(Fairly) Early Polk Audio/Soundscape memorabilia/ephemera

mhardy6647

I was going through stuff in the basement today looking for some stuff for a hifi project* and I found a couple of things that I thought might provoke a smile (or maybe a sympathetic chuckle) - perhaps - from some folks here.

The receipt for my Polk Audio Monitor Series Model 7A. I would've sworn that John Dorsey sold 'em to me, but Len Bradford (a salesperson there at the time) is the name on the receipt.



I also found this odd bit of Soundscape ephemera from a year later... I don't even remember this little newsletter. It is very much "of its time" :-P




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* The items (a couple of small "Bud box" project enclosure boxes, for the L-pads on the Duplex supertweeters) are still AWOL as of this writing... :-P
*

hochpt21

Those are cool pieces of memorabilia. Thanks for posting.

mdaudioguy

Yes, I like that you hung onto those things. Might as well give them a shout out with a link to their website... http://www.soundscapemd.com

oldrocker

Cool stuff M.
Always enjoy your sharing visual trips down memory lane..

I'd share also but sadly I don't remember what I did yesterday

[Deleted User]

I'm guessing in 1978 you were 16. Saved your money making pizza's...

mhardy6647

I was 19 & in college a wee bit down the road from Soundscape, squandering my summer "work-study" program income :-/

Actually, maybe I didn't squander it, come to think of it -- given that I still have all the stuff I bought from Soundscape in my college years and it still all works fine & sounds good.

I did pass along my LF14 subwoofer back to Polk* a few years back, in the interest of full & complete disclosure.

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* Well, at least I attempted to -- handed it off to dorokusai one afternoon in Westminster, MD and off he went with it. I'd like to think it found its way to Polk as intended :- )

[Deleted User]

It looks like your Soundscape salesman was Len Bradford, who's been a good friend of mine for many years. He and I worked together at another Baltimore store, Gramophone for about 10 years. He has always been a great guy and the consummate music lover and audiophile.

mhardy6647

That is very nice to know, Ken. I remember him well.

He spent what (at the time) I thought was a ridiculous amount of time mounting a Grado F1+ I had bought from Soundscape onto my Philips AF-877. Only with the passage of time did I realize he was doing it right! :- )

In those days, the staff at Soundscape (in Roland Park) was John, Big Ed and their other brother (Richard?), and Len. I think they may have had a service person too... but stuff never broke, so I never really was sure about that. I never went to the downtown store (which was still extant in that long-ago time).

Gramophone... I bought a used pair of Dynaco A-25s for them, for my parents, for $75 back in (ca.) 1981 or 82. Seventy-five smackers. Good investment. My parents are both gone, but the Dynacos are still here.

When next you see Len, tell him that I said "hi"... and that I actually turned out OK ;- )

Ahh, well, enough reminiscing -- guess it's time for shuffleboard now ;- )

Mikey081057

Great stuff... That was a good deal... they would cost about $1000 in 2016

http://www.saving.org/inflation/inflation.php?amount=268&year=1978

[Deleted User]

There's a third generation Dorsey at Soundscape now, Justin. The place is still the same, good audio equipment and service combined with a friendly atmosphere. Len has retired from the audio field and lives with his wife and several cats just north of Baltimore. A few months ago he gave me his assortment of turntables to refurbish as well as an old DKL Rabco that I had modified many moons ago for him.
There are still many audiophiles who won't touch their systems without getting Len's take on what's good these days.

mhardy6647

heh -- wonder what he'd think of where I ended up, hifi wise: fleapower SE DHT amplification & Altec Duplexes?

;- )

notified

Hi Noticed in the invoice it said demo Were they a demo model? Curiosity speaking how much was the new price without the stands? And would anybody know the original retail price for a pair of 1979 mini monitors [4.5mf's and PR with peerless tweet's] Recently picked up a set and I imagine they would've been the cheapest in that line

mhardy6647

Yes they were demos (floor models, in fact) in "rosewood" vinyl :-P Not the most aesthetic.

The usual price at the time for a new pair was 300 smackers; the 10s were, at the time, 400 Samoleums the pair.

No idea about the price of the mini-monitors; always wanted a pair, though ;-)

Vette C6.r

A

According to Google maps this was the old location on W. Fayette St. I can see why they moved.

Before my time but would love to see some old Soundscape pics of yester year.