Western Electric 46-C

Western Electric 46-C sound amplifier, made in the USA, used with the projectors of the Gamla Bíós and Nýja Bíós. The projector contains a photocell that converted light waves into electrical signals for the amplifier. An image of the sound/oscillations was projected onto the film, which was then transferred to the photocell. The amplifier then took over, amplifying these electrical oscillations and sending them to the speakers. The projector itself contains a preamplifier designed to boost the audio signal from the photocell to the amplifier. There are three knobs on the amplifier where the voltage to the tubes' plates could be adjusted, thereby controlling the volume in steps. The meters measure the plate current in the first and second stages of amplification. A meter for the filament voltage is on all the tubes to control the volume. The sound amplifier was ordered from Western Electric in the United States for Gamla Bíó and Nýja Bíó in 1930, along with projectionists, loudspeakers, and motor control equipment from the same manufacturer. The film projectors were the first in the country capable of reading sound from the film, making the amplifier the first in the nation to be used for a movie theater. There are no records as to which theater the amplifier was used in or for how long, but it is known that a new amplifier was installed in Gamla Bíó in 1945. The amplifier was located in a room above the projectors and connected to them with shielded cables. Speaker wires then ran from the projection booths out to the speakers, which were placed behind the screen. The amplifier is likely unmodified from the manufacturer, as they were not usually altered, unlike projectors, but were instead replaced.