The Sharma speaker was a rotary speaker, similar in design to the
Leslie speaker, that was manufactured in the UK by Keith Hitchcock during the 1960s and 1970s.
History
The name "Sharma" came from Hitchcock's two children, Sharon and Mark.
Hitchcock designed the speaker to directly compete with the Leslie, and consequently it contains similar features, such as a rotating horn for treble frequencies, a drum for bass frequencies, and the same nine-pin
amphenol connector
The term Amphenol connector refers to various electronics connectors that are introduced, or made primarily by Amphenol Corp. Depending on the area of electronics concerned, it may refer specifically to:
*MIL-DTL-5015 / MIL-C-5015, a circular conn ...
interface as contemporary Leslies then in production. However, unlike a typical Leslie, it includes a treble and bass control, and a
line level
Line level is the specified strength of an audio signal used to transmit analog audio between components such as CD and DVD players, television sets, audio amplifiers, and mixing consoles.
Line level sits between other levels of audio signal ...
input.
Also, in the Leslie units the horn and bass rotor moved in opposite directions, with a fast and slow motor on each. In the Sharma units, they both rotate in the same direction, with just a fast and slow motor shared. A clutch allows the top and bottom rotors to accelerate at different rates.
The amplifier boards were made for Sharma by
HH Electronics
HH Electronics is a British amplifier manufacturer, that was founded in 1968 by Mike Harrison, Malcolm Green and Graham Lowes in Harston near Cambridge, England, where its first solid state TPA and MA range of studio quality amplifiers were desig ...
.
Some of the early Sharma speakers had an eight-pin connector. Some models of speaker also contained rotary and stationary speakers, with separate power amplifiers, which were used on non-Hammond organs such as
Lowrey or
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
.
Sharma speakers fell out of favour due to the introduction of low-cost electronics that could emulate the rotating speaker sound.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma Loudspeaker
Loudspeakers