Copper
Audio anthropology
45 Degrees of Separation
A rare pair of Sequerra Model TI MK. II ribbon tweeters, circa 1980s? Designed and made by Dick Sequerra, they connect to a system's main loudspeakers to provide extended high-frequency...
On Our Radar
Quad ESL-57 electrostatic loudspeaker. it's missing its stands, but otherwise intact. One of the all-time greatest loudspeakers ever created; some would say, the greatest. ESL-57, rear view. From The Audio...
Reeling 'Em In
Simple design, good sound: A Dynaco Mark III mono power amplifier, in Dynakit kit version. Introduced in 1957, Dynaco was known to some as the "poor man's Mcintosh." Rear and...
Adventureland
No needles to change, and glorious new purity of tone…how did they do it? Philco ad, 1940s. This system was purchased by reader Keith Wooten new in 1977 at...
Our Heads Are Spinning
Fit for a King (Marilyn King of the King Sisters, that is): the Roberts 990 stereo tape recorder. Courtesy of the Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording. Recording engineer and TEC...
Rotating Staar
In keeping with our Issue 150 theme, the mighty Audio Research D-150 stereo power amplifier. It's one of the all-time classics of tube amplifier design. introduced in 1975, it delivers...
Portable Audio, 1960s-Style
A classic AR-XA turntable, circa 1960s. As Ivan Berger noted in his article in Issue 105, hundreds of thousands were sold. Photo by Howard Kneller, from The Audio Classics Collection....
On the Case
We couldn’t find any information on this Telefunken Musikkoffer (music case) ad (from the 1950s or 1960s?), but it was too cool to pass up. And it sounds even better...
One Speed Is All You Need
Detail of the front panel of a 1970s MAC-1900 receiver, made by McIntosh. Who needs surround sound when you've got switching options like these? MAC-1900, rear view. For a look...
Praiseworthy Achievement
A stunning Harman Kardon Citation II B power amplifier. Designed by Stu Hageman and introduced in 1959, it’s considered by many to be one of the greatest Golden Age amplifiers....
Raw Power
1977 Klipsch Decorator loudspeaker, companion to the one featured in Issue 140. It was a less-expensive version of a finished model. The speakers feature a Richard Modaferri-modified Infinite Slope Crossover. The backs...
Diamonds and Rust
Point taken: yes, you could get a Grado XTE+1 cartridge for $19.95 in the 1970s ("the free nickel bag of high-end audio," as my late friend Bob Reina called it),...
Big Macs
More rarities from The Audio Classics Collection: a pair and a spare of McIntosh MC 3500 hybrid mono power amps, atop a pair of McIntosh ML4C loudspeakers. Not only were...
Amped Up
Art Dudley's personal, well-worn copy of The Tube Amp Book, Volume 3 by Aspen Pittman, 1991. The page with the schematic for the Fender Bassman Model 5F6-A (introduced in 1958...
Swept Away
The Klipschorn Decorator Birch was a less-expensive unfinished version of the loudspeaker. They could be veneered or painted. This one has a Richard Modafferi-modified crossover and it’s next to some...
Big Mac
A MAC Audio Company MAC-1900 receiver. Made by McIntosh in the 1970s at a time when Frank McIntosh would not put his name on a receiver. Photo courtesy of Howard...
Phone-ing It In
And he continues to animate the party…the Continental 401 tape recorder, that is! 1960s Philips ad. Harman Kardon Citation II B stereo power amplifier, circa 1960s. Photo courtesy of...
Vertical Integration
Courtesy of Paul's Posts reader Joseph Pickel: “My grandmother worked for Victor Talking Machines in Camden, New Jersey. Throughout the years, she had saved a few ads and I thought...
The Nice Price
The McIntosh CR 4 Satellite System Control. Per Steve Rowell of Audio Classics: no fumbling for the volume buttons; just feel for the knob and turn it! No lost remotes;...
The 8-Track Mind
A shrine to 8-track tape! Taken at The Telegraph record store, New London, Connecticut. Photo by Ray Chelstowski. We can't think of a better Mother's Day gift. Philips ad, 1950s?...
Beam Me Up, Scotty
The chic way to rock out! Circa 1960s ad for the French Teppaz Oscar portable record player. We guess he knew how to turn it on. AKAI ad, 1970s. You...
Lend Me Your Ears
A circa late 19th or early 20th century proto-jukebox. Listeners paid a nickel to hear music through ear tubes. From Sound and Hearing, Life Science Library, 1965. An Audio Classics...
Tale of the Tape
John Seetoo saw this TEAC 4300 tape deck on a Brooklyn street corner, with a note that says, "COVID-19-free – needs a tune up." One person's trash is indeed another...
Speaker Misplacement
In its day the Teac A-3340S was the machine for musicians recording at home or making demos. We hope the photo shoot didn't take too long...that thing is heavy! From...
