Were the 1970s the True Golden Age for Audio?

[vqworks]

"Wow one whole sub, that's awesome."

What a funny guy.

The great thing about opinions are that they are just....opinions. You can't assert them on anyone else. Sarcasm doesn't help, either.

 

[lovinthehd]

"Wow one whole sub, that's awesome."

What a funny guy.

The great thing about opinions are that they are just....opinions. You can't assert them on anyone else. Sarcasm doesn't help, either.

Yeah and reality works the same way. Subs are really a later development in the bigger picture.

 

[vqworks]

"...in the bigger picture"???
What does that even mean? There can't be qualifiers in these statements. There either was or wasn't.

Pick up a magazine from the 70s and you will actually see an ad for several "subwoofers". It's passive like most subs were up to the early 90s.

Forget about your alternative facts. Bottom line: 2021 is your religion. Some other people are open to other eras as well. I love the best of 2021, too. But I'm not going to bother asserting my preferences.

 

[vqworks]

T

Thanks for the informative explanation of cassette noise reduction systems.

You're welcome. It took me several years of experimentation and reading to figure these things out.

 

[mlrvpl]

Great article. I was in the thick of it with a Marantz 2270, JCS cassette deck, BIC turntable, and some generic but great Acousti-Phase speakers. Oh how I wisjh Maranzt would bring back that old school look with blue display and beautiful feeling controls.

 

[Browncoat]

For me I was in the Navy late 70s. Ship pulls into Subic Bay Naval Base Philippines. Base PX sold Stereo equipment for great prices. But they sold stuff that you could not get in the States(different gear). Got Marantz (don't remember the model number) and big JVC speakers. But for me it was the prices!

 

[tonyE]

For me I was in the Navy late 70s. Ship pulls into Subic Bay Naval Base Philippines. Base PX sold Stereo equipment for great prices. But they sold stuff that you could not get in the States(different gear). Got Marantz (don't remember the model number) and big JVC speakers. But for me it was the prices!

My first stereo, Navy Dependent, from the Pearl Navy Exchange and Hickam Exchange. Awesome to be away from the CONUS...

Then, my dad, on his last two Westpacs... we knew when he went to Sasebo and Subic.... we'd get tons of boxes. In fact, just yesterday I dropped his old Sansui G7500 for a full rebuild ( it's mine now! ).

 

[tonyE]

Mostly on point, except I think ADS was better. I still have my 77 ADS L810's that replaced my 75 ADS L500's.

You forgot one thing though. The BONG. ;-D

We'd sit around our college rooms/houses with killer stereos, 100s of LPs and the BONG. I once wired our 5 bedroom, three story house with six stereos... so my Dual turntable, HK FM tuner and Kenwood cassette deck could drive the whole thing. Since I knew everybody working at the campus FM station, I'd give them a list of music to play during our house parties.

 

[tonyE]

and lets not forget JGH who started with High Fidelity before moving on to Stereophile and Harry Pearson start of TAS. All were part of the Golden era !

Stereophile and TAS were truly groundbraking. HP was awesome and Enid Lumley was outstanding.

I used to have subscriptions to Audio, Stereo Review and High Fidelity.. and then one day I borrowed a Stereophile and TAS from a friend... subscribed and I was off to the High End races.

Julian Hirsch was a joke, sorry. He'd measure something, tune in to some polka music, listen to the sound for 1 minute at 85 db and be done with it.

 

[Mikado463]

Julian Hirsch was a joke, sorry.

never trust a bald guy ....

He'd measure something, tune in to some polka music, listen to the sound for 1 minute at 85 db and be done with it.

Can't blame him there, that's about 55 seconds longer than I could stand to listen to polka music ......

 

[Mark Lawless]

Nice history of the audio industry. Good stuff.

 

[tonyE]

never trust a bald guy ....



Can't blame him there, that's about 55 seconds longer than I could stand to listen to polka music ......

It sounds fine if you drink enough beer. ;-)

 

[Bluesman56]

I'm still using and enjoying my circa 1970s JBL 4311B control monitors.

 

[killdozzer]

I believe they were in one aspect! Someone may have already mentioned this, the market for home audio was very wide. Everyone had a stereo, it was almost a must. Low income, high income. People were socializing next to their stereo systems, they were dancing to it in their living rooms drinking silly sugary cocktails. That's what is different. I can't remember a house I visited back then that didn't have a stereo as a central piece of the living space. No house was without one.

