Rectilinear Research Corporation was a manufacturer of loudspeakers. The company was formed around 1966 and its principal was Morris I. Wiener (alt. sp. "Weiner") of Plandome Manor, New York.United States patents, 3913877, Wiener, October 21, 1975. Arnold Schwartz, James Bongiorno, Marty Gersten, Jon Dahlquist, and Richard Shahinian were at different times and at different stages working with the company as engineers to develop speaker models.WRFM-FM, New York (now WWPR-FM) February 15, 1968.Interview with James Bongiorno at TNT Audio.Audiophile Magazine., July 1992
The first main office location for the company (1966–68) was at 30 Main Street, Brooklyn, New York.Advertisement for model III. Some time around 1968, the company moved headquarters, manufacturing, assembly, and service center to 107 Bruckner Blvd (E 133rd St.) in the Bronx.Advertisement with address listed. The company remained at this address until it was shuttered in 1977–8.Legal Notice for creditors New York Times, December 28, 1977. p. 32Legal Notice for creditors New York Times, April 13, 1978. p. B15Legal Notice about sale of company assets New York Times, January 3, 1978. p. 56
The company launched its first model, the Rectilinear III, in 1966.Advertisement with Duke Ellington endorsement. This model, received positive reviews by audio journalists, including Stereo Review, Popular Electronics, Buyer's Guide Magazine, and Stereo & Hi-Fi Times.Review of model III Lowboy.Review of model 5.Review of model III Lowboy.Review of model III, 8/1968.Review of model Mini-III. Three of the company's print advertisements were illustrated by the artist Rick Meyerowitz and ran in publications such as Rolling Stone, National Lampoon, and others in 1973 and 1974.Advertisement for model 5, 1973.Advertisement for 1974 lineup.Advertisement for model III, 1974.
Although formally this model always carried the name "III", it was colloquially often nicknamed the "Highboy" following the launch of the "III Lowboy" (around 1970) in order not to confuse the two models.Driver Parts List. 1976. Both the III "Highboy" and III Lowboy are pictured here.
By 1971, Rectilinear had expanded its product range to include the following speaker models (MSRP prices per speaker):Advertisement with 1971 line-up.
III (3-way, six drivers) - 35x18x12" - $279 III Lowboy (3-way, six drivers) - 28x22x12" - $299 Mini III (3-way) - 19x12x10" - $100 VI (3-way, six drivers) - 25x14x11" - $239 (discontinued by 1971)Advertisement for models III and VI. Xa (3-way) - 25x14x11" - $199 XI (2-way) - 23x12x11" - $80 XII (3-way) - 25x14x11" - $139
Some of these early 3-way models featured 10" and 12" woofers manufactured by Jensen ("Flex-Air") and CTS (Chicago Telephone Supply), 5" whizzer cone squawkers manufactured by Philips Electronics of the Netherlands, and 2" and 2.5" cone tweeters by Peerless of Denmark.EIA codes. The Rectilinear speakers were typically, but not always, of ported design and finished in walnut with fabric or fretwork grilles. Many models featured one, or sometimes two, rear tone controls. The company offered some of their models as kits and "semi-kits".Advertisement for model III.
Later models (1971 - approx. 1977) include:Driver parts list, 1977
2 4 4.5 5 7 (high output fuse version "MTH 4" also available) 7A IIIa IIIb X XIa XIb
The company also produced a tilted speaker stand, the "Rectilinear Dispersion Base", intended to be used with the Model 5 speaker.Owner's Manual for Model 5.
Although the Rectilinear speakers were distributed through a nationwide network of up to 400 dealers, most of their sales was generated on the East Coast.Advertisement with dealers listed. Distributor in Canada was H Roy Gray Ltd., 14 Laidlaw Blvd., Markham, Ontario.Advertisement with Canadian distributor listed. International and military sales were offered by Royal Sound Co., 409 North Main St., Freeport, New York.Advertisement with overseas and military distributor listed.
References
External links Database for Rectilinear literature Photo database for Rectilinear loudspeakers Known models and data (work in progress) Driver Interchangeability