Magnavox is the Latin word for “great voice”.

Magnavox launched in 1915 in Oakland, CA with the invention of the first practical loudspeaker. On December 24, 1915, at San Francisco City Hall, Jensen and Pridhams’ Magnavox system was demonstrated as the first documented example of an electric public address system being used to amplify music and speech at a public event.

100,000 people attended this Christmas carol concert. They also broadcast a speech by California Governer Hiram Johnson and the mayor. Despite the initial system only being able to generate about 10 watts of audio power, the large horn loudspeakers helped ensure that the crowd heard the speeches and Christmas music “with absolute distinctness,” according to reports.

For this 2018 re-imagined horn, we’ve replaced Magnavox’s impressive voice coil invention with a simple walnut box from a fallen tree in West Chester, PA. This particular horn stands approximately 23” tall with a 14” bell.