Audio history

I've recently been working though Wireless World issues from the 1930s and
1940s, looking for info on the ancient history of audio/hifi. As mentioned
in another posting, doing this at the Museum of Communications in Fife.
They have a fair collection of old mags, abeit with gaps and mainly on
'radio' and related topics.

It occurs to me to ask he

What other magazines from the 1930s-50s period would people expect to
provide reports, reviews, etc, on items like 'radio' and 'radiogram'
chassis or what we'd now think of as 'hifi' or 'audio' home equipment?

The museum do have Practical Wireless, and I think they have ERT. I know
ERT will have some service sheets that are relevant, but beyond that I
don't know enough about the old mags to know if they - or other titles -
would be good places to search though.

Also, anyone here have back issues of 'Hi Fi Sound' from circa 1970? There
may be one or two Armstrong reviews from it I haven't yet tracked down.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Oh dear I threw away hfs from that period mid this year.

However looking back to the start of hi fi, I wonder where you draw the
line. A friend of mine has a wind up gramaphone for 78s that sounds really
good with bass etc, and its totally acoustic, no amplification of any kind.
Much better than the dodgy things you see on tv and hear on radio which
sounded tinny.
I do not know how its done but it was obviously possible.


He tells me it is beginning to show signs of motor issues with loud clunks
as the spring inside springs as its grease has gone hard. Since he does not
want to be decapitated by the spring, he has decided to leave well alonde
for now.
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
Remember, if you don't like where I post
or what I say, you don't have to
read my posts! :-)
"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message
...
I've recently been working though Wireless World issues from the 1930s and
1940s, looking for info on the ancient history of audio/hifi. As mentioned
in another posting, doing this at the Museum of Communications in Fife.
They have a fair collection of old mags, abeit with gaps and mainly on
'radio' and related topics.

It occurs to me to ask he

What other magazines from the 1930s-50s period would people expect to
provide reports, reviews, etc, on items like 'radio' and 'radiogram'
chassis or what we'd now think of as 'hifi' or 'audio' home equipment?

The museum do have Practical Wireless, and I think they have ERT. I know
ERT will have some service sheets that are relevant, but beyond that I
don't know enough about the old mags to know if they - or other titles -
would be good places to search though.

Also, anyone here have back issues of 'Hi Fi Sound' from circa 1970? There
may be one or two Armstrong reviews from it I haven't yet tracked down.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics
http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Jim Lesurf wrote:


I've recently been working though Wireless World issues from the 1930s and
1940s, looking for info on the ancient history of audio/hifi.



** The beginnings of hi-fi audio occurred in the 1930s, in relation to film sound. The need for decent sound quality in cinemas spurred the development of large single ended & push pull amplifiers using triodes plus two way, horn loaded speaker systems using 15 inch woofers (often with field coil magnets) and multi-cell tweeters.

Westrex and RCA were the leaders in the USA while Vitavox was their equivalent (with speaker systems)in the UK.

Immediately after WW2, scaled down versions of cinema amplifiers and speakers were produced for home hi-fi, with names like Leak and Quad in the UK and Klipsch in the USA.



.... Phil

In article ,
Phil Allison wrote:
** The beginnings of hi-fi audio occurred in the 1930s, in relation to
film sound. The need for decent sound quality in cinemas spurred the
development of large single ended & push pull amplifiers using triodes
plus two way, horn loaded speaker systems using 15 inch woofers (often
with field coil magnets) and multi-cell tweeters.

Not sure that is the full story. Optical sound tracks had a restricted
bandwidth and high distortion. Far poorer than possible with even 78 rpm
records.

But it may well have been the main reason for the design of powerful power
amps and speakers.

--
Small asylum seeker wanted as mud flap, must be flexible and willing to travel

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
wrote:
In article , Phil
Allison wrote:
** The beginnings of hi-fi audio occurred in the 1930s, in relation to
film sound. The need for decent sound quality in cinemas spurred the
development of large single ended & push pull amplifiers using triodes
plus two way, horn loaded speaker systems using 15 inch woofers (often
with field coil magnets) and multi-cell tweeters.

