Celestion

The BBC had started their programme in November 1922 and was building up new senders, public interest in radio broadcasting grew rapidly.

Installing a loudspeaker sensitive enough in decorative cabinets quickly made these sought-after pieces of furniture in the roaring twenties.

French and Mackintosh perfected the design, the modified French/Mackintosh model used a clamped edge, its conical paper diaphragm was strengthened with strips of Chinese bamboo (British Patent No.

Rola being another loudspeaker manufacturer with similar products, the two companies began competing for home and export markets.

[2] With the 1940s wartime restrictions forced Celestion and the British Rola to produce loudspeakers to the same specification, the utility "W" type.

In 1992 the loudspeaker part of the business (Celestion International) was sold to Kinergetics Holdings (UK) Ltd., which also bought the company KEF.

Somewhere around 1969 the Celestion Ditton range of consumer stereo teak veneered floor speakers was unleashed on the British public.

Most models, including these two, featured ported cabinets and passive full size Auxiliary Bass Radiators (ABRs) which gave out controlled low frequencies.

In 1981 Celestion built the hi-fi box model SL6, a compact two-way loudspeaker with a single-piece metal dome tweeter made of copper and a cone-shaped bass unit of PVC with integrated dustcap.

Instead of wood for the loudspeaker enclosure a rigid honeycomb alloy called Aerolam was chosen, a material previously used only in the aerospace industry.

Then followed versions with aluminium dome tweeter, designated as SL6s in standard cabinets (MDF and wood veneer), and the SL6si with an improved audio crossover and woofer surround.

This lighter and more efficient driver provided an output now more balanced with the mid-range part the woofer presented, which in the first version had lacked of bass to better connect to the tweeter frequencies.

It set new performance standards for low-cost quality hi-fi loudspeakers, highly acclaimed by both public and critics.

The tonal character, combined with valve amp circuits of the time, helped to define the electric guitar sound.

These were endowed with a special edgewound aluminium voice coil – a process developed to maximise the ratio of motor strength to mass which resulted in very high efficiency designs.

In 1986 Celestion introduced its B15 and B18 range of double suspension public address systems, with power ratings up to 1,000 Watts.

[6][7] In June 2019, Celestion selected Sensey Electronics as its distribution partner in Mexico, to represent its entire range of pro audio and MI products.