protophones
Protophones is a term that has been used to describe early or primitive forms of telephones. While the invention of the telephone is most famously attributed to Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, the concept of transmitting sound electrically had been explored by others before him. These earlier attempts and devices, often cruder and less efficient than Bell's final design, could be considered protophones.
Key figures involved in the development of sound transmission over wires include Charles Bourseul, Antonio Meucci,