Copper
Audio anthropology
Test Records and Demo Discs, Part One
In the days before digital music, the primary medium for sound reproduction was records. Sure, there were some who preferred reel-to-reel tapes, but they were in the minority. The turntable...
Motorola Madness
Above: a Radio News 1925 artist's conception of what Nikola Tesla's wireless power transmission system might have looked like in the future. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Frank R. Paul/public domain. ...
Start Soon, Earn More!
Fisher made 500 Series receivers, but who knew they made 500 Series tube radios also? This gorgeous specimen is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gregory F. Maxwell. What...
All Dolled Up
What the...? This is a homemade "Sleepy Time Bed Radio" found at a meet sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Antique Radio Club (MAARC) about 20 years ago. He dreams of vacuum...
On the Air Tonight
It might be low in cost, but we bet it sounds good. From Electronics World, September 1959, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/public domain. How can something as utilitarian...
Can You Hear Me Now?
In 1991 The Absolute Sound decided to do its first Guide to High-End Audio Components. I was on staff and it was my first experience working on a...
Into the Groove
This is an original Fillmore East program from 1971, from my personal collection. There's a reason this is special to me... ...it was the first time I'd seen Frank...
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...
Portable Audio, 1960s-Style
An AR-XA turntable, circa 1960s. As Ivan Berger noted in his article in Issue 105, hundreds of thousands were sold. Elegant simplicity: the AR-XA pivot and counterweight. This example...
My First Stereo
Here's a Panasonic full line catalog circa late 1960s or early 1970s. No big deal, except... The RE-7670 system, "The Barrington," was my first stereo. My father bought...
Now Hear This!
Just don't touch any of my records, thinks dad! From Audio magazine, March 1955. When the Admiral speaks, they listen! They went all out on props for this photo shoot. From Audio magazine,...
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 1991, including...
A Modern Engineering Marvel
Beyond cool: a circa 1940s or 1950s EMI Dicta recording – yes, recording – system that used 12-inch floppy magnetic discs. They worked like magnetic tape does, except in disc form. Spotted...
Crunch Time
This might be the most gorgeous preamp and amp set we've ever seen: a Radford DSM Stereo Control Unit and matching 12-watt-per-channel amplifier. Courtesy of Ken Kessler, taken at Tonbridge...
Seal of Approval
Here's an old-school Signet TK6020 cartridge analyzer. I used to use one of these when I was Harry Pearson's setup person at The Absolute Sound. You'd use the TK6020 in conjunction...
Surrealistic Audio Zone
Here's a pair of classic JBL L100s, sadly without the iconic grid-like foam grilles, which perhaps have crumbled into the sands of audio time. Now that is an old-school...
Made to Measure
Here's a rarity for you: A McIntosh car stereo made for Subaru. As an online forum notes, these are difficult to identify, so we don't feel too bad about being...
Audio Shelving
There's a reason we're fixated on classic McIntosh gear: the aesthetic is timeless. Here's a superb C26 preamplifier, introduced around the late 1960s. Just look at those connectivity options!...
A Dream Goes On Forever
Nearfield Acoustics offered a number of PipeDreams loudspeaker models from around the year 2000 until...? Not much information is available online. They came in a number of configurations, often comprising...
Off the Meter
These interestingly odd speakers came from a Panasonic all-in-one system, possibly from the 1970s. We suppose they looked cutting edge back in the day! This classic logo was...
Singin' in the Studio
Portable listening fun: an RCA VZP11B record player. Admit it: how many of you owned turntables or record players where the LP was bigger than the platter? You could...
Tailor-Made Listening Pleasure
Here's a Denon DP-500M direct-drive manual turntable. It has old-school features like quartz lock servo speed control, a large wooden base, and a die-cast S-shaped tonearm. We found a variety...
Magnetic Attraction
A pair of Mariah Acoustics speakers. Manufactured in Arkville, New York, these were made in the 1980s, according to an old forum post from the original owner. A few models...
Noteworthy
McIntosh fans, we know gear like this sets your hearts a-flutter. Here’s a magnificent MR 65B tube stereophonic FM tuner, introduced in 1962. This is audio componentry as industrial...
The Ears Have It
There was a time when Nakamichi cassette decks ruled the world. Here’s a Nakamichi 550, made between 1974 and 1980. This top-loader offered Dolby B noise reduction and three mic...
Decisions, Decisions
Here are a few stunning shots of a Barber & Howard stereo integrated amplifier, and tuner. We could find almost nothing about this brand online – the company was founded...
The Doppler Effect
Object of desire: a Bang & Olufsen Beogram 1800 turntable. This sleek, fully-automatic turntable looks dazzling in person. The Beogram 1800 was simplicity itself to operate and changing cartridges was...
