History of Hi Fi

[Ducatista47]

Since another thread on this General Audio Discussion forum has breached the topic, here are links to a two page treatment of the history of Hi Fi with interesting graphic chronologies included.

Thank you to Ian for turning me on to this fascinating fellow.

http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/tinyhistory1.html
http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/tinyhistory2.html

1945-1967 seems to be the original era, but we seem to be in a new flowering what with SET gear and all. Feels like it to me, anyway. I imagine Steve Schell may have some thoughts on all this.

Clark in Peoria, where Hi Fi carries on in its own small way...

[Steve Schell]

Hi Clark,

I think that Lynn Olson is one of the deepest thinkers working in audio these days. His opinions of conventional audio measurements and their relevance to the listening experience are particularly fascinating. He is convinced that conventional THD measurements are nearly useless, and has suggested that harmonic distortion products should be weighted by the square or perhaps even the cube of their order for their harmful effects to correlate well with listening impressions... good stuff!

All of the articles in his Soul of Sound Library are well worth reading. I had a nice long chat with Lynn at the last Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, and hope to do the same at the RMAF coming up next weekend.

[JBL 4645]

I think this goes back a bit further from stumbling across some history about the reproduction of sound recording. I’m reading the first link thou I don’t see anything that mentions the use of cylinders that used compressed air and when fitted with an device that was designed to produce the sound or the frequency! Which was devolved or discovered by some French people back in the late 19th century, but don’t quote me on that.

This Youtube video with Dolby labs pioneer (Ioan Allen) gives good understanding of the process in brief.

The Birth of 5.1 sound
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXiJSofaMY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaXiJSofaMY)

You’ll like this one guys.

'Soundtrack' Intermission - Fantasia (1940)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTM48pwoXAo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTM48pwoXAo)

[JBL 4645]

Keep with the trend of this history of sound reproduction, I found this on the Youtube for some, some might recognise it as the “Wilhelm Scream” that was recorded back in the 1950’s, and has since been used in many movies by sound editor designers. Also found this rare film and sound recording produced back in 1926.

History of the “Wilhelm Scream” in the movies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PxALy22utc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PxALy22utc)

Witt & Berg Hawaiian Song (Vitaphone short-1926)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGXIsI-M2lU (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGXIsI-M2lU)

You can hear what sounds like the signal to noise ratio, in the background and the muffled middle range sound of the vocals and instrumental instruments, in this static like subsistence contented on the phonograph recording.


"The first widely used vacuum tube was the direct-heated (usually battery powered) was the RCA '01A direct-heated triode in 1922. This became the general-purpose tube of the 1920's - in the late Twenties, specialized tubes appeared, starting with the indirect-heated RCA '27, followed by the closely related 37, 56, and 76. These low-level tubes made AC-powered radios possible, since they didn't require battery power for hum-free operation."

Hmm, that’s the answer that keeps eluding me of course battery powered would be hum free, so what am I suppose to do power my home cinema with batteries, LOL , oh please ground loops and hums are the Gremlins work!

[Ian Mackenzie]

Steve,

I sent Clark details of the Hammer Dynamics Super 12 review that Lynn wrote a while back.

That design in itself is a great story about bringing old driver ideas and designs back to life with modern materials and manufacturing techniques.

I agree Lynn is a fun guy if not a bit radical.

Racicalists tend to make a career out of drawing attention to themselves.

But I find Lynn's articles entertaining

Apparently he had a fall recently but is recovering.

http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/index.html

[JBL 4645]

"Crap like AC-3, MP3, and AAC digital compression techniques? Watermarking techniques that are inaudible to teenagers listening on Internet-downloaded MP3s? With the industry's Best and Brightest working on projects like these, is it any wonder that progress is coming from industry outsiders?"

