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Hal Pollner
Reged: 08/30/05
Posts: 6567
Loc: Southern California Desert
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When I first became interested in High Fidelity 50 years ago, manufacturers began to entice the public by putting on extravagant expositions in large hotels and convention centers around Los Angeles.
I recall an expo at one of these showplaces where vendors occupied entire hotel suites to demonstrate their wares, and one company (Ampex) even leased the hotel's Grand Ballroom to put on a show comparing their audio systems with live bands hidden behind stage curtains.
Before stereophonic records made their appearance in 1958, two-channel tape was the only way to reproduce Stereophonic Sound. (Later to be called "Stereo")
Ampex hired the Dixieland Band "Dukes of Dixieland" to compete with their own Stereophonic Sound system consisting of their legendary Ampex 600 2-Track Tape Machine, driving a pair of MacIntosh 60-watt power amplifiers into Altec "Voice Of The Theatre" speaker cabinets, which they had placed alongside the live band behind an acoustically-transparent curtain. The speakers were so efficient that 60-watt drivers were more than sufficient to fill the entire Ballroom with undistorted high sound levels, easily duplicating the volume of the Dukes at their loudest.
The MC would have the audience guess which was the live band and which was the sound system. Where there was a slight difference, it was impossible to identify which source was producing the sound, so realistic was the Ampex system!
I'm proud to say that I once owned a pair of "Voice Of The Theatre" speakers in 1964, when they could be had for about $700 a pair! A 20-watt amplifier was sufficient to blow you through the wall with those great speakers!
HAL
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Edited by Hal Pollner (12/03/07 06:22 PM)
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Hal Pollner
Reged: 08/30/05
Posts: 6567
Loc: Southern California Desert
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Fifteen views and no replies except me!
I guess nobody else knows or cares about the history of our hobby.
HAL
Edited by Hal Pollner (12/06/07 07:16 PM)
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Chris G
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 4555
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Quote:
Fifteen views and no replies except me!
I guess nobody knows or cares about the history of our hobby.
HAL
Quite the contrary Hal, it was a great post. Wish I had been around in those early days those expositions must have been quite the event!
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"Bacon". It's a perfectly acceptable answer.
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Hal Pollner
Reged: 08/30/05
Posts: 6567
Loc: Southern California Desert
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Thank you, Chris!
Those days heralded the Great Emerging of High Class High Fidelity and its stepdaughter: "Stereophonic Sound"!
The Heavyweights in power amplifiers used 6550 output tubes, (no solid-state) and the true Audiophile didn't buy a receiver...he bought an FM Tuner, a Preamp, a Power Amp, and a Power Supply, all on 4 seperate chassis'!
"Rek-O-Kut" was the premiere turntable of the day. In one hotel suite, they had one of their units playing at a 45-degree angle to show that the tone-arm's "anti-skating" and tracking system did the job in any orientation!
Speakers? Those were the days when the big speakers looked like something to be placed in a Baronial Mansion!
Here were the Speaker Kings of High Fidelity: (And you needed only ONE!)
Electro-Voice Patrician ($20,000 if you can find one today)
JBL Hartsfield
Altec Voice of the Theater (I owned a pair)
University Classic
JBL Ranger Paragon
KlipschHorn Corner Enclosures
These were really big, heavy speaker systems. (The Patrician weighed 400 pounds)
Other serious names in Speakers were Wharefdale, Bozak, Tannoy, and others.
These all came before the compact Acoustic Research speakers, which were so inefficient that you needed 60 watts just to drive them to serious levels in your parlor.
The big guys I listed earlier were super-efficient, due to innovative cabinet design, where a 20-watt amplifier would be all you'd ever need, even for the 1812 Overture!
I go into Audio Showrooms today, and I have to laugh at the junior-size speaker cabinets they are selling now! Nothing like the Glory Days of High Fidelity, when the appearance of a speaker was as impressive as its sound!
I'm glad I was around to experience the excitement, 50 years ago!
HAL
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Chris G
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 4555
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I love big speakers!!!!
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"Bacon". It's a perfectly acceptable answer.
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Joel F.
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/19/06
Posts: 1374
Loc: Overland Park, Kansas
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Chris,
While these are not old speakers are they big enough for you?
The Apogee Grande:
Frequency Responce: Below 18Hz to 27KHz
Sound Level Over 120 db SPL Peak at 4 meters
Dimensions: 88"(H) X (32")W X (34")D
Weight 1300 lbs per pair
1996 price $85000
Hope these are large enough for you.
I heard these in 1992 and all I can say is WOW......
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Joel Falk in Kansas
14.5" f/4.3 AstroSky with GOTO/Tracking and
Stevens Optics
10" Orion XTi
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Chris G
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 4555
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 That would do it!!! 
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"Bacon". It's a perfectly acceptable answer.
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Remy Bosio
Uber Curmudgeon
Reged: 03/02/04
Posts: 13038
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Not to worry folks. With all the big Electrovoice, Altec vintage speaker components for sale on E-Bay, a few sheets of birch plywood some foam, grille cloth and Voila! It's back to the 50's. Real quick and real cheap. 
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Life Member: Pontchartrain Ast. Soc.
Member: Baton Rouge Ast. Soc.
President: Beachview Heights Civ.Assn.
Member:Kenner Rivertown Advisory Comm.
Member At Large: Jefferson Amateur Radio Club
Call Sign:N5VEG
Registered Curmudgeon
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Hal Pollner
Reged: 08/30/05
Posts: 6567
Loc: Southern California Desert
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No!
Hal
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StarWars
Mr. Postmaster Man
Reged: 11/26/03
Posts: 22112
Loc: Frost Byte Falls <>
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Quote:
Not to worry folks. With all the big Electrovoice, Altec vintage speaker components for sale on E-Bay, a few sheets of birch plywood some foam, grille cloth and Voila! It's back to the 50's. Real quick and real cheap.
Excellent Advice... 
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Dell Axim X5 400Mhz
PPC pocket stars 5.12
7x35/10x50/15x70 Bino's
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