Series III of Matrix 81 is still the most widely used monitoring system in classical music. This pair of speakers uses 3 cm polymer cone bass, and the 12.6 cm midrange and 2.6 cm metal treble of Kevlar diaphragm are separately installed in two boxes to avoid mutual interference. SB7 introduced by Technics in Japan in 1975 and 15 introduced later by KEF in Britain all adopt similar shapes, but only B&; W survived tenaciously.

In p>1991, the prototype of Nautilus horn designed by Laurence Dickie was exhibited, which shocked the world. After it was officially launched in 1994, it was regarded as a masterpiece of post-modernism, and its sound was equally remarkable. B& In pursuit of perfect sound, W has developed many bold and innovative shapes, such as a pipe-shaped speaker and a Blue Room like a fat doll. Of course, Nautilus is the master. But Nautilus, after all, is too avant-garde and expensive, so B&; W turned his brain to the best-selling 81. After launching the brand-new Nautilus 81 and the smaller Nautilus 82, 83 and 85, we saw that there was already a recording studio dedicated to Nautilus 81. Nautilus 81 still uses 2.5cm aluminum metal treble, the magnet is changed to neodymium magnet, and a metal conduit is added behind the speaker. In addition to installing a phase cone, the sound box of the six-inch Kevlar diaphragm is made of artificial stone. As for changing the bass from 12 inches to 15 inches, the diaphragm is a composite material of paper fiber and Kevlar, with heavy machinery in the cabinet and the bass reflection hole facing down. In terms of specifications, the new Nautilus 81 in bass extension is only 29Hz-3dB, but it is not as good as the old model 81. In fact, according to the audition of many experts, Nautilus 81 is far superior to the old model 81 in terms of design and sound performance, and the price is also the same. B& W will stop here? Of course not! Tannoy and KEF

Tannoy started their history quite early, and they can be said to be one of the founders of the British audio industry. In 1926, a radio engineers named Guy R. Fou ntain developed a simple and reliable rectifier in his garage in London, which was just suitable for the radio that was just starting at that time, so Guy Fountain founded Tannoy Company three years later. The origin of the name Tannoy is also the abbreviation of Lead-Alloy, which is two metal materials used in rectifier. After the establishment of the factory, Guy Fountain began to study the moving-coil loudspeaker using DC excitation, and soon achieved results, but what really made Tannoy famous was a contract they received in 193. Greatest show on earth International, founded by Sir Bertram Mills, is actively expanding to the outside world, and plans to become the first tent circus to travel by rail. They need a reliable and durable sound system that can make a loud noise without being harsh, and Tannoy is the best choice.

Since then, Tannoy has been famous for manufacturing high-quality PA speakers and studio monitors. After Tannoy products were adopted in the British Parliament and the United Nations Building, it was equivalent to hanging a guarantee for them. In 195s, Tannoy made great achievements in communication equipment. On the other hand, with the development of stereo, Tannoy began to enter the home market. At this time, Tannoy launched the first batch of coaxial speakers. At present, Tannoy still takes coaxial monomer as the main force, and System 215 MKII is the top model of Tannoy's monitoring speaker. Using a 38cm bass and a 38cm coaxial monomer, it sounds very different from Tannoy's home speaker, with its light and clear voice, direct expression and impressive dynamics. Tannoy's monitoring speaker has already entered the world market from Britain. David Manley, who made the expander, bought a 25 cm coaxial monomer from Tannoy, and designed a listening speaker with the brand of Manley Laboratories, and got the support of Dung Sax, the boss of trumpet flower. It can be seen that Tannoy monomer is also very powerful.

KEF, which was founded in 1961, started from the production of monomer, and almost all British horn factories have bought monomer from them. The early 15 ohm version of the famous BBC LS 3/5A used KEF monomer. There was a fire in KEF's factory in the 197s, and the production line went up in flames. It was said that LS 3/5A was changed to 11 ohms for better linearity, but it was also said that KEF could no longer supply the old monomer. No matter what is true, at least we can see that KEF plays an important role in the British audio industry. In addition, the elliptical bass monomer B-139 developed by KEF is an epoch-making contribution. With its small diaphragm area, it reduces the bass extension to about 3Hz, which also shows KEF's ability to design monomers. Many speaker kits are almost equal to quality assurance after hanging the KEF logo. KEF's reputation in the professional field is more than that of finished products. KEF's self-made speakers began to build their reputation from 14 in 1973. In the LP era, many people were intoxicated by the wide range and dynamic performance of KEF's speakers. KEF's self-made horn is not fast. It was only introduced in 1976, and then it was improved to 15/2, which set off another upsurge in the market. In 1979, KEF developed S-Stop technology, and in 1984, it introduced a 14/2 loudspeaker using Coupled Caviy technology. Its unique conception and rich low-frequency performance certainly caused many exclamations. In the same year, KEF engineers published the coaxial technology of high and low bass, which became the only competitor with Tannoy. In 1989, KEF further improved its design and introduced a coaxial monomer called Uni-Q. In the second year, 15/3 used cavity coupling and UNI-Q coaxial technology at the same time, and its excellent performance shocked four seats. However, at present, the flagship of KEF is still 17/2 with three-channel design and active low frequency equalization introduced in 1992. A few years ago, the British market was extremely depressed, and Hong Kong consortium funds began to intervene in the operation of KEF. I believe that KEF will move towards a more popular route.