Now that’s getting personal! LOL I welcome AC-3 encoding for which I wouldn’t be able to listen to such classic films that used the magnetic strip on 70mm widescreen formats, Dolby AC-3 six-track channel sound in the home was an exclusive thing only to be found on 70mm and the newer 35mm Dolby SR-D in the early 1990’s. I think there where some attempts to place Dolby SR-D onto VHS tape during the time it first appeared but would prove impossible not without modifying the playback heads on the machine and tape itself. But that all changed with Dolby AC-3 finding its way onto what was called Dtheatre something that only lasted a few brief years.

[4313B]

Very nice! Thanks for the links. :yes:

"That whole experience really opened my eyes - and ears. I realized that people really do hear things in quite different ways ... my friends thought the Sony CDP-101 and the shiny little coasters were just terrific, and I thought they sounded awful! After that, I started taking the reviews in any magazine a whole lot less seriously. After all, how was I to know the reviewer was hearing same things that I did?"

:rotfl: It was a shock! :p

"This is when the "West Coast Sound" versus "East Coast Sound" catfight really got rolling. The Westerners were represented by JBL, Altec, and Cerwin-Vega, and the Easterners by AR, KLH, and Advent. Over the course of the Sixties, the Westerners ended up building smaller and smaller speakers that tossed away the efficiency and dynamics of the good theatre systems, but copied and quite deliberately exaggerated the bass boom and horn colorations of yesteryear. The most famous example of this marketing philosophy was the very successful JBL L100, a beautiful-looking bookshelf speaker with a bright-orange sculptured foam grille. It really looked great until you had to listen to it."

:rotfl:


All of the articles in his Soul of Sound Library are well worth reading. I had a nice long chat with Lynn at the last Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, and hope to do the same at the RMAF coming up next weekend.Very cool Steve. :)

[Ian Mackenzie]

Of a historical note I went to a dealer that I knew sold JBLs (Intersound this afternoon) and found a pair of well worn S2600's in the front showroom.

I was enquiring about a JBL cente channel I said to the dealer.

He asked me what I had.........

His response....was "well Northridge was once forever" and we opened our doors here in 1980. Not anymore he said, I they haven't made anything JBL to speak of there for a longtime now...all down in Mexico and so you can forget it!


So I am back to square one.:banghead:.

I remember a time when they stocked the 250Ti, XPL200's and the whole Harman amp range. Only had Kilpsch on display today.

[MJC]

What's interesting about DSD and DVD-A is that it exposes the "accuracy" claim of 44.1/16 digital as the fraud it was all along. The new mediums sound very close to top-quality analog mastertape or direct-disc sources, while the exact same material on a top-flight CD player sounds flat, artificial, canned, the exact words that were used to describe it 20 years ago.

Something I've been saying for years, CDs suck.
Which is why last year I dug out the old TT and then got a '70's vintage pre-amp / power amp combo. Not tube, but better than any current mass market stuff.

His response....was "well Northridge was once forever" and we opened our doors here in 1980. Not anymore he said, I they haven't made anything JBL to speak of there for a longtime now...all down in Mexico and so you can forget it!

Guess he hasn't seen the PS, Arrays, K2 or DD66000. All made in Northridge.

[JBL 4645]

DVD-A I have just one DVD-Audio disc “Holst the Planets” which isn’t that good as balance of the fronts and backs the fronts need turning down to allow the stereo surrounds to immerse me. There’s no centre mix on and the LFE.1 is well its unpredictable and needs a little boosting for this practically DVD-A mix.

The mix has Dolby and dts and really I can’t tell the difference between the two audio tracks, maybe with some test equipment, but to the naked ear no, I can’t tell any difference what so ever. :hmm:

[MJC]

From a tech standpoint SACD and DVD-A are better than CD.
But some multi-channel music isn't as good as others, mostly because of how it was mixed.
My biggest gripe are the disc that don't use the center for the singer's voice, just some of the instrumentation, or not at all. Which puts it right back to stereo's phanton center image.

[Robh3606]

My biggest gripe are the disc that don't use the center for the singer's voice, just some of the instrumentation, or not at all. Which puts it right back to stereo's phanton center image.

