for those of "us" (it's not just me, is it?) interested in vintage literature, ads, etc.

mhardy6647

Just last night, I realized that one can easily and pretty effectively search the
magnificent collections of hifi magazine scans (and much, much more) at https://www.americanradiohistory.com

Thus:



see the 'search' button (magnifying glass)?



voila!





(needless to say, the 1950s references won't be to Polk Audio content. Note also that the results can be displayed by date, or limited by decade)

Stereo Review and High Fidelity PDF scan databases are likewise searchable.

These are marvelous times in which we live

xschop

I hope all this ardent reading is being accompanied by extraneous listening sessions. If not, you sir, need a vacation.

rooftop59

I think Dr. H’s retirement life is a vacation...

Tony M

I spent about 1/2 hour perusing the 1978 High Fidelity (June?) issue.

I feel around that time until 1988 was the BEST years for audio products.

I have most of those audio magazines in magazine format. But looking through the well laid out format of that online link was GREAT and enjoyable too. I love the SALES HYPE from that era. There was a lot of cassette player and the individual cassette improvements ads.

I still reread my extensive Stereophile and Sound & Vision mags almost daily. My wife thinks it's funny.

She just asked while the power was down if I had already read my newest stereo magazines already. They came a couple of days before we lost power but I had already checked out most of both magazines. I like reading what people's concerns or observations and opinions are in "letters to the editor" section quite often.

I did reread about some Triton speakers from some mags I gathered together that have reviews of each model, with a battery powered lantern the other night.

mhardy6647

Tony M wrote: »

...

I feel around that time until 1988 was the BEST years for audio products.

I thought kind of like that, myself (more like '75 to '80, in my case) -- until I got to hear top-quality hifi from the 1940s and 1950s. It is an ear-opening experience

Some good stuff from the (early) 1960s, too -- until the manufacturers hopped on the transistor bandwagon and turned out some truly nasty sounding stuff until the industry (and semiconductor technology) caught up with the marketing hype and ss stuff finally started to sound decent.

I have most of those audio magazines in magazine format. But looking through the well laid out format of that online link was GREAT and enjoyable too. I love the SALES HYPE from that era. There was a lot of cassette player and the individual cassette improvements ads.

I still reread my extensive Stereophile and Sound & Vision mags almost daily. My wife thinks it's funny.

She just asked while the power was down if I had already read my newest stereo magazines already. They came a couple of days before we lost power but I had already checked out most of both magazines. I like reading what people's concerns or observations and opinions are in "letters to the editor" section quite often.

I did reread about some Triton speakers from some mags I gathered together that have reviews of each model, with a battery powered lantern the other night.

I ditched almost all of my hifi magazines (there's only so much space in the house, you know?), but I concur -- although the PDF archives are a tremendous resource, for which I am profoundly grateful.

skrol

Most Excellent!
Thank you

xschop

Ok Doc. I confess I peered into the deep abyss and now on the lookout for a classic Pilot amp.
Are you holding out on the first issue of Stereo Review hehe?

mhardy6647

The real Pilot stuff was very beautiful (including the ones in the scan above) and also pretty good hifi hardware. By the mid/late 1960s, the Pilot brand was in pretty steep decline, unfortunately,

Tony M

I think my mom bought a pilot stereo from a yard sale once. I think I remember it being lightweight and cheap feeling.

I could be wrong though.

K_M

another useful one from vintage times of about mid 80's
http://www.hifi-classic.net/

Tony M

K_M wrote: »

another useful one from vintage times of about mid 80's
http://www.hifi-classic.net/

That site is a real trip down memory lane for sure.

I like it a lot! The first page has a few things I owned or close to it or saw and passed it by cause I couldn't afford them at the time. Also, I read about them in my stereo magazines and the free flyers you could get just from x'ing out that post card and sending it in.

I got audio related fliers about every other day back in the late 70's up till the mid eighties or later.

aprazer402

I had two very large boxes of hi-fi ad slicks and product catalogs from hi-fi salons that I gathered between the early 1970's to early 1980's, all the popular US and Japanese brands but many British, Scandinavian, Italian manufacturers as well. All very nice, I just chucked it all in the trash one week. Probably in the early 1990's. That was really stupid, I would have enjoyed looking through them again. I hadn't heard of the Internet in early 1990's.
Forgot to add, a lot of the literature, brochures came in the mail from the reader service postcards in Stereo Review, High Fidelity and Audio magazines. I have saved a lot of the magazines probably from the mid 90's forward. I did discard those 1970's mags, the better ones (with the real classic ads, articles and Charles Rodrigues!) It's really nice to have web sites that have them scanned and free to view!