11-07-2011, 07:42 AM
In Jamie's thread about his lucky finds at Bugay, which included a couple of Stentoriam Extension Speakers, I mentioned that I have one, and commented on the volume control not being a potentiometer but a resistance network (which I think is logrithmic, but haven't measured at each setting). I've taken a few pics of my speaker, including the volume control showing the resistance wire and brass wiper, which might be of interest.
These speakers - made by the Whitley Electrical Company of Mansfield - were of very high quality, with cast iron rather than pressed steel frames, and were quite expensive in their day. Mine has a price of £3.18s.11d pencilled on the bottom, which - in 1955 - would equate to £78.00 today, but still a cheaper option than buying a second radio, which would have cost four times that much back then.
Mine is a 'Baby X' model and the speaker itself is 7" diameter, the cabinet being 8.5" square, and 4.25" deep. It was in a sorry state when I bought it about 25 years ago, so I stripped the flaking cellulose lacquer and gave it several coats of Sadolin, rubbed down with 00000 grade steel wool after each coat, then applied pastewax. I picked out the edges of the speaker openings on the front with cream paint as the original paint had flaked off, exposing the edges of the plywood. The speaker grille mateiral is original, and could do with being reversed as the inside, which is the same as the outside, is in a much nicer state, but I prefer the 'shabby chic' look!
As I said earlier, not a very 'sexy, item to look at, but to me at any rate, interesting from an historical socio-economic point of view as well as technically.
Hope that's of interest.
David
These speakers - made by the Whitley Electrical Company of Mansfield - were of very high quality, with cast iron rather than pressed steel frames, and were quite expensive in their day. Mine has a price of £3.18s.11d pencilled on the bottom, which - in 1955 - would equate to £78.00 today, but still a cheaper option than buying a second radio, which would have cost four times that much back then.
Mine is a 'Baby X' model and the speaker itself is 7" diameter, the cabinet being 8.5" square, and 4.25" deep. It was in a sorry state when I bought it about 25 years ago, so I stripped the flaking cellulose lacquer and gave it several coats of Sadolin, rubbed down with 00000 grade steel wool after each coat, then applied pastewax. I picked out the edges of the speaker openings on the front with cream paint as the original paint had flaked off, exposing the edges of the plywood. The speaker grille mateiral is original, and could do with being reversed as the inside, which is the same as the outside, is in a much nicer state, but I prefer the 'shabby chic' look!
As I said earlier, not a very 'sexy, item to look at, but to me at any rate, interesting from an historical socio-economic point of view as well as technically.
Hope that's of interest.
David
