VOX WALL SPEAKERS - 8, 10 and 12 inch drivers

Vox catalogue items 079, 080 and 081

A 10" wall / portable speaker sold by Carleton Stewart Music, Mason City, Iowa.

Vox 8" and 10" speaker units formed part of the new range of Public Address equipment released in 1964, the design process having kicked off in 1963. The units were available in two formats - an oak veneer finish, or leathercloth (also known as vynide, or vinyl). "Keyhole" cut-outs in the back panels enabled the units to be hung on a nail or hook on a wall. The earliest units appear to have been rectangular in profile. Later on, fronts were made to slope, so the the sound could be angled down or up as required. Intended applications: clubs, halls, factories, and so on, used in conjunction with a Vox public address amplifier.

The drivers - mainly Elacs in 1964 and early 1965 - were offered in a range of impedances. Elacs were also used vor the Vox Line Source 40 (LS40) column speakers. The 100V line voltage option allowed long lengths of cable to be used - in other words, the loudspeaker units could be far distant from the amplifier.

A composite from the JMI catalogue of 1964.

Detail from the JMI pricelist of 1964.

Detail from the JMI pricelist of 1965.

During the course of 1966, a 12" unit was added to the catalogue, the speaker chiefly fitted being a Celestion silver T1096 for 15ohms. For 8ohms, a Celestion T1088 will have been used.

Detail from the JMI pricelist of April 1967.

Vox 10" wall mounting speakers appear to have been produced in two sizes: one with a front around 12" square, the other around 13 1/2 inches square, the smaller having grille cloth five diamonds tall, the larger with grille cloth six diamonds tall.

Early cabinets were constructed for JMI by P.A. Glock, which was based in Crayford, a mile up the road from the Dartford Road Works. Later cabs were made by "Gla-Rev", whcih was based in Hainault, Essex.

By the summer of 1966, Thomas Organ had begun to market 10" wall mounting speakers as the "Grenadier III", catalogue number V123.

An image from the illustrated catalogue in Thomas Organ Vox Teen Beat magazine, volume 2, no. 3, from early 1967. In July 1966, the unit cost $49.90.

In the UK, the three models - 8", 10" and 12" - remained in production through to the end of the "Vox Sound Equipment Limited" period (December 1969). VSEL was the company that took over the Vox name following the demise of JMI in late Spring '68. A couple of units were illustrated in the PA brochure of February '69.

Detail from the VSEL pricelist of February 1969.

Wall mounting (or portable) 10" speakers

Single unit with 10inch Elac speaker, pristine condition. Sold (presumably in 1966 of 1967) by the Thomas Organ Vox dealer, Carleton Stewart Music, Mason City, Iowa. The speaker, as in the case of the unit below, is an Elac 10N/86. A slightly larger cabinet than the one below. Note that the grille cloth is six diamonds tall. The cabinet's front is around 13 1/2 inches square.

Note the solid state style plastic logo. The cabinet is of the smaller type: grille cloth five diamonds, front around 12" square.

Wall mounting (and portable) 12" speaker

A pair of cabs with silver Celestion 1088s or 1096s and a solid state amplifier built in at some point, now removed. For a single unit see this page.

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