2.Genelec

Founded in 1978, Genelec from Finland mainly produces active monitor speakers, and more and more recording studios have joined Genelec. Genelec uses traditional cone and basin monomers, and the middle and high notes are mounted on the panel with horn diffusion effect, which is called "Direct ivity Control Wave Guide" by the factory, which can effectively control the directivity and phase characteristics. The adjustable level and frequency division slope of all monomers is another feature of Genelec speakers. Through these fine adjustments, ideal effects can be achieved in different recording studios. Each monomer has its own independent active amplifier, which is also one of the reasons for its popularity. When connected, it can get realistic, tough, straightforward and high-resolution sound, and the black figure gives people a magnificent and powerful feeling, which is worthy of being an orthodox monitoring horn.

3. The top products of Pioneer and Westlake

Pioneer usually use the Exclusive brand, and so do the speakers. Using the Exclusive speaker of TAD(Technical Audio Divise) monomer looks beautiful and sounds outstanding, but it is very hot to buy. TAD's bass uses a special casting method, and the whole frame is integrally formed, which can make a deep sound. The treble driver with beryllium metal diaphragm, coupled with the asymmetric wooden horn, makes the Exclusi ve speaker very powerful. Its range is not particularly wide, but it is fast, rich in intermediate frequency and full of energy. In addition, the ultra-high efficiency is also one of its advantages. Taiwan Province Junjin has also designed a series of speakers with TAD monomer, and the quality is not lost to foreign products. Using Luxman's small vacuum tube machine can produce a very large and shocking effect, and of course its price is also amazing.

Westlake, founded by Glenn Phoenix in p>197, had a close relationship with JBL in its early years. It used all kinds of monomers made by JBL. Since Glenn Phoenix was a celebrity in the recording field on the west coast of the United States, his speakers designed according to his own standards quickly became famous. Westlake's large monitor speakers are similar to Exlus IV, both of which use wooden horns and large-caliber bass, while the five-channel SM-1 is much more luxurious than Exlus IV. The author once enjoyed many sets of Jadis JA-2 post-promotion SM-1 in the space designed by Glenn Phoenix, and played Michael Jackson's album produced in Westlake Studio. The fierce dynamics seemed to be slapped on the face, and it was very enjoyable after listening to it. However, in recent years, Westlake has gradually developed into an upright horn, and it has also abandoned horn design (except for the flagship Tower and the smaller one's Tower 12), such as BBSM12VNF, small-scale Lc6.75W/N, or horizontal BBSM4F, etc., which also have high evaluation.

4.Electro-Voice and JBL

The American old shop, which was established in 1927, stands on top of JBL and Altec, but Electro-Voice is less involved in the home market, so it has not received much attention. For many years, Electro-Voice insisted on the design of mixing horn treble and cone basin bass, which often encountered the problem of efficiency mismatch, but they were well solved. The flagship Georgian (the third generation Georgian IIB has been launched) even uses a huge bass unit of 46 cm, and the alto is also a huge 3 cm guy. It is not easy for them to work with the horn composed of two tweeters. Electro-Voice also has the advantages of high efficiency, sensitivity of over 95dB, easy to use, fast speed, rich details and great dynamics, which are all praised by people.

in p>1946, J.B. Lansing formally established JBL Company, with the aim of manufacturing a household system comparable to the monitor speaker. Unexpectedly, JBL himself entered the professional market to share a piece of the action. Early JBL masterpieces, such as Olympus, Hartsfield, Paragon, etc., are not only luxurious in shape, special in structure, but also charming in sound, and are still the collection targets of players. Paragon is more like elegant antique furniture. Hartsfield, which has been produced since the early 195s, is mostly used in large-scale occasions such as theaters. A few years ago, some fans revived it and formed a much-told story. Mark Weiss and John Wolff, two enthusiasts from Michigan, formed a Classic Audio Reproductionds, and made a new Hartsfield with newer technology and monomer. Because of the addition of ultra-high frequency extension, the sound splitter was improved, which naturally had some differences with the old Hartsfield. However, the elegant and huge appearance and the relaxed and natural charm are memorable. Hartsfield suggested putting it in the corner, but unlike the structure of Klipschorn in the corner, Klipschorn takes the wall as an extension of the bass folding horn, and its low frequency will be affected without the wall; Hartsfield is basically designed for convenience. Interestingly, both of them later designed wing-shaped backboards to facilitate the need for setting when leaving the corner.

like Electro-Voice, JBL's large-scale monitor horn is mainly composed of horn treble and cone bass. In 1989, Project K2 S95 used two bass bags to clamp the horn. Due to the extensive use of new materials (glass horn, artificial stone base, etc.), S95 has a brand-new look. On the other hand, the small listening speakers designed by JBL are also very popular. The L-1 was launched in 1971. In recent years, the 4312MKII, the latest 4325MKII and even the Century Gold commemorative speakers launched to celebrate the 5th anniversary all adopt similar ideas. These speakers have a strong personality, and they feel very suitable for interpreting pop music or as speakers for home theaters. Their meticulous expressions, strong dynamics and vivid transient responses are exactly what makes JBL famous. Another professional brand of JBL is called Urei, and many large recording studios have used Urei 815, which is an active design product, which is combined with the amplifier. Urei's modular concept is very novel. All series of speakers use JBL monomer with the same specification, and the speakers are only different in size. The structure and maintenance are easy, but in fact, it takes some thought to adjust.

5.PMC and ATC

PMC (professional montior com.) are British manufacturers that sprang up in 199. Designers Peter Thomas and Adrian Loader made a series according to the principle of transmission line horn.