The Thorophone

The Thorophone iHORN is made from 1923 Thorophone radio speaker.  It is pristine and preserved from the ravages of the forces of time.  It is a one of a kind piece which should be proudly displayed.  It is perhaps the finest iHorn made to date.  The Thorophone loudspeaker, model S5 was made in 1923 by the Winkler-Reichmann Company in Chicago, Illinois.  It was a table model loudspeaker made from various materials.  In its year of production, the original purchase price of the Thorophone was $45.00.  In today’s dollars, the purchase price would be $621.37, a cumulative inflation rate of 1280.8%.   The Thorophone advertisement in a 1923 issue of Popular Mechanics stated:

The air is full of the most wonderful music – great artists, huge orchestra ensembles,famous bands.  Are your receiving this marvelous entertainment with all of the original beautiful shadings and with great low volume to suit the occasion?  The Thorophone with a                  good receiving set will do  this for you.  The Thorophone combines perfect tone quality with great sensitiveness and powerful amplifying strength.  Far distant stations – even foreign countries – have been brought in loud and clear over a Thorophone.  It is super-sensitiveness enables you to bring in stations you never heard before and to realize the full value of your receiving set.  It is manufactured and guaranteed by America’s oldest manufacturer of loud-speaking telephones.

However, a guarantee is only as good as the fiscal soundness of the company which stands behind it.  The late 20’s were a rough time in the radio and speaker markets and Winkler-Reichmann which changed its name to the Reichmann Company in August of 1924 experienced declining sales and economic ruin.  It filed for bankruptcy on July 27, 1927, disappearing altogether shortly thereafter.

The Thorophone iHORN stately.  It fills the air with music.  So enjoy this preserved piece of history.