1955 Life magazine article that made Jim Lansing famous?

[glen]

I tracked down the Life magazine article that named the Jim Lansing "Hartsfield" as the "money is no object" dream hi-fi speaker of it's time.
The "How to Buy Hi-Fidelity" article has been credited with putting the early JBL company on the map in the public mind, instantly turning a small struggling speaker manufacturer into the recognized leader in it's field.
The article was published in the February 28, 1955 issue featuring a young and lithe Shelly Winters taking a bubble bath on the cover. As she's talking on the telephone (audio content) I've included the cover here.

[glen]

Here are scans of the 5-page article. Sorry they are hard to read, remember LIFE was a large format magazine and these pages were originally 14x10.5 inches.

[glen]

A PROSPECTIVE PURCHASER BEMUSEDLY PUZZLES OVER-AND UNDER-SOME OF THE APPROXIMATELY 60 FINE HIGH-FIDELITY AMPLIFIERS AVAILABLE ON THE MARKET TODAY






HOW TO BUY HI-FIDELITY



A corps of experts chooses good sound equipment for the readers of LIFE

The popularity of high fidelity phonographic reproduction, which was increasing when LIFE initially reported on "hi-fi" 20 months ago (LIFE, June 15, 1953), has increased even more sharply since. As a result, because of manufacturers' competition and widening public knowledge, poorer "components" have been weeded out and the problem confronting today's purchaser is simply that of selecting, from a wide variety of good equipment, items that best suit him.
To help him LIFE recently collated the views of a number of experts on the basic components at various price levels-the record changer that spins the records, the amplifier that intensifies their sound, the speaker that reconverts electrical waves into sound waves, the enclosure that houses it and finally the radio tuner or receiver. These appear on the following pages, and the views expressed are the experts', not necessarily LIFE's. The prices were supplied by some of the nation's larger, old-line, specialized hi-fi dealers and so may vary with the locality and the store. To a novice the text that follows will explain some of the odd lingo he hears from hi-fi friends and dealers. The accompanying drawings are fanciful, intended not so much to describe the components as to suggest some of the attributes they possess and prospects they present.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE


(from the chart on the second and third pages)
DREAM SET

McINTOSH 50 W-2
We are now in a realm where money is no object. We have a preamplifier (the part of the amplifier having the tone and equalizing controls) separate from the rest, because this offers a more precisely built mechanism and remote control. With the McIntosh 50-watt amplifier, the Marantz Audio Consolette preamplifier is recommended. Consultants agree this provides
the finest performance. Price of both: $405
ALSO RECOMMENDED: Fisher 50-C preamp and Fisher 50-AZ 50-watt amplifier, $257.

JIM LANSING D-30085-M
At this point instead of one speaker which serves several functions a set of different speakers is used. They come housed in specially built enclosures. The Jim Lansing speaker, which is part of that manufacturer's "Hartsfield" system, consists of a 15-inch woofer and horn type of tweeter which together make use of a newly developed type of acoustical lens. "Hartsfield"
speakers and enclosures together cost 726
ALSO RECOMMENDED: the justly famed Klipschorn system, price of which is $696.

JIM LANSING 30
The enclosure for Lansing "Hartsfield" speakers is of unique construction which cannot be tampered with. It includes an acoustical lens that disperses high frequency sounds with great efficiency. The result is enormously rich. This enclosure comes as unit with speakers, and price of the whole system is in caption above.
ALSO RECOMMENDED: the K-357-7 Klipschorn enclosure, designed to fit in a corner, using the whole room as an extension of its horn. Price is in previous caption.

