ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Biamplified horn-loaded loudspeaker

MSL-3

Meyer Sound · 1981

Evidence status · documented

Identity and core specifications are documented; some historical fields remain unavailable.

The MSL-3 was a smaller 'slice' of Meyer's MSL-10, with two 12-inch woofers in a horn-loaded vented cabinet and a 2-inch-throat compression driver on a 70-degree horn. Its size made it far more flexible to array.

Introduced
1981
Category
Biamplified horn-loaded loudspeaker
Intended use
Concert, theatre and club sound
Production
Meyer Sound from 1981; later MSL-3A

Equipment photographs · 5

Meyer Sound MSL-3 Reinforcement Loudspeaker

1 / 5 · Meyer Sound MSL-3 Reinforcement Loudspeaker

Meyer Sound MSL-3 Reinforcement Loudspeaker·CUE Sale·© CUE Sale; used for equipment identification and historical commentary

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    It established Meyer as a maker of high-output, low-distortion arrayable touring systems.

  2. 02

    Its durability became legendary: MSL-3s reportedly served over 20 years in London's Cats.

Engineering record

Drivers
Two MS-12 12-inch; MS-2001A compression driver on a 70° horn[2]
Performance
75 Hz–18 kHz ±4 dB; 130 dB continuous, 135 dB peak; 800 Hz crossover[2]

Original pricing

No reliable period price located

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

Public price evidence was not sufficient to publish a defensible original figure.

Use in the field

Used for over 20 years in the London production of Cats[1]

Professional reactions

Later recollection · 2022

Relles recalled buying six MSL-3 systems in 1986, immediately adding two more, and doubling the count the following year. He linked that investment to his long-standing ambition to provide a gold-standard PA at the Britt Festival.

George Relles, Owner, George Relles SoundBritt Festival history recalled 36 years later; not a preserved 1986 endorsement. · Manufacturer-published case study · Paraphrased account[3]Front of House (FOH) Magazine (Meyer Sound press material) · Meyer Sound Panther Extends 36 Years of Audience Enjoyment at Oregon's Britt Festival

Later recollection · 2016

Frink traced his Meyer Sound experience to installing an MSL-3 system at Dartmouth’s Hopkins Center in 1989 and engineering on it for two years. Looking back, he expressed lasting enthusiasm for the products and the company’s approach.

Mark Frink, Touring engineer and former Mix sound-reinforcement editorAnnouncement of Frink joining Meyer Sound; a later career recollection. · Manufacturer-published case study · Paraphrased account[4]LSi Online (Lighting&Sound International) · Mark Frink Joins Meyer Sound as Tour Manager

Manuals & original documents

Sources

  1. 1MSL3 (1981) Meyer SoundTheatrecrafts Backstage Heritage Collection · archive
  2. 2MSL-3A specificationsMeyer Sound · manual
  3. 3Meyer Sound Panther Extends 36 Years of Audience Enjoyment at Oregon's Britt FestivalFront of House (FOH) Magazine (Meyer Sound press material) · case study · 2022
  4. 4Mark Frink Joins Meyer Sound as Tour ManagerLSi Online (Lighting&Sound International) · case study · 2016

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