DATE: 09/18/2019
WRITER: Linda Fresques, 575-646-7416, lfresque@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Linda Fresques, 575-646-7416, lfresque@nmsu.edu

Audiophiles can have a rare tour and demonstration of the revolutionary speaker technology developed by Paul Wilbur Klipsch at New Mexico State University from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4.

Paul W. Klipsch, a 1926 graduate of New Mexico State University, pioneered audio systems. (Courtesy photo)

Klipsch, a 1926 graduate of NMSU, pioneered audio systems by using scientific principles to develop a corner horn speaker that sounded more lifelike than any of its predecessors. The Paul W. Klipsch Museum in the Ed and Harold Foreman Engineering Complex will be open to the public, and tours led by electrical engineering faculty members will be given free of charge.

In 1978, Klipsch was awarded the Audio Engineering Society’s Silver Medal for his contributions to speaker design and distortion measurement. Several sets of the revolutionary speakers are on display in the museum and can be demonstrated. Exhibits include historical photos of Klipsch, many of his working papers containing his calculations and research results, and original publications containing articles by or about him. Additionally, the museum contains antique audio equipment owned by Klipsch, demonstrations of his various speaker designs, and awards he received.

Klipsch was inducted into the Audio Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1997, he was inducted into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame, an honor shared by Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver, the Wright Brothers and other distinguished individuals.

NMSU’s Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is named for Paul W. Klipsch and his wife, Valerie. Over the years, they have established four departmental professorships and endowed scholarships that support more than 40 students each year.