GARRARD RC 90, REK-O-KUT B-12H
The dream set includes two record players. One is a Garrard changer and the Pickering cartridge 260DD and two diamond styli were selected to go with it. The other player is a Rek-O-Kut Rondine B-12H turntable on which each record has to be changed manually. Similar to transcription turntables used in radio studios, it outperforms any changer. With it goes a Pickering 190D arm (which minimizes "tracking error" by the needle), a diamond and a sapphire stylus. Total cost: 329

FISHER 50 R AM-FM
This is a tuner in keeping with the foregoing equipment. It is among the most sensitive of all in "fringe areas" and conjoins beautifully with the Fisher amplifier. Its six-position selector includes such ultra-refinements as FM reception both with and without automatic frequency control (for use when the weak station you want to receive is adjacent to a very strong one). It also gives AM-Broad and AM-Sharp for best AM reception under varying conditions of interference. Price: 165

TOTAL $1,625


CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE





STYLE FOR SOUND
In its early days hi-fi was the hobby only of "sound-hounds" who rejected handsome cabinetry as an unnecessary luxury. In a way they were right. Amplifiers work equally well in or out of cabinets. Speaker performance is affected not by being housed in mahogany rather than plywood but by the housing's rigidity and size.
Today, however, furniture makers and custom decorators offer fine cabinets appropriate to fine sound, in a variety of styles and for many decorative uses. Some hold only the basic things, some are marvelously complete. In samples shown here the prices quoted are for cabinets only, not the equipment in them. Points to remember in buying: make sure the cabinet ventilates properly, affords ease of repair and will hold components the size of those you want.





TAPE RECORDERS

As the high-fidelity enthusiast advances, he often goes from ordinary vinyl records to magnetic tape recordings, making his own or buying them already recorded. Tape plays longer without interruption than records (as much three hours), has equal range, makes no surface noise and it shows no wear. Here are some good tape recorders.

[BMWCCA]

Is there a misprint or did Harmon/Kardon change the way they spelled their name somewhere along the way? Thanks for taking the time to post the article.

[glen]

Is there a misprint or did Harmon/Kardon change the way they spelled their name somewhere along the way? Thanks for taking the time to post the article.
I expect that is just a misprint as Harman Kardon was a relatively new company at the time. Quoting from a August 4, 2003 press release on the occasion of their 50th anniversary:
"Marrying an Appreciation for Music and the Arts With Innovative Technologies
Dr. Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon founded Harman Kardon in 1953 based on a shared passion for
music and the arts, and helped to create a new industry: high-fidelity audio."

The entire press release is here:
http://www.harmankardon.com/news_reviews/50thAnniversary.pdf

I found a picture of their 1954 receiver, the logo looks the same as later versions, but it's too small to make out the spelling. I did find a close-up picture of a circuit board that shows the correct spelling in 1956. I don't think they would've changed the name.


Does anyone know if this Bernard Kardon is the same person who was related to Peter Kardon and helped build the Kardon camera company (1945-1954)?
http://shutterbug.com/equipmentreviews/classic_historical/0106classic/

[intotubes]

Wow. Great post Glen. Thanks!
I really enjoyed looking at the retro Life pages.
Post more if you have them.

[DavidF]

Wow. Great post Glen. Thanks!
I really enjoyed looking at the retro Life pages.
Post more if you have them.

Ditto from me, Glen.

All-American line up from the '50's.

I see Paul Klipsch in there for $700 just under Lansing. Big money for those days. Can you see why stereophonic sent shivers up many a devote in those days?

Davidf

[glen]

I really enjoyed looking at the retro Life pages.
Post more if you have them.

That was the complete "How to Buy Hi-Fidelity" article.

There didn't seem to be any similar articles in the life magazines I have. I thought there might be more Hi-Fi ads in the issue with this article, but what audio ads there were tended to be from more mainstream makers like RCA and Magnavox.

[Mr. Widget]

Thanks Glen... that is really cool.


Widget

[Phil H]

I really appreciated article. I never had an avatar, so I took the liberty to clip a small portion for an avatar. I hope no one minds. But, the pic doesn't seem to be uploading well.

[edgewound]

I love that stuff. Thanks, Glen

Seems to have been a better time. More style...more quality...more innocence.

OK....except for the cigarette ads:barf: :D

[Steve Schell]

Margaret Thomas, wife of long time company president Bill Thomas, talked about this article in a phone conversation about six years ago. She told me to be on the lookout for the issue with Shelley Winters taking a bubble bath on the cover!. She said that it "...really put us on the map...", establishing JBL as the premium manufacturer of loudspeakers. Mrs. Thomas said that they were swamped with orders for some time after the article's publication.

