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Top: The Pyrox stand-by machine from the Vogue, Hawthorn.
Photos far left and above: Ross King

Westrex: This name change to the
cinema arm of Western Electric occurred
in about 1953. Manufacture may have
continued at the Small Arms Factory. The
National Theatre in St. Kilda (formerly
Hoyts Victory) had four channels of
working Westrex valve amplifiers in
2000. I am told that Hoyts Cinema
Centre, Bourke Street opened in 1969
with banks of Westrex valve amplifiers
for six-track 70mm in all three cinemas.

Western Electric: The growth of
talking pictures in the 1920s was due to
the American telephone industry, in
which WE was a major player, taking
Pyrox: Best known for its Victor 16mm on design and manufacture of talking
projectors and soundheads for 35mm picture equipment. The Small Arms
equipment, (the Senior and PX5). This Factory in N. S.W. supplied Western
Carlton (Melbourne) company made Electric Universal bases and 1A sound-
one 35mm projector - essentially a heads to fill Australian demand. In 2006
prototype - as a standby machine for a pair of Western Electric A2 amplifiers
the Vogue Hawthorn. It is now in Ross were still in place in the Mansfield
King’s collection. Cinema, although not in use.
RCA: RCA’s equipment enjoyed world
sales second only to Western Electric.
The Australian headquarters was in
Elizabeth Street, Sydney. From the
1940s to the 60s their sound systems
seem to have been manufactured
locally.
Raycophone: Founded by radio
engineer Ray Alsop, the Raycophone
sound-head and amplifier was a winner
for the smaller exhibitor. Harringtons
took over the company in the 1930s and
turned out the complete package - C&W
projectors re-branded as Raycophone,
sound-heads, amplifiers and arc lamps.
Production of model CP10 (page 23)
continued into the l960s.

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