Holiday Warmth
Some serious “wow” factor here – a 1950s McIntosh C-104 mono tube preamplifier. It used three 5751 tubes and could accommodate five (mono) audio sources. Detail shot of the...
A Safe Bet
A Dynaco SCA-35 vacuum tube integrated amplifier, a budget audiophile classic. It was introduced in 1963 and was rated at 35 watts per channel. It even had a "Spare" input...
Stay Focused
From The Audio Classics Collection, here’s an absolutely jaw-dropping McIntosh MR 65B tube stereo tuner. These beauties were made from 1962 to 1964. Looks great from any angle, and...
Remotely Possible
Spotted at Angry Mom Records in Ithaca, New York, a 1970s Kenwood KR-7070 receiver. Perhaps ahead of its time, it had a moving-coil phono stage. KR-7070, rear panel. Photos...
There’s a Kind of Hush
From Audio Classics in Vestal, New York, here’s a gorgeous, 16-pound Sherwood Electronic Labs S3000 III FM tube tuner from the early 1960s. Sherwood was founded in Chicago in 1953,...
The Prospects Are Good
How many of these has anyone seen? It’s a circa 1960s JVC Nivico SRP-471E turntable. Not much information is available about these online. Detail shot of the SRP-471E. It...
Tubes to Go
Written by Frank Doris Boldly proclaiming the maker’s name in one of the coolest logos ever: the Marantz Model 240 stereo power amplifier. Available with in black or silver, this...
Analyze This
Written by Frank Doris Not much is known about this early M&K three-piece satellite/subwoofer system (pictured above and below) found at Audio Classics, but it looks and sounds very...
World Music
Written by Frank Doris From the Museum of the Hard to Believe: a 1970s ADC Accutrac 4000, featuring computerized playback of any track, even in random order! The 4000 had...
Blue In Green
A Sansui 2000x receiver, made from around 1971 to 1975. Delivering 30 watts per channel, these older receivers used to be looked down upon by high-enders, but have gained cachet...
Listening With Dog's Ears
Written by Frank Doris They don’t make ’em like this anymore: an early Garrard AT6 turntable (thanks Ken Kessler for identifying this model). Another view of the AT6. Photos...
Eico Eico
An Eico HF-81 integrated amplifier. With restoration, this unassuming circa 1960s component can sound excellent. Eico HF-81 rear view showing its EL84 output tubes, generating a mighty 14 watts...
Plug and Play
Written by Frank Doris Revox PR 99 Mk II reel-to-reel deck, introduced in 1980. Talk about functional elegance! Revox made it easy to adjust the left and right channel...
She Had a Hat
Written by Frank Doris Classic elegance: a circa 1960s KLH Model 24 loudspeaker, from The Audio Classics Collection. The KLH Model 24 with the grille off. Why bother making...
Nothing Short of a Miracle
Written by Frank Doris Burmester Model 001 CD player. As a component that’s almost 20 years old, we’ll call it vintage now. It was a landmark upon its release, with...
Ambient Music
The Luxman L3 integrated amplifier, sporting one of the coolest logos of all time. Howard Kneller paid $395 for it at New York’s Harvey Electronics in the 1970s, quite a...
Crowning Achievements
A Fisher 440-T receiver circa 1964. By this time, transistors were starting to supersede tubes, and this 40 watt-per-channel model is the first Fisher transistor receiver. It’s known for having...
Take Me to the Pilot
Look at this beauty! Toshiba AM radio, 1955. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Masaki Ikeda (talk). A late 1950s or early 1960s Pilot Radio Corp. SA-232 stereo amplifier. These were high-quality amps...
Trust the Experts
“The sound that inspired a generation”: an original pair of McIntosh tube 350-watt monoblock amplifiers, circa 1968 – 1971. This amp was famously used at the 1969 Woodstock festival. ...
X Marks the Sweet Spot
Elegant simplicity: the legendary Fi X amplifier, designed by the late Don Garber. It delivers three watts per channel via a pair of 2A3 tubes. This is one of Garber’s...
Something for Everyone
Make that more than 100 years. 1975 ad for the imaginatively-named Garrard Zero Tracking Error Tonearm. When it comes to vinyl playback, everyone’s got an angle. Ken Kessler: in...
Spring Is in the Airwaves
A pair of ultra-rare circa 1970s KA/Kustom Acoustics loudspeakers, model number unknown, spotted at Angry Mom Records in Ithaca, NY. KA was based in Chicago and is not to be...
Timeless Elegance
A stunning Philips GA 312 turntable, circa late 1970s. People were wowed by its touch-sensitive illuminated controls. Close up of the GA 312. The light-up controls are the three buttons...