Electro-Voice (EV) is an American manufacturer of
audio
Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to:
Sound
*Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound
*Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum
* Digital audio, representation of sou ...
equipment, including
microphones,
amplifiers
An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power significantly, or its main effect may be to boost th ...
, and
loudspeaker
A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or ...
s, focused on
pro audio applications such as
sound reinforcement
A sound reinforcement system is the combination of microphones, signal processors, amplifiers, and loudspeakers in enclosures all controlled by a mixing console that makes live or pre-recorded sounds louder and may also distribute those sounds ...
. As a subdivision of
Bosch Communications Systems Inc. since 2006, Electro-Voice markets products for use by consumers as well as small or large concert venues, broadcasting, houses of worship, and in retail situations.
History
On September 1, 1927, Lou Burroughs and Albert R. Kahn began a small business called Radio Engineers, servicing
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...
receivers in the basement of the Century Tire and Rubber Company in
South Bend, Indiana
South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...
. Because of the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, according to Kahn, “We found ourselves insolvent to the extent of $5,000” ($ today).
They decided to focus their business on audio products. The company designed a
PA system for Notre Dame football coach
Knute Rockne. Rockne, who had difficulty being heard at football practices due to health problems that affected his voice, called the new PA system his "electric voice". Rockne's remark inspired the company's name. On June 1, 1930, Burroughs and Kahn incorporated under the name "Electro-Voice".
The partners recognized an opportunity to capitalize on what they perceived as the generally poor quality and high prices of existing microphones. They purchased a
lathe and a
drill
A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a bit, either a drill or driver chuck. Hand-operated types are dramatically decreasing in popularity and cordless battery-powered ones proliferating due to ...
and started producing about one microphone a week. Soon after, Burroughs withdrew from the business, leaving complete ownership to Kahn. By 1933, the previous business debts were completely paid off, and Electro-Voice began hiring manufacturing employees. In 1936, twenty people were hired, and Lou Burroughs returned as chief
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...
.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, EV developed the
noise-canceling microphone. Noise cancelling microphones such as the Electro-Voice T45 lip microphone were instrumental to fighter and bomber airplane, tank, battleship and ground troop radio communications. EV licensed the patent to the government for free to be applied by other manufacturers to produce what was needed for the war supply.
In 1946, the business moved to a bigger facility in
Buchanan, Michigan and expanded its engineering efforts.
In 1948, they began successfully producing
phonograph
A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
pickup cartridges.
In 1950, they started production of the first automatic
TV booster.
They also started to design and produce a consumer
loudspeaker
A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or ...
line in response to increased public interest in
Hi-Fi music listening. In 1952, EV patented the Compound Diffraction Horn, which changed the look and performance the traditional cone-shaped
paging horn. Known for its high output, the CDP was deployed by the Navy on
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
s and other high noise environments.
In 1963, EV received an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for their 642 Cardiline
shotgun microphone
A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and pu ...
, the first ever given for an audio product.
Electro-Voice launched its RE Series of microphones in the 1960s, notably the RE15, which was used extensively by musicians on television shows. The RE series used "Variable D" technology first developed by EV in 1953, which eliminated
changes in tone and frequency response corresponding to changes in the physical distance of the sound source from the microphone
The
RE20 broadcast microphone was introduced in 1968, followed by the RE27N/D in the late 1980s, using
neodymium
Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is the fourth member of the lanthanide series and is considered to be one of the rare-earth metals. It is a hard, slightly malleable, silvery metal that quickly tarn ...
magnets. Both continue to be used in recording studios and on the concert stage.
In the early 1970s, EV developed the first commercial system for
matrix
Matrix most commonly refers to:
* ''The Matrix'' (franchise), an American media franchise
** '' The Matrix'', a 1999 science-fiction action film
** "The Matrix", a fictional setting, a virtual reality environment, within ''The Matrix'' (franchi ...
four channel stereo called
Stereo-4. When Columbia/
CBS and
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
developed their Stereo
Quadraphonic
Quadraphonic (or quadrophonic and sometimes quadrasonic) sound – equivalent to what is now called 4.0 surround sound – uses four audio channels in which speakers are positioned at the four corners of a listening space. The system allows for t ...
system (
SQ) that system became the leading matrix system. Electro-Voice then adapted their decoders so they also could play SQ records as well as
Sansui's QS records. The EV system could also simulate four channel sound from two channel sources.
