History of High-End Audio

Earlier we talked about the history of Hi-Fi stereo in post-war America ( part 1 and part 2 ). Today we decided to continue this topic and talk about high-end equipment.

High-End audio equipment began to appear in the United States as early as the end of World War II, but gained popularity only after the end of the Korean War. Many veterans took advantage of the service and studied electronics. The assembly of "homemade" very quickly grew into a serious occupation with music reproduction systems and a real race for high-quality sound.

In the late 40s and early 50s, sound reproduction systems were audio consoles with an emphasis on the design of wooden cases, but not on the quality of the “filling”. One such company was Harman Kardon, which paid more attention to style than high technology, developing its first products. Only those who were really keen on electronics or even made money on it understood the components. Fans often bought custom-made components that made it possible to achieve different levels of volume without losing a level of quality.

If we talk about the wide layer of Americans who lived in their own country houses, such devices gave them free access to the fruits of world culture. So, we managed to save people from a remote suburb from the feeling of isolation, and stereo systemsbecame the most coveted purchase for middle-class families by the mid-60s.

Such a device as a power amplifier (abbreviated as AM), which is connected between preamplifiers (or signal sources with an adjustable output signal) and speakers, was first proposed by McIntosh Laboratory (Macintosh Laboratory) in 1949. Founded by Frank McIntosh, the company began with components for medical and industrial needs, not sound reproduction.

With the advent of the 50W-1 high-power amplifier with low distortion and the ability to work under high load, McIntosh Laboratory switched to the production of High-End audio equipment. The subsequent history of the company is closely connected with the Japanese manufacturers of car speakers, which were equipped with models such as Subaru Legacy and Outback. And in 2012, McIntosh "moved" to Italy.

Mergers and acquisitions of high-end audio equipment manufacturers are a common occurrence in the early 1950s. At this time, Pedersen Electronics, which produced the entire range of audio components: tuners, preamps, and power amplifiers, was bought out. After 1959, their products no longer appeared in annual reviews.

This period was also remembered by the first developments of Saul Maranz, who launched Audio Consolette on the market. And Hermon Hosmer Scott's “Dynamic Squelch” revolutionized broadcasting. Scott's rival was Avery Fisher, who founded Fisher Electronics in 1937 and Fisher Radio in 1945.

In the United Kingdom in 1934, Leak appeared , which was noted by the TL / 12 power amplifier. The company has been producing this model for many years. Leak's UK-based Quad team launched the Quad 1 amplifier and ESL57 speakers for 28 years.

One can talk endlessly about the legends of that time. For example, the company Bozak and their acoustics Kettle Drum, which became one of the most interesting models of the time in terms of design. If we talk about design, it is worth noting the transition from an emphasis on external attractiveness to ergonomics and working with the room in which the audio equipment was located.

Component manufacturers are slowly gaining momentum. So, Altec Lansing produced its own drivers and various chassis options, while Jensen offered coaxial speakers, single full-range drivers and active crossovers.

Among other companies specializing in components, it is worth noting Karlson Associates, which produced cases for 15, 12 and 8-inch drivers, and University, which produced a full range of devices from speakers to full-range speakers, as well as crossovers and coaxial speakers.

Great Britain did not stand aside and shone with such manufacturers as Lowther Speaker Company and Tannoy. A number of British companies have even moved to export their products to the United States.

A new era of speakers with “acoustic suspension” was born with the entry of Acoustic Research. The prototype of such a speaker was hand-assembled in the kitchen of the founders Ed and Rosemary Wilchur. Following the increased power requirements, compared with open-type speakers and horn-type loudspeakers, transistor amplifiers also pulled in, which gave a much higher output power than tube predecessors.

The innovations of the 60s seriously influenced the development of home entertainment systems. Reel tape recorders, which music lovers used in the late 50s to enjoy stereo recordings, went into oblivion with the improvement of vinyl players, tonearms, cartridges and FM tuners.

To listen to the first stereo broadcasts, you had to tune one receiver channel to the FM station and the other to the AM station. The first true FM tuners to use multi-channel stereo coding systems appeared on the market only in 1962. So, a completely new product appeared - the receiver. The device included a tuner, preamp and power amplifier.



With transistors and receivers, the so-called Mid-Fi market was born. Stores such as Harvey's Electronics, The Audio Exchange, and Sam Goody's advertised finished stereo systems in the entertainment sections of the New York Times. Those systems consisted of a vinyl player, cartridge, receiver, speakers and cables to connect them and cost $ 299, $ 399, or $ 499.

Although a huge number of companies during this period disappeared under the influx of budget foreign electronics, several American manufacturers were able to gain a foothold in the market. Joe Grado, the founder of Grado Labs, was and remains the only inventor of his kind, opera singer and audio equipment developer. He created phono cartridges, tonearms, headphones, microphones and turntables.

Another company was Janszen Acoustics - it was driven by audio genius Arthur Jansen, who designed the electrostatic speaker. Julius Futterman was least likely to remain in the audio field, but his products have been produced for more than 15 years. Futterman's OTL amplifiers have become iconic among Quad owners such as Harvey Rosenberg, who later used Futterman's designs at New York Audio Labs.

Enthusiasts and collectors can argue, but McIntosh, Marantz, Scott, Fisher, AR, KLH and Dyna are models of manufacturing companies that you can learn from the mistakes (and successes). Marantz and McIntosh have proven that manufacturers of high-end audio equipment can grow, but remain true to their mission and customers.

PS Various aspects of high-end audio equipment - this is not only our work, but also a passion for life. We share our findings and thoughts on our blog and podcasts .