Yes I would have to agree. Seems a shame not to use it. I must say though that hanging a solo singer in the center channel sure leaves them no place to hide. If they are not spot on you can hear it immediately.

Rob:)

[4313B]

Guess he hasn't seen the PS, Arrays, K2 or DD66000. All made in Northridge.Don and Steve have been paying attention much better than I have these past few years so they would be better able to comment on such.

[MJC]

Don and Steve have been paying attention much better than I have these past few years so they would be better able to comment on such.
I don't understand that comment, you've been to NR recently, I think.
And I know my PS were made there, it states as much on the back of the boxes.

[4313B]

I don't understand that comment, you've been to NR recently, I think.
And I know my PS were made there, it states as much on the back of the boxes.I was there but I don't remember asking anyone where anything was made. I think Steve and Don know.

At some point in some phone conversation I heard the PS was made in Mexico. Most of the stuff is outsourced. I believe all the networks now come from China. Some stuff is assembled in Northridge to get that little Made in U.S.A. sticker. There is the custom shop there and maybe certain Pro transducers. I can't remember it all for sure.

[MJC]

I know most of the electronic components that go into amps, receivers, etc are made overseas. And companies like Lexicon or B&K will have on the units "assembled in USA", or "Designed and assembled in USA".

Of the two current JBL systems I bought last year, the Studio L890s stated "made in Mexico", but the PT800s state "made in USA".

Just this past week I was looking at the new Lexicon MV-5 pre/pro, online, and looking at the back panel and there was no statement as to where they were made or assembled. Being the MV-5 is about 1/2 the price of the RV-8 and MC-8, I would assume its built elsewhere.

[JBL 4645]

I was there but I don't remember asking anyone where anything was made. I think Steve and Don know.

At some point in some phone conversation I heard the PS was made in Mexico. Most of the stuff is outsourced. I believe all the networks now come from China. Some stuff is assembled in Northridge to get that little Made in U.S.A. sticker. There is the custom shop there and maybe certain Pro transducers. I can't remember it all for sure.

Hmm, I notched that the crossover inside the JBL HT1F THX was made in Mexico, when I opened it up.

[Ian Mackenzie]

I was there but I don't remember asking anyone where anything was made. I think Steve and Don know.

At some point in some phone conversation I heard the PS was made in Mexico. Most of the stuff is outsourced. I believe all the networks now come from China. Some stuff is assembled in Northridge to get that little Made in U.S.A. sticker. There is the custom shop there and maybe certain Pro transducers. I can't remember it all for sure.

Hey,

I was not pointing a finger at JBL.;)

It was real conversation (at about 12.00 pm EST 10/07/2007) and one of the owners of the store is/was a member. Go figure.

I obviously I knew what was said wasn't absolutely factual.

The point is History is full of myth's, perceptions and old wives tales. The truth gets bent all over the place as time goes on.

There end being a lot of grey areas. The history of Hifi is no different. The history of audio would have been a better title.

If you read Lynn's articles carefully his perception of reality has a few holes in it that he has very conveniently filled to suit the point he wants to make about the industry. (that actually pisses off a lot of industry insiders). There are a lot of shadow publications popping up on the internet like this these days. If pay subscription to search engines like ''Google" eventuates a lot of that will change.

Ian

[MJC]

I was not pointing a finger at JBL.;)

I know you weren't. I was commenting on what the dealer had said to you, about all JBLs being made in Mexico.
And if there is any truth in labeling, then the PS is made in Northridge. But, as I said before, I know the Studio L series is made in Mexico.
But the guts that go into any electronic gear can come from anywhere.

[glen]

Most articles tend to focus on the technological innovations.
This 1953 Life Magazine article explored the cultural evolution of the hi-fi "fad"

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=13795

It's interesting that while Olson states that
"The War Years of the Forties represent a fallow period for audio . . ."
the Life magazine article seemed to conclude that soldiers' exposure to better quality sound reproduction while serving in the military was a key element in creating a popular demand for high-fidelity in the home.