Also in the 1970s, EV acquired TAPCO. The company, founded by
Greg Mackie, specialized in audio mixers. TAPCO products soon became prominent in the EV product line.
In 1978, Electro-Voice patented its Constant Directivity Horn, which produced an even balance of frequencies across the listening field. It overcame the uneven dispersion of high frequencies that affected the typical high frequency horns used in many professional sound speakers until the late seventies.
In the late 1980s, EV became the first microphone manufacturer to use
neodymium
Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is the fourth member of the lanthanide series and is considered to be one of the rare-earth metals. It is a hard, slightly malleable, silvery metal that quickly tarn ...
magnets in its microphones. The N/DYM microphones were introduced in the mid 1980s to combine the high output and high frequency response characteristics of
condenser microphones with the rugged shock resistance of
dynamic microphones. Around the same time EV's first
wireless microphone
A wireless microphone, or cordless microphone, is a microphone without a physical cable connecting it directly to the sound recording or amplifying equipment with which it is associated. Also known as a radio microphone, it has a small, battery ...
s were being produced.
Mergers
The company merged with
Telex Communications in 1998. Prior to the merger, EV was owned by Mark IV Industries, Inc. through its subsidiary, Gulton Industries, Inc., and had manufacturing plants in
Buchanan, Michigan;
Newport, Tennessee;
Sevierville, Tennessee; and
Gananoque, Ontario. Electro-Voice's headquarters were in
Buchanan, Michigan until the merger with Telex Communications.
In June 2006, EV, along with all of Telex Communications, became part of
Bosch Security Systems division.
Following the Telex Acquisition: Bosch Founds New Business Unit-Bosch Communications Systems-Established 1/1/2007
Electrovoice.com Today EV manufactures widely used broadcast
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began wi ...
microphones as well as loudspeakers and various other professional audio equipment.
Superfund
Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency ...
site
The former Electro-Voice facility in Buchanan, Michigan was engaged in die-casting, machining, assembly, painting and electroplating activities. The business closed in 2000. According to the EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
, "contamination at the site resulted from Electro-Voice’s discharge of electroplating wastes into two clay-lined lagoons from 1952 to 1962, and from the disposal of paint wastes and solvents into a drywell from 1964 to 1973. The waste disposal activities caused groundwater to become contaminated with chemicals called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Following construction of the site’s long-term remedy, operation and maintenance activities and monitoring are ongoing". Construction of the site’s long-term remedy finished in 1999, with the EPA reporting, "soil cleanup included construction of a clay cap and active treatment by an in-place ventilation and volatilization system. Groundwater remediation is ongoing through monitored natural attenuation of pollutants".
See also
*List of microphone manufacturers
Current microphone manufacturers
The following is a list of current microphone manufacturers.
*Akai
* AKG
* Astatic
*Audio-Technica
*Behringer
* Beyerdynamic
* Blue Microphones
* Brauner
* Brüel & Kjær
* CAD Audio
* Core Sound LLC
* DJI
* DP ...
* Stereo-4
References
External links
* {{Official website, www.electrovoice.com
NAMM Oral History Interview with founder, Al Kahn
July 14, 2002
NAMM Oral History Interview with Don Kirkendall
July 14, 2002
NAMM Oral History Interview with Paul McGuire
May 13, 2010
NAMM Oral History Interview with George Riley
July 14, 2002
Guitar amplifier manufacturers
Loudspeaker manufacturers
Audio amplifier manufacturers
Microphone manufacturers
Superfund sites in Michigan
Audio mixing console manufacturers
Manufacturers of professional audio equipment
Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States
American brands