ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Distributed and clustered horn PA

Stadium and auditorium horn clusters

Magnavox and commercial installers · 1920s–1930s

Evidence status · verified

Claims in this file are tied to item-specific sources.

Racked multicellular horns fed from tube amplifiers covered crowds a single horn could never reach.

Introduced
1920s–1930s
Category
Distributed and clustered horn PA
Intended use
Stadium, civic, church, station, and auditorium speech coverage
Production
A design practice rather than one product

Equipment photographs · 1

Large outdoor horn loudspeaker for stadium and park use (1920s)

1 / 1 · Large outdoor horn loudspeaker for stadium and park use (1920s)

Large outdoor horn loudspeaker for stadium and park use (1920s)·Unknown author Unknown author·Public domain
A speaker at a flag-draped outdoor podium using an early microphone beside a Magnavox horn loudspeaker

A period outdoor speech system using Magnavox horn equipment.

Amplified campaign address, Magnavox equipment, 1920·Anonymous·Public domain

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    Scaled reinforcement by combining multiple directional horns and distributing them across large spaces.

  2. 02

    Introduced coverage planning, zoning, and long cable runs as system-level design problems.

Engineering record

Coverage
Multiple horns were aimed into distinct audience sectors to reduce the distance and angular span demanded of any one device.[1]
Distribution
Transformer-coupled constant-voltage lines reduced cable loss when feeding many remote loudspeakers.[1]

Original pricing

No single original price applies

2026 equivalent

Not calculated without a reliable original price.

These were custom installations whose cost depended on amplifier racks, cable distribution, horn count, and venue geometry.

Use in the field

The approach was installed in civic halls, churches, transport terminals, factories, and stadia where speech intelligibility mattered more than extended bandwidth.[1]

Manuals & original documents

No authoritative manual or original document has been located for this profile.

Sources

  1. 1Public address systemEncyclopaedia Britannica · reference

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