ResonantLive Sound Archive

Equipment file · Compression tweeter

596-A driver

Western Electric · 1931

Evidence status · documented

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

The Western Electric 596-A was the high-frequency driver of Western Electric's 1931 three-way 'Wide Range' theatre systems, alongside 18-inch cone woofers on open baffles and 555-W-driven horns.

Introduced
1931
Category
Compression tweeter
Intended use
High frequencies in three-way theatre systems
Production
Western Electric / ERPI

Why it mattered

  1. 01

    Part of the first three-way wide-range theatre systems.

  2. 02

    The Wide Range system's flaws led to the [[shearer-horn|Shearer Horn]].

Engineering record

System role
HF driver in the 1931 Wide Range system[1]

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

No named deployment could be tied to this exact item by a checked source yet. Know of one? Suggest it on the contribute page.

Manuals & original documents

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

Sources

  1. 11876–1946 Altec Lansing heritage timelineAudio Heritage · reference

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