# University Loudspeakers



## spiwak2005 (Jun 11, 2009)

Where I work, we do an outside festival for a week. The main sound equipment is rented and setup by the "bandshell" rental guys; all I have to setup is a basic PA system for in between event announcements. So they hand me a pair of University Loudspeakers Model BLC Weatherproof horns. They say that's what they always use - just plug a mic in and go. Well, obviously these aren't powered speakers so I have no idea what they've been doing. They say 25 watts/8 ohms - obviously I can't use my Ashly FET2000's into these things? Anyone know anymore about these speakers?


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## avkid (Jun 11, 2009)

University Loudspeakers was an early manufacturer.

I would guess that they've been using a small home stereo amplifier.

I suggest you go to Radio Shack or a DJ store and find an amp.


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## museav (Jun 12, 2009)

University Sound became part of the Mark IV/Gulton family along with Altec Lansing and EV in the mid 1980's. In an early attempt at 'brand management', it was apparently decided to try to focus each brand on different markets with EV focused on live/touring sound, Altec on install sound and University on 'commercial sound' applications. This resulted in some products getting moved around and products that were being developed by one brand ending up being marketed by another.

Over the years and through several changes in management and ownership only Electro-Voice has really survived. 'University Sound' has turned into a product series under the EV brand name rather than as an independent brand. Altec Lansing has essentially disappeared other then in name only. The Altec Lansing Professional division closed in 2000 with the trade name rights sold to Altec Lansing Technologies in 2002, which now manufactures consumer and pro products under the Altec Lansing name. Altec Lansing Consumer Products was started in 1986, the same time all the other changes with the Altec, EV and University brands occurred, but never really had anything to do with the Altec Lansing Professional division.

Anyways, enough of the history lesson. Are you sure about the model? I looked back at some old University Sound catalogs that I found online as well as in EV's archives and found an MLC model that seems likely (http://archives.telex.com/archives/University Sound/Speakers/EDS/MLC, MLCT EDS.pdf) as well as a DLC model but could not find anything on a BLC model.

Most University horns were very efficient, the MLC has a published sensitivity of 103dB/1W/1m, but most also had very limited bandwidth, they were primarily high efficiency paging/PA speakers and not high fidelity speakers.


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## spiwak2005 (Jun 12, 2009)

museav said:


> Are you sure about the model? I looked back at some old University Sound catalogs that I found online as well as in EV's archives and found an MLC model that seems likely as well as a DLC model but could not find anything on a BLC model.




Very cool. I did just hook them up to a home stereo receiver to test them out. And they actually sound decent...yes, decent for a small coverage area paging/PA setup.

The label on the back says:
MODEL
B L C
WEATHERPROOF
HIGH FIDELITY SYSTEM
25 WATTS/8 OHMS/70-15,000 CPS
UNIVERSITY LOUDSPEAKERS INC
WHITE PLAINS, NY

Next question - how to paint them. Is Rustoleum the right way to go? Tape it up around the inside of the horn and around the rubber outside rim?


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## museav (Jun 12, 2009)

spiwak2005 said:


> The label on the back says:
> MODEL
> B L C
> WEATHERPROOF
> ...


The University Loudspeaker Company was formed in New York in 1936 and was going by University Sound in 1959 when it, along with Altec Lansing, were acquired by Ling Electronics (LTV). In 1963 University moved to Oklahoma where in 1983 it was joined by the Altec Lansing production when Altec closed their Anaheim plant. The "cps" nomenclature instead of Hz also dates them back a bit. I did find two 1957 AES papers that referenced that particular model. Based on all that I would guess that those speakers are probably from the mid to late 1950's, which explains why there isn't much information available on them since they're likely at least 50 years old. Sounds like somebody definitely got their money's worth out of them!


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