INDUSTRY UPDATE
US: RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA
Julie Mullins
The phrase “renaissance man” carries gravitas. It’s probably overused. But Damon Von Schweikert believes the term genuinely befits his late father, speaker designer Albert Von Schweikert, who passed away on May 29, 2020, leaving behind myriad contributions to audio through his namesake companies.
Albert Von Schweikert was a musician from a young age, studying piano and violin at the Conservatory of the University of Heidelberg in Germany before switching to guitar. Eventually, he became a session musician and before age 20 landed a lead guitar gig, touring with Sonny and Cher and Neil Diamond. That would eventually lead him into loudspeaker design.
Von Schweikert enrolled at CalTech, where he studied under audio-industry giant Richard C. Heyser. During that time, he began developing his own innovations, such as his Acoustic Inverse Replication (AIR) theory, in which the speaker should act as a “microphone in reverse” to approximate more closely the radiation patterns picked up by omnidirectional mikes used in recordings. The results are intended to increase the perception of realism in a musical performance. He also worked at the nearby Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Von Schweikert later worked for Oskar Heil, known for inventing the ESS Air Motion Transformer. Then, prior to starting his own firm, Von Schweikert was employed by transducer manufacturer KSC Industries, where he designed transducers and crossover systems for audio companies including Klipsch, Polk, Infinity, Apogee, JBL, and many others.
“He’s generally known for his networks, but I think that’s only half the picture,” Damon Von Schweikert says. “He was always obsessed with drivers.” He also served as a consultant for companies such as Lucas Film THX, Walt Disney, Steinway, A&M Records,