Today the quality is way up, but you'll mostly find a solitary member of the family sitting in his lonely "throne-chair" at the sweet spot, more in this discerning type of listening. If you visit, he'll most likely get up to let you sit for five minutes and experience the superb sound, and that's it. Audio today is not an equal member of all your parties and socializing.

Once the audio age passed I didn't see people upgrading, keeping their collections and remaining true to this type of entertainment. Huge TVs moved to the center of the living room. Stereo systems got dumped or sold and today I get really surprised when I visit someone at his home and see a nice system. It's so rare. Even a bar and a sub are rare.

 

[Mikado463]

I believe they were in one aspect! Someone may have already mentioned this, the market for home audio was very wide. Everyone had a stereo, it was almost a must. Low income, high income. People were socializing next to their stereo systems, they were dancing to it in their living rooms drinking silly sugary cocktails. That's what is different. I can't remember a house I visited back then that didn't have a stereo as a central piece of the living space. No house was without one.

Today the quality is way up, but you'll mostly find a solitary member of the family sitting in his lonely "throne-chair" at the sweet spot, more in this discerning type of listening. If you visit, he'll most likely get up to let you sit for five minutes and experience the superb sound, and that's it. Audio today is not an equal member of all your parties and socializing.

Once the audio age passed I didn't see people upgrading, keeping their collections and remaining true to this type of entertainment. Huge TVs moved to the center of the living room. Stereo systems got dumped or sold and today I get really surprised when I visit someone at his home and see a nice system. It's so rare. Even a bar and a sub are rare.

a lot of truth here !

in the seventies we transitioned from consoles to separates and the quest for 'better sound' really took off !

 

[davidscott]

Julian Hirsch was not a joke. He was a product of the times and relied on measurements to judge the sound of a component. I read stereo review at the time, but I do wish that he would have expounded on his actual listening. The good news is that he did eliminate some bad components that had horrible measurements.

 

[tonyE]

Julian Hirsch was not a joke. He was a product of the times and relied on measurements to judge the sound of a component. I read stereo review at the time, but I do wish that he would have expounded on his actual listening. The good news is that he did eliminate some bad components that had horrible measurements.
[/QUOTE

My biggest issue with Hirsch, Stereo Review, High Fidelity and Audio magazines, was the unhealthy connection between the reviews and the advertising. That's why Stereophile and TAS came to be.

Of course, Hirsch's "reviewing" style.. or lack thereof, were a complete turnoff. At least over at Audio they did do some reasonable listening. But David Ranada was another "jewel"... remember that guy?

Besides, the crew over at TAS was awesome to read. Enid Lumley was absolutely a hoot ( remember, dressing up your cables is wrong, chaos is better for cross interference.. AND, make sure to put some plywood to cover the fireplace!). It turns out she was ahead of the curve in many things.

 

[davidscott]

My biggest issue with Hirsch, Stereo Review, High Fidelity and Audio magazines, was the unhealthy connection between the reviews and the advertising. That's why Stereophile and TAS came to be.

Of course, Hirsch's "reviewing" style.. or lack thereof, were a complete turnoff. At least over at Audio they did do some reasonable listening. But David Ranada was another "jewel"... remember that guy?

Besides, the crew over at TAS was awesome to read. Enid Lumley was absolutely a hoot ( remember, dressing up your cables is wrong, chaos is better for cross interference.. AND, make sure to put some plywood to cover the fireplace!). It turns out she was ahead of the curve in many things.

I did prefer Audio to Stereo Review at least they would occasionally talk about a components actual sound. I did subscribe to Stereophile for 5 years or so in the mid late 80s. Man Anthony Cordesman could really write.

 

[cletuswicker]

kinda late to the dance here steve, but thanks for the trip down memory lane - i was right there with you. was the '70's the 'golden age'? to many of us boomer types, absolutely. does that mean the gear from that era is the best ever? probably not but it still holds a place in our history. heck, i still run a kenwood ka-7100, a kenwood kx-1030 and a dual 704 - all restored - that i've had since 1978, along with a set of later 5012 advents. all still sound great and will remain with me until the end.

 

[marine87]

There is no excitement or thrill to going to a store to shop for all black equipment from only a few vendors. That is, if you can find a store. At 69 and once a prolific buyer in the 1970s, appearance and pride in ones system is what is important, not several variation of a software update. I don't know how companies stay in business with such blandness.