Pushbutton Paradise
Hi-Fi tone for $99.95, complete with colored vinyl! That’s about $970 in today’s dollars. Motorola ad, 1953. An insanely rare Quarter Horse amplifier. Built from kit plans originally published...
Half-Price Hi-Fi
Half-price high fidelity! No tools required! OK, a few. 1957 ad Courtesy of Ray Chelstowski. With a rig like this, we'd never leave the house. 1948 Admiral ad. Crank it...
We Are the NuTones
And you thought they only made intercoms! 1966 NuTone ad. My parents bought me an RCA Victor Model 1-EMP-2E phonograph when I was a kid. I was able to find...
The Lathe of Heaven
Now that's how to cut a record! Audio Engineering, February 1950. It wasn't a monster hit back in 1964, though Glen Campbell and Leon Russell played on it! Courtesy of...
Changers in the Night
Now that’s what we call holiday gift-giving! Circa 1960s. Does it come with snake oil spindle lubricant? Circa 1950s. We’ll take this over the The Yule Log. And in vintage 1959...
All Kitted Out
Something for everyone for the holidays from Audio Fidelity. From Audio, December 1958. A circa 1964 Harman Kardon FA30XK receiver kit in astounding condition. Courtesy of the Audio Classics collection....
Art Goes on Record
Reel dancing! Mercury “Living Presence” stereo tape, catalog number MDS5-4. Not an easy one to find; this one’s from my collection. Variable-speed cutting: Marie Hippolyte Rose making a record...
Twice the Fun
Twice as much fun as a mono dance party! Stereo Dance Party by Ralph Marterie and His Orchestra, original Mercury reel-to-reel tape, catalog number MS2-13. This book made a lasting impression...
Tube Tester
I’m afraid to even turn this thing on. Jennings Model J-1005 high voltage voltmeter. A true classic and recommended reading for anyone into vacuum tubes. A classic of...
Hittin' the Note
One of the most iconic taglines in advertising history, 1974. We'd bet you guys and gals could tell the difference though! Music makers: vintage strings and picks going back decades....
In My Room
I wish my audio system could do this! From Electronics Made Easy, 1956. I want this. That is all. From Audio, June 1953. Guess he's not getting the gig. From...
Can You Dig It?
This ad made you want to groove on a Marantz receiver, man! Circa 1973. Who knew you didn't have to go to school to be an audio engineer? Courtesy of...
Mirandized
It has the right to remain silent, but who’d want that? From Audio, January 1964. Multiroom entertainment, 1956 style. From Electronics Made Easy. Look at that finish. Try that with a brush...
Nothing Comes Close
You know, they might have been right. From Audio, November 1958. Then again, maybe not! From Audio, February 1965. Now that’s what we call home entertainment! From Electronics Made Easy, 1956. Tracking at...
Set It Off
I wonder how many people blew the speaker. Thanks to our Ray Chelstowski for submitting this. Now that's a listening chair! From Audio, October 1962. I think I saw this...
Elusive Butterfly
That butterfly isn't giving up the sweet spot. From Audio, August 1959. Before smartphones, there were smart tape recorders. From Audio, August 1964. And the man from downstairs was right!...
Basic Hi-Fi-Manship
Who needed audio forums back then, with this kind of advice? And who else thinks this looks like the work of Don Martin, Mad’s Maddest Artist? From Audio, May 1954. You can’t go wrong...
Tangerine Dream
We don't know if this produced uncolored sound or not. From the Museum of the Hard to Believe...er, Audio, October 1977. That's one small and two large speakers. Got it?...
Where the Action Is!
Man, I can dig it! Take me to school! From Audio, August 1966. Admit it, you remember this ad. From Audio, December 1972. There's nothing like a well-behaved tonearm. From...
Ears in the Clouds
As anyone who's heard one knows, they weren't kidding. From Audio, December 1960. Maybe not strictly audio-related, but what a stunning cover, and we've sure heard plenty of this gear...
Goin’ to the Bank!
This is a fax I received from Les Paul in 1992. In it he answers a series of questions I’d asked him in researching an article for The Absolute Sound in...
Realistic Sound
Say what? I'll bet the creative director wasn't a woman. From Audio, February 1965. New for '73! Is there anyone who didn't own a RadioShack or Realistic product? Thanks Richard...
Now Hear This!
When the Admiral speaks, they listen! They went all out on props for this photo shoot. From Audio magazine, January 1963. Just don't touch any of my records,...
Some Assembly Required
In 1962 Allied Radio and Masonite partnered to offer this “hi-fi wall” kit. Audio components not included! From Radio-TV Experimenter, fall 1962. “…an apartment dweller can assemble this ultra-modern hi-fi wall,...
The Truth Isn't Out There
It plays records as intended…always a good thing. From Audio Engineering, May 1953. I actually wore this badge at CES 1995. I wonder if any aliens got into the show? ...
Domestic Harmony
Les Paul and Mary Ford in their native habitat. Audio Engineering, May 1953