Note that the Klipschorn is mentioned as an also-ran, at a lower price than the Hartsfield. Hal Cox has mentioned that Bill Thomas intentionally priced the Hartsfield a bit higher than the Klipschorn, as part of the strategy to establish it as a premium product. The Klipschorn had previously been regarded as the best hi fi speaker on the market. According to Hal the Hartsfield was developed in response to requests from himself and other dealers for a JBL product to compete with the Klipschorn.

[Rolf]

Thanks Steve for posting this.


According to Hal the Hartsfield was developed in response to requests from himself and other dealers for a JBL product to compete with the Klipschorn.

I can believe that. I have never been so lucky to heat the Hartsfield, but I doubt is was any better than the KH. Whit later models we all know what is better.

[JBLnsince1959]

I really appreciated article. I never had an avatar, so I took the liberty to clip a small portion for an avatar. I hope no one minds. But, the pic doesn't seem to be uploading well.

try putting it in an image editor and see if the contrast can be incressed. Looks good tho:D

Thanks for the thread...really cool to see it:bouncy:

[Mr. Widget]

I hope no one minds. But, the pic doesn't seem to be uploading well.Hi Phil, I took the liberty to replace your avatar pic with a different version of the same image... I hope you don't mind.


Widget

[JBLnsince1959]

Hi Phil, I took the liberty to replace your avatar pic with a different version of the same image... I hope you don't mind.


Widget

good job Widget:applaud:

[Tom Brennan]

Waco Johhny Dean, anudder brave man!

[Phil H]

Hi Phil, I took the liberty to replace your avatar pic with a different version of the same image... I hope you don't mind.


WidgetThank you. It looks much better. I don't know why I had problems, and I haven't had time to look at it.

[Titanium Dome]

'Tis indeed quite cute.

[glen]

Thank you. It looks much better. I don't know why I had problems, and I haven't had time to look at it.
Hi Phil,
The moire patterns caused by the dot sceens on printed material can uglify images. I was going to send you a new pic but I see Mr.Widget beat me to it. Good job Widget!

I like the images for the Dream Set that feature a sort of "Rich Uncle Pennybags" character (you know, the lil' guy in the top hat from the Monopoly game). Especially the one where he's having his hapless butler build him an enclosure.

[Steve Gonzales]

Thank you Glen, I love this stuff! :bouncy:

[JBLRaiser]

Although I was two years old at the time of that article, I am able to enjoy it now thanks to the selfless contributors to this PREMIUM audio site.:applaud:

[Titanium Dome]

Thank you Glen, I love this stuff! :bouncy:


I love the fact that the originals were real drawings, not just computer images. Can you imagine being a commercial artist in those days and having to draw all the time? imagine over the years all the stuff you'd get to do.

This layout alone must have been amazing from concept to completion. :yes:

[Todd W. White]

Hey guys - check out the item to the left (his right) of the guy's elbow.

Sitting on the table is an Altec 440 Preamplifier....

USed to have one of those - sweet!

[glen]

This small ad was in the April 4, 1955 issue of Life magazine.
Notice it's message that Allied "has recommended High Fidelity systems".
Obviously geared to capitalize on any interest stirred up in Life magazine readers.
I've blown the one-column wide ad up twice as big to make it easier to read on monitor screens.

[Titanium Dome]

I bought a ton of stuff from them over the years. No longer in Chicago, but still got a gigantic catalog, BTW.

http://www.alliedelec.com/CustomerService/Forms/Literature.asp

[glen]

This full page ad in the April 11, 1955 issue of Life magazine asserted that the "sound hobbyist pseudo experts" were wrong claiming that "true musical repro­duction can be achieved only by selecting the "best" of numerous parts made by a variety of manufacturers and assembling them at home."