Not sure that is the full story. Optical sound tracks had a restricted
bandwidth and high distortion. Far poorer than possible with even 78 rpm
records.

But it may well have been the main reason for the design of powerful
power amps and speakers.

Reading old issues of WW from the mid 1930's onwards gives me the strong
impression that domestic 'hifi' in the UK initially grew mainly out of the
earlier interest in having 'better' radios (and radiogrammes). Armstrong
seem to have been an exemplar for this by starting off selling 'chassis'
sets aimed at enthusiasts wanting better radio listening and then adapting
to go with the changes as the market developed into 'stereo systems' by
about 1970.

This may be why collectiors of old radios seem often unaware of Armstrong.
They didn't make complete sets in cabinets ready to go. The user had to
sort out a cabinet, and often also the loudspeaker, for themself. In
addition, many chassis lacked the maker's name, or may have been OEM
branded for someone else!

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Surely though until some really good source material was available it was
all a bit academic?
Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
Remember, if you don't like where I post
or what I say, you don't have to
read my posts! :-)
"Phil Allison" wrote in message
...
Jim Lesurf wrote:


I've recently been working though Wireless World issues from the 1930s and
1940s, looking for info on the ancient history of audio/hifi.



** The beginnings of hi-fi audio occurred in the 1930s, in relation to film
sound. The need for decent sound quality in cinemas spurred the development
of large single ended & push pull amplifiers using triodes plus two way,
horn loaded speaker systems using 15 inch woofers (often with field coil
magnets) and multi-cell tweeters.

Westrex and RCA were the leaders in the USA while Vitavox was their
equivalent (with speaker systems)in the UK.

Immediately after WW2, scaled down versions of cinema amplifiers and
speakers were produced for home hi-fi, with names like Leak and Quad in the
UK and Klipsch in the USA.



.... Phil

In article ,
Brian-Gaff wrote:
Surely though until some really good source material was available it
was all a bit academic?

Depends what you mean by really good. AM radio was quite capable of decent
results - up to about 10kHz or so. Depending also on the land lines to the
transmitter and the bandwidth of the receiver. It was overcrowding of MW
which caused the bandwidth to be restricted.

Basically, some pre-WW2 equipment was really quite good - long before
Hi-Fi became a term. Certainly as good as plenty we are used to today.

--
*Velcro - what a rip off!*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Jim Lesurf wrote:


** The beginnings of hi-fi audio occurred in the 1930s, in relation to
film sound. The need for decent sound quality in cinemas spurred the
development of large single ended & push pull amplifiers using triodes
plus two way, horn loaded speaker systems using 15 inch woofers (often
with field coil magnets) and multi-cell tweeters.


Reading old issues of WW from the mid 1930's onwards gives me the strong
impression that domestic 'hifi' in the UK initially grew mainly out of the
earlier interest in having 'better' radios (and radiogrammes).


** Reading old copies of a magazine called " Wireless World " might indeed give one the idea that AM radio was all that existed.

You'll need to fish in a bigger pond to find what kicked off the manufacture of genuine *high fidelity* audio equipment round the world.



.... Phil

In article ,
Phil Allison wrote:
Reading old issues of WW from the mid 1930's onwards gives me the
strong impression that domestic 'hifi' in the UK initially grew mainly
out of the earlier interest in having 'better' radios (and
radiogrammes).


** Reading old copies of a magazine called " Wireless World " might
indeed give one the idea that AM radio was all that existed.

You'll need to fish in a bigger pond to find what kicked off the
manufacture of genuine *high fidelity* audio equipment round the world.

It certainly wasn't cinema sound IMHO. Academy curve and all that.

--
*I want it all and I want it delivered

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Brian-Gaff wrote:

Surely though until some really good source material was available it was
all a bit academic?


** Can't come up with a better troll that that hoary old one ??

FYI:

Recently, you complained about the lack of postings here.

Top posting drivel like that is not helping.


.... Phil