Edgar Villchur

Who was Edgar Villchur?

Edgar Marion Villchur was an American inventor, educator, and writer widely known for his 1954 invention of the acoustic suspension loudspeaker which revolutionized the field of high-fidelity equipment. A speaker Villchur developed, the AR-3, is exhibited at the The Smithsonian Institution's Information Age Exhibit in Washington, DC.

Villchur's speaker systems provided improved bass response while reducing the speaker's cabinet size. Acoustic Research, Inc., of which he was president from 1954 to 1967, manufactured high-fidelity loudspeakers, turntables, and other stereo components of his design, and demonstrated their quality through "live vs. recorded" concerts. The company's market share grew to 32 percent by 1966. After leaving AR, Villchur researched hearing aid technology, developing the multichannel compression hearing aid, which became the industry standard for hearing aids.