Facts and Fiction



ABOUT HIGH FIDELITY

HIGH FIDELITY is not a new invention. It is, in fact, the result of 20 years of evolution in recording and reproducing techniques. Until recently, however, the performance of phono­graphs was limited by the capacity of the records. Introduction of the vinylite long-playing record, which eliminated surface noise, made it possible to record an audio range encompassing the entire tonal spectrum of musical instruments.
These new records, with their thrilling concert-hall realism, opened up a new world of musical pleasure in the home. At the same time, they captured the enthusiasm of a new kind of hobbyist, the "hi-fi" fan. Interested more in sound than in music, he set out to "do it him­self." As he hooked up his assorted components he became fascinated with cre­ating sounds that are often mechanical­ noises, incidental to music, which the musical artist strives to suppress.




The Fiction

AT THIS POINT, the sound-hobbyist and the music-lover frequently parted ways. Yet many lovers of music have been caught in the maze of confusion created by pseudo experts and writers who contend that true musical repro­duction can be achieved only by selecting the "best" of numerous parts made by a variety of manufacturers and assembling them at home. It is a great deal like say­ing that a fine piano can be built only by assembling the action from Steinway, strings from Knabe, case and sounding board from Baldwin. To put it another way, it is like claiming that your garage mechanic can put together a better car than Cadillac.
This is not to say that home-assembled rigs will not produce High-Fidelity music. In fact, Magnavox itself offers integrated components systems for sound-hobbyists. But claims that High Fidelity can be attained only through hooking up as­sorted parts; or that such parts cost less for comparable performance than a fac­tory-integrated instrument; or that "up to half" the, price of this instrument goes into a cabinet-such claims are not true.




The Facts



COMPONENTS made for home assembly cost more to build, because of smaller sales volume, and they cost more to sell. Our own Magnavox components reflect similar higher costs. As for cabinets, the truth is that they represent only about 15 per cent of the total cost of a complete instrument. And because of volume pro­duction, this cost. is actually lower than that for a comparable piece of good furniture.

Magnavox has been the pioneer in sound reproduction since 1915, and was the first to develop the electrodynamic speaker which is the voice of every mod­ern sound system. Some of our pioneer inventors are still with us; in addition, a staff of younger engineering talents are specializing in High-Fidelity repro­duction. As a result, Magnavox instru­ments are as superior today as they were recognized to be years ago by engineers, musicians, and music lovers alike.

Our High-Fidelity three-speed phono­graphs range in price from $99.50 to $198.50. AM-FM radio-phonographs are priced up to $495. Nothing finer is made, regardless of price. "Magnasonic," model 251M, for example, sells for $198.50. Yet it houses four speakers (two high-fre­quency speakers coaxially mounted with two 12-inch bass speakers), a 20-watt High-Fidelity power amplifier, and has a three-speed precision record changer. The Magnavox Pianissimo Pick-up, with less "needle-talk" than any, has better tracking characteristics than any pick-up selling for less than $80, as well as wider, smoother frequency response -all the ele­ments that "hi-fi" fans consider essential except high price.



The Challenge


BUT when everything is said, the real truth is in what you hear. If you are a High-Fidelity fan, Magnavox offers you the finest group of integrated component systems you have ever seen amplifiers, speakers of various types, tuners, record-players. If you and your family love fine music but are not sound-hobbyists, Magnavox offers you true High Fidelity in instruments that are fully integrated, precision-tested, and adjusted for optimum performance in your home. Modestly priced models re­produce tone such as you may never have heard from a phonograph record. More expensive instruments deliver an acousti­cal performance that cannot be excelled for any sum of money. I invite you to visit your Magnavox Dealer (he is listed under "Television" in your classified phone book) and listen to a thrilling demonstration.


If any of our, 1955 Magnavox High­-Fidelity instruments does not sound better to you than an assembled-components rig costing three times as much, your Magnavox Dealer will take back the instrument and refund the purchase price.

[glen]

I thought I was very clever to dig up the elusive original article, then I found a picture of the article included on the bottom of page 8 of the "Insight" brochure on this website:
http://www.lansingheritage.org/html/jbl/reference/general/1974-insight.htm


From the brochure:
'Then, in 1955, LIFE magazine published a survey of the hi-fi phenomenon and listed JBL's Hartsfield as the "ultimate dream speaker." This established JBL at the forefront of the industry, where it has remained ever since.'