The base
of the loudspeaker is made of cast metal. The three feet
end in a claw, holding a ball. The neck is made of
brass, the flare is made of aluminium, painted dark
purple. By turning the big knurled knob in the base, the
distance between the magnet and the diaphragm can be
changed.
Data
Made in:
1924
Purchased in:
2005
Sold in:
2023
Serial number:
702385
Dimensions:
height 64 cm, diameter of the flare
36 cm
DC resistance:
2000 Ohms
What
was recorded in 1924?
Listen to "Dream Daddy"
by the Romaine Dance Orchestra,
recorded on November 5, 1924
Company history
Burndept operated in Blackheath,
south-west London from 1921 to 1931, producing some of the finest
quality early radios, from small crystal sets to
powerful four-valve loudspeaker-linked receivers. The
brand name was
Ethophone (Ethovox for the loudspeakers).
They were the first to put domestic
radio receivers
into cars, aeroplanes, houseboats and
yachts.
The company made a
delivery van in the form of a giant Ethophone V model
(1923, picture above), and placed a receiver on a hand
cart with an aerial and loudspeakers. Unfortunately,
like many pioneering organisations, Burndept saw the
large market going to manufacturers less interested in
novelty and more in cheapness and mass production. By
1927 the firm was in deep financial difficulty and was
placed into receivership.
In 1934 the old name was
resurrected when it was bought by a Thomas Cole, a
battery maker, who opened a factory at Erith and took on
those Burndept staff who wanted to join him. His new
trading name was Vidor.
It remained a
factory, passing through the ownership of
various electrical manufacturers including
Siemens and
GEC, but it
was demolished in December 1995.
The
Ethovox brand name and the BBC logo in the flare of the
horn
The
Burndept factory in Blackheath
Advertentisement
for the Ethophone V
radio together with an Ethovox RL2/20 loudspeaker in Wireless Weekly,
October 22nd, 1924
