Floorstanding loudspeakers — Line Magnetic Audio LM-7396

The Line Magnetic LM-7396 is a barrier loudspeaker, a large three-way system in which the drivers are mounted on a wide flat baffle. Line Magnetic builds it from its own reproductions of classic Western Electric components, with the maker describing the design as a copy of the WE 4181, 555 and 597 units.

Key specs that matter

A 597 driver covers the treble. The midrange uses either a 22A horn with a 555 compression driver or a pair of 555 drivers. Bass comes from the TA-4181, an 18-inch low-frequency unit. The crossover is the TA-7395 frequency divider. The baffle measures 1725 mm wide, 2070 mm high and 1063 mm deep.

Engineering and use context

The drivers use field-coil motors, so the system is supplied with the PR-22 unit, which combines three power supplies for exciting the magnets of the three frequency bands. The size of the baffle means the LM-7396 is intended for very large rooms and home theatre installations rather than ordinary living spaces.