Which Speaker Manufacturer First Used Foam Surrounds?

[malden]

Just curious...

 

[SaturationPt]

I had a Grundig that my Father gave me in the late '60s that had a foam surround and IIRC also a foam dust-cap.

 

[Katalyst]

I have heard Wharfedale used foam in the 50's.

 

[loudnoises]

I have heard Wharfedale used foam in the 50's.

And switched to rubber in the 70s, no? The earliest rubber surround i have seen are in my pair of glendale XP2s.

 

[drbiggles]

Katalyst is right. Gilbert Briggs of Wharfedale was using foam surrounds in the late 1950's. I have a pair of 1959 Super 12's that are foam surround. They didn't last more than 2 years or so, then they disintegrated.

Biggles

 

[WaynerN]

Well SaturationPT said the late 60s, not the late 50s, so how can he be right? One or the other is wrong......

On a side note, since AR invented the acoustic suspension, I'd say they were the first......

 

[Katalyst]

On a side note, since AR invented the acoustic suspension, I'd say they were the first......

Did AR use foam or rubber?

 

[malden]

I have seen early AR 2Ax, cast frame woofers and model 3 woofers that have rolled cloth surrounds. I have also seen model 5 with foam surrounds

 

[WaynerN]

Did AR use foam or rubber?

Foam. That is why eBay is full of AR speakers that need new surrounds. I had AR-2ax and AR-5s that were foam.

 

[malden]

The later AR 2ax model had foam surrounds, the earlier version has rolled cloth.

 

[Poultrygeist]

I''d guess it was Lowther.

 

[woodj]

Don't know whether foam material existed in the 50's.
Remember those were the days of prolific plastic/synthetic material development.
Just because I didn't see it, of course, doesn't mean it did not exist in those times.

 

[Nat]

I believe that Wharfedale or Lowther was the first commercial user of foam. Gilbert Briggs of Wharfedale was a remarkable listener, designer, author(!) and businessman. He discusses his use of isocyanate foam in both Audio A to Z and Loudspeakers. When first introduced, the surrounds were flat because the foam was so stretchy that a roll was not necessary. But the foam wasn't long term stable, and I doubt any of it survived many years.
Lowthers had foam surrounds and spiders, and the spiders seem to have survived fairly well, perhaps because they are fairly thick and not likely to be hit by sunlight.