MiniDisc was on its way out in 2003. Sales were dropping, and the format’s brief resurgence between 1998 and 1999 seemed like a distant memory. Of fact, it was at this point in its sales cycle that vinyl made significant advancements in the sound quality of its players, and we now see CD doing the […]
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Technics was founded in 1965 as Panasonic Corporation’s high-end hi-fi brand. The term first appeared on loudspeakers, but it was an obvious fit for Shuichi Obata’s innovative transcription turntable. The ‘Technics by Panasonic’ SP-10 was the world’s first direct drive deck of the contemporary era, debuting in 1970. It made its way into broadcast studios
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Since smartphones took over our life five or so years ago, there has been little interest in something that seemed to be the very future of technology just ten years earlier. Back in the day, Apple’s iPod was regarded to be the most astonishing invention of the millennium. Generations after generation were smaller, cuter, and/or
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The Technics SL-1200 was never just a disco fashion statement. To people who had only only seen Regas and Linns, the Technics would appear to be a flimsy ornament, but once you see one in person, you’ll realize why it was always remarkable. It has a sophisticated diecast aluminium upper portion, as well as a
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The 1970s were known as the “Golden Age of Vinyl,” and Sony played a key role in establishing it. Although belt-driven British superdecks like Linn’s Sondek and Dunlop’s Systemdek dominated the specialist audiophile market, the larger turntable world was dominated by quartz-locked, direct drives from Japan with high levels of automation. Sony, like every other
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In 1883, Herman Thorens founded the company in St Croix, Switzerland. It began as a maker of musical boxes and related equipment, then manufactured its first Edison type phonograph in 1903, before concentrating on horn gramophones for the new shellac records. The company made cigarette lighters until 1964, and only stopped selling harmonicas in 1952
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Sony’s La Scala 1 system, which was released in the UK in 1995 and cost roughly £1,500 at the time, was later lowered to much less. The CDP-S1 CD player, optional MD-S1 MiniDisc recorder, TC-S1 cassette deck, ST-S1 tuner, and TAE-S1 preamp were all included. A pair of SA-S1 active speakers completed the kit, resulting
The Videotone Minimax is a fantastic tiny loudspeaker that has been overlooked by history. The fact that Videotone was not British, unlike over ninety percent of speakers at the time, adds to the intrigue of the story. The UK importer, managed by former Mullard and Philips engineer Cliff Hardcastle, was known as “Videotone,” whereas the
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The decade of the 1970s was a fascinating one for loudspeakers. Although most designs from that era were rudimentary, there were still some stunning boxes on the market that utilized cutting-edge technology. Indeed, there was a far wider technological gap between commonplace items and cutting-edge ones back then – basic speakers weren’t that different from
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By the time Compact Disc was introduced in 1983, the UK had an abundance of excellent belt drive turntables on the market. There were versions to suit every budget, from the Rega Planar 3 and Ariston RD80 to the Strathclyde 305, Dunlop Systemdek, and Linn Sondek LP12. CJ Walker, a tiny British corporation situated in
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