Western Electric 16A Horn

WE 16A loudspeaker installed in a recently opened art gallery in Seoul, South Korea. The loudspeaker were installed to provide background music for visitors to the gallery while they admire the artwork on display. Invented in the late 1920s at the Bell Laboratories in the United States, it is almost a hundred years passed, but the design is so artistic that visitors often mistake it for a non-figurative sculpture work instead of a loudspeaker. If you have additional questions about this speaker, please contact we16ahorn@gmail.com

Portcorner Play in Portugal recently interviewed me about the WE 16A horn and here is the article. I think everybody will find it very helpful to understand the WE 16A horn as it answers a variety of questions in depth. Read the full interview on Portcorner Play

I once exported Western Electric 16A horns to Paris, France a few years ago, and the customer posted some WE 16A new pictures on his Facebook recently, and I post one of them. The original horn color is black, but the customer asked for beige color, so we made it. If you have some questions, please email me to we16ahorn@gmail.com

The photo above is from the AUDEUM, an audio museum that opened in early June 2024 in Seoul, South Korea. This is a genuine Western Electric 16A horns on display there. It's a milestone in the history of audio development. It is the world's the best museum for its collection of Western Electric appliances.

Pictured above is the WE 16A horn and developer David G. Blattner provided by Bell Laboratory. In the photo below, the rear WE 16A horn is an original made in the late 1920s, and the front horn is a reproduction I made as it is. The sound reproduced by the combination of the Western Electric 16A horn and the Western Electric 555 driver is as mesmerizing as watching a live performance right in front of the stage. The horn speaker was first developed at Bell Laboratories in the United States in the late 1920s. It's has passed for nearly 100 years and I haven't seen a speaker that sounds better than this one.

A cafe Piknic in Namsan Seoul, South Korea. The white cloth in the center serves to soften the reflections of the sound. It is usually attached tightly, but the owner of this cafe said it looked better, so he left it as it is. If you have any further questions, please contact us we16ahorn@gmail.com.

The sound produced by the combination of the WE 16A horn and WE 555 driver is a natural sound that can be heard right in front of the stage. Many overseas users expressed their gratitude, saying, "If it wasn't for you, how could I have heard such a good sound until the day I died." WE 16A horn is the king of kings among many loud speakers in the world. It is exported to many countries overseas, and the pictures are from the top, 2 photos in USA, France, UK, Japan Poland and Singapore. If you have any further questions, please contact us we16ahorn@gmail.com.

A few days ago I installed a replacement diaphragm on a Genuine WE 555 drives which is not able to use due to a defective diaphragm. I removed the rust inside and repainted the outside to make it look completely new. After the work was completed, the sound test was performed by attaching it to the WE16A horn and it was perfect. The WE 555 driver was made about 90 years ago, but I don't think there is any better driver till now than this musically. As one of the legacy of human civilization, it must be well preserved and passed on to the next generation. Please email me we16ahorn@gmail.com with any questions.

I am asked from many people, "Is it possible a such large horn pass through an u turn at stair landing or a room door?" As shown in the picture, it is a structure to assemble divided into five parts. Including the throat not in the photo, it consists of a total of seven parts. So, passing is no problem. Only the main body part is quite heavy and can only be moved by three or four adults. The picture was taken just before packing of the horn, who went to the USA on December 2020.

It seems to have been 8 years since the replica of WE 16A horn. During that time, I have been constantly interested in and ordering from foreign countries, so I made it with all my heart. When the horn get into the buyer's hands, I get an email saying thank you for the beautiful design and fantastic sound, but after that I don't know where and how it is loved because I can't track it. Occasionally, while browsing the Internet, I find some pictures of my horn posted on it. I recently discovered that one is a cafe in Thailand and the other seems to be in the UK. Please email me at we16ahorn@gmail.com if you have further questions.

Last year, a customer from France visited my office in Seoul, Korea to listen the sounds before order of WE 16A horn. After that, order production shipment were made and are now installed in his office in Paris, France.

