PC Gaming Brands and Manufacturers, Part 2 Codexery

Altec Lansing

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The company's history is closely tied to the development of motion picture sound technology introduced with the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927.[1] Altec Lansing's Voice of the Theatre loudspeaker line became widely used in movie theaters and rock concerts from the 1960s to the 1990s.[2]

Key facts and history

Motion picture sound technology, introduced with the 1927 release of The Jazz Singer, was created by Western Electric engineers who subsequently established the Altec Services Company.[1] A group of ERPI executives, including George Carrington Sr., Leon Whitney "Mike" Conrow, Bert Sanford Jr., and Alvis A. Ward, bought the company in 1937 as part of a consent decree and reincorporated it as Altec Service Company; the name "Altec" is an abbreviation for "all technical."[3] James Bullough Lansing remained with Altec Lansing until 1946, at which point he departed to establish the James B. Lansing Company, commonly known as JBL.[4] By 1974 the company was heavily in debt and underwent a Chapter 11 reorganization, emerging as Altec Corporation.[5]

Plantronics purchased Altec Lansing Technologies in 2005; Prophet Equity then bought it in 2009; and since 2012 the Infinity Group has been the owner.[6]

What the cited sources add

The TECnology Hall of Fame account states that Altec co-founder Alvis A. Ward announced the original Voice of the Theatre Series in 1947.[7] The same source notes that the Voice of the Theatre A7 was a compact two-way product suited for smaller cinemas and multichannel installs in the burgeoning stereo theater market.[7] The audioheritage.org account reports that by 2000, Telex Communications closed the Altec Lansing Professional Division, but the name lived on as a brand of multimedia sound products.[8] A 2011 press release states that Altec Lansing opened a new West Coast office in San Diego, California, as part of its commitment to create innovative audio products.[9]

The Infinity Group purchased worldwide rights to the Altec Lansing brand for $17.5 million at auction in 2012.[10] The PLuGHiTz Live article states that Altec Lansing has long been known for their mid- to high-end audio products and has been expanding their product lineup to consumer products.[11] According to the same source, Infinity Lifestyle Brands focuses on purchasing and revitalizing consumer brands that are either struggling or in bankruptcy.[10]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Altec Lansing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "TIMELINE: A Legacy of Sound", www.alteclansing.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Altec Lansing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McGowan, "Sound Pioneers", Nielsen Business Media, November 15, 1980, p. 42 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Altec Lansing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "ERPI Turns Over Sound Servicing to Former Heads in New Altec", Motion Picture Herald, 1937, p. 29; "ERPI Turns Over Sound Servicing to Former Heads in New Altec", Motion Picture Herald, 1937, p. 29 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Altec Lansing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "History", JBL Professional Loudspeakers (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Altec Lansing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "ALTEC LANSING", www.audioheritage.org (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Altec Lansing" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Infinity Group Buys Altec Lansing Name, Plans To Rebuild Brand", www.twice.com, 2012-10-18 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. "TECnology Hall of Fame, 2004", TECawards.org, 2004. facts only, no text reused. legacy.tecawards.org
  8. "ALTEC LANSING", www.audioheritage.org. facts only, no text reused. audioheritage.org
  9. Lansing, "Altec Lansing Looks West and Opens New Office in San Diego, Focuses on Audio Solutions and Emerging Technologies", www.prnewswire.com. facts only, no text reused. prnewswire.com
  10. "Infinity Group Buys Altec Lansing Name, Plans To Rebuild Brand", www.twice.com, 2012-10-18. facts only, no text reused. twice.com
  11. "Altec Lansing Creates a Range of Almost Indestructible Bluetooth Speakers - PLuGHiTz Live - Special Events - Show Notes - PLuGHiTz Live", www.plughitzlive.com. facts only, no text reused. plughitzlive.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Altec Lansing (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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