It’s difficult to fathom how the Hydraulic Reference was welcomed when it was first released in the early 1960s. It defied the accepted dogma in practically every regard, unlike all other high-end turntables of the time. The deck was created by David Gammon and initially appeared in 1963. It moved into full-time production in 1964 […]
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MiniDisc was introduced in 1992 and spent its early years in a dogfight with Philips’ now-defunct DCC format before disappearing entirely. Despite its excellent ergonomics, the format sounded so terrible that its end appeared imminent. But suddenly, around 1997, the first generation of ATRAC version 4 devices came, and the dying format seemed to find
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The Pioneer PL-12D revolutionized the industry. It was at this point that established British companies like BSR and Garrard were deprived of their core market — entry-level turntables. Suddenly, in 1973, you could get a significantly slicker belt drive deck with Japanese build quality for a few pounds more than a clumsy, idler drive Garrard
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Vinyl was in its harvest years in 1975, a decade after stereo LP became widely used in the United States. Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd, and Electric Light Orchestra broke sales records with their mega-selling albums and extravagant packaging, while Queen and Wings sold previously unheard-of volumes of 7 singles. Vinyl seemed to have no competition;
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Trio/design Kenwood’s team was the first to look into the acoustic qualities of materials used in turntable construction, making it the most complete Japanese turntable of its time. This iconic high-end turntable was decades ahead of its late-nineties, early-seventies rivals — and similarly pricey. It cost four times as much as a Linn LP12 when
Sony’s first CD recorder was released in late 1998 in the company’s native market of Japan. It was a surprise at the time, because Sony had previously stated that MiniDisc was a competitor to Philips’ (then) new CD recordable format, and that as a result, no CD-R machines could be expected! It was odd because
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Beryllium has a lot of advantages. Only Hydrogen, Helium, and Lithium are lighter (more stable) metals in the Periodic Table. This results in an extremely sturdy structure for any given weight, which is ideal for loudspeakers! It is significantly more adapted to moving air than anything constructed of heavy old Magnesium or Aluminum, which may
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The TC-152 is one of the most widely available classic Sony portable tape decks, with TC-152s appearing out of nowhere! That’s because they’re tough tiny things, capable of working over the decades. It didn’t bring anything new to the party when it was released in 1974, other from attractive aesthetics and good ergonomics, which may
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This is one of the most cheap tiny speakers in recent memory. It’s a two-way reflex ported bookshelf design, as expected, but that’s where the routine ends. It has an Usher UA25-10 25mm silk dome tweeter and a KSW2-5029B 125mm mid/bass unit with a polypropylene cone; the latter is an interesting choice; this material was
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For 1974, Sony’s exorbitantly priced TC-177SD was a striking offering. It was dubbed “the most complex cassette deck ever built,” and it had three heads, which Yamaha’s beautiful ‘ski-slope’ TC-800GL lacked. This was originally the exclusive domain of open reel, and allowed for ‘off-tape monitoring,’ which allowed you to hear your recording while it was
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