HMV 172 Speaker - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

Julesomega · 8th Apr 2021, 11:27 pm

I have an HMV speaker unit type 172 which had been gathering dust when I was given it and has continued gathering ever since. The only mention of it in the Forum has been that a couple were offered in auctions a long time ago, from which I gather they went for a song, though their condition is not recorded

I decided to try this one, took the back off and blew a bit of the dust out and connected it to a transistor portable. The sound was very mellow, and an audio generator showed it had good sensitivity from 100Hz to 5kHz. It has a volume control on one side, and the matching transformer seems to match it to the output valve(s) with a choice of tapped ratios

Is anyone familiar with these, and any ideas of the speakerless radios or gramophones it might have been intended for?

McMurdo · 9th Apr 2021, 8:28 am

I'd have thought it was made so you could listen to the radio in a different room without the extravagance of another radio, it looks like a late 30's design by which time nearly all radios would've had a built in speaker anyhow.

steve102 · 9th Apr 2021, 8:55 am

Here are details of the speaker from the 1936 HMV catalogue.

8th Apr 2021, 11:27 pm	#1
Julesomega Nonode Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK. Posts: 2,113	HMV 172 Speaker I have an HMV speaker unit type 172 which had been gathering dust when I was given it and has continued gathering ever since. The only mention of it in the Forum has been that a couple were offered in auctions a long time ago, from which I gather they went for a song, though their condition is not recorded I decided to try this one, took the back off and blew a bit of the dust out and connected it to a transistor portable. The sound was very mellow, and an audio generator showed it had good sensitivity from 100Hz to 5kHz. It has a volume control on one side, and the matching transformer seems to match it to the output valve(s) with a choice of tapped ratios Is anyone familiar with these, and any ideas of the speakerless radios or gramophones it might have been intended for? Attached Thumbnails __________________ - Julian It's good here Last edited by Julesomega; 8th Apr 2021 at 11:34 pm.

9th Apr 2021, 8:28 am	#2
McMurdo Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK. Posts: 5,273	Re: HMV 172 Speaker I'd have thought it was made so you could listen to the radio in a different room without the extravagance of another radio, it looks like a late 30's design by which time nearly all radios would've had a built in speaker anyhow. __________________ Kevin

9th Apr 2021, 8:55 am	#3
steve102 Pentode Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Derby, Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 108	Re: HMV 172 Speaker Here are details of the speaker from the 1936 HMV catalogue. Attached Thumbnails