Here is a replacement diaphragm that I developed. Since the Western Electric  555 driver was used around 1930, there are very few replacement diaphragms left to date. As a result of the blind test, we could not tell the difference sound between the genuine diaphragm and the replacement. Customers who need a diaphragm will send the driver to me and send it back after replacement.

Western Electric 555 driver is the best driver ever made although it has passed about 90 years till today. Model of the driver had changed to WE 555W mesh back -> WE 555W flat back -> WE 555 flat back. WE 555W mesh type reproduce the best sound among the three models and is very rare and higher price at market than other two models.The mesh type goes down to more lower bass sound and express to more live and clear sound. Right one is the mesh type I recently made as same as the original mesh back and left one is the flat back. Please email me at we16ahorn@gmail.com if you have further questions.

I have built three type of the DC power supply for WE 555 driver. Top is a selenium rectifier. Middle is Tungar bulbs. The bottom is Western Electric rectifier tubes I have built recently.

Music is art. Loudspeaker is science. The WE 16A horn is art plus science. I have never seen such an excellent work in viewpoint of the sound and the design. Please email me at we16ahorn@gmail.com if you have further questions.

In middle of October 2015, Chris Sommovigo of Black Cat Cable, an American living in Japan, visited to my office in Seoul, South Korea for just looking and hearing the sounds of WE 16A horn replica and went back to his home after three days stay with me. I had felt he had experienced very deep impression like the real sounds at front stage from the horn, as he expressed a deep affection for the sound.

Above two photographs are the DC power supply for Western Electric 555 driver. Above is built by Tungar bulbs and below is built by selenium rectifier. The WE 555 driver is worked at DC 7 volts, 1.5 amperes respectively. So total electric consumption by a pair of WE 555 drivers are 3.0 amperes at DC 7 volts. In addition to that, a pair of tweeter WE 597 needs 2.4 amperes more at the same DC 7 volts. The two kinds of DC power supply I built can supply average 6 amperes and is designed to endure up to 8 amperes electrically and be adjustable voltage between 6 and 8 volts.

Early of November 2014, three gentlemen from Thailand came to my office in Seoul for listening the sound of WE 16A horn. I was very surprised about their passion toward the music. Their purpose to visiting me was just one for listening of the music from the 16A horn, no other business and sightseeing at all. The flying time between Seoul and Bangkok is about six hours. They had stayed in Seoul for four days. So I introduced and accompanied with them to other places to take look around the original WE 15A, 16A horns and Mirrophonic system etc. They were very satisfied about the sound and place an order a quite number of the WE 16A horn replica.

I have noticed someone suggested in a popular audiophile forum that the replica cannot possibly produce the same sound as the original due to differences in steel sheet thickness and the quality of material used, to name just a few. As for thickness, I can assure you that the replica's margin of difference is the same as that found in three original horns. I measured the thickness of the three original WE16A horns with a micrometer which can read up to 1/1000 inch. I have possessed the left gauge from a long time ago. But, the mouth lip of 16A horn body is 2 inch wide. It turned out that the left gauge's throat was not deep enough to measure the thickness of the horns. So I bought another micrometer of the right and measured the thickness of the steel sheet of an original 16A horns up to 1/1000 inch very precisely. The replica is made with exactly the same thickness as the original. As for the quality of the original steel sheet, the carbon content of the steel sheet is t...

What motivated me to jump into this endeavor was the rarity and high price of original WE 16A horns on E-bay and and other transaction sites. As expected, I have gone through many trials and errors until I reproduced a horn that meets all important features and traits of original horns. And I have shared with the WE horn lovers in South Korea on this year 2013. The replica is made exactly the same as an original and reproduces front stage sound like an original. If you have further interests, please email me at we16ahorn@gmail.com Thank you. The horn in the back is an original Western Electric 16A horn and the one in the front is the replica I built recently. The sound of the replica is the same as an original 16A like an identical twins. The three pictures from the top show the process of how the replica horn throat is manufactured. The one at the bottom shows an original throat made of iron. But the replica's is made of brass like that of a trumpet trombone s...