|
General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
|
|
|
General Asylum General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories. |
|
In Reply to: Where did/do you learn about audio, sound and acoustics? posted by Inmate51 on July 22, 2024 at 14:33:40:
I had my earliest exposure to audio through my brother who was five years older.
In 1957, my family moved from SE D.C. to the northern VA burbs. I was 10 years old then. I remember we had one of those old huge floor-standing radios with a 12-inch speaker for listening to broadcast programs. My parents were going to buy one of those one-piece stereo consoles--fine furniture--but somehow my brother convinced them to let him put together a "stereo" for them.
He bought Heathkit tube components, an integrated amplifier and AM-FM tuner, and assembled the kits. I watched him soldering components in fascination. He bought a Garrard Type A record changer and made a cabinet for these components out of plywood veneered with walnut veneer (of course). Then he turned his attention to speakers. I think he bought two 12-inch speakers and put them in cabinets he made and veneered himself. Sometime later he bought a little pair of horn tweeters and added them to the system. They were gold and sat on top of the speaker cabinets on little wire legs--pretty cool.
Quite a few years later, maybe after or while he was going to night school for electrical engineering, he started building himself a system in the basement where he had his own bedroom and bath and a lot of unused space. He built a large pair of Karlson enclosures and mounted a 12 or 15-inch woofer in them. As I recall, he said the ideal was a coaxial speaker with a horn loaded tweeter in the middle of a big bass driver, but I don't recall whether he ever got that part done. He also built color organs sized to set on top of the Karlsons.
When I got to college, he made me a "turntable" which was a table out of one of those one-piece console stereos someone gave him.
I got married and inherited my wife's system which was a little plastic stereo, maybe from Sears. It had a drop-down turntable and electronics and a pair of speakers hinged to the front. It was like a suitcase. The speakers could be popped off their hinges and separated.
Shortly afterwards (mid-60's) My brother and I went to pick up a used Fisher tube integrated amplifier. I wish I had kept it. It would probably be worth a bit now. I bought a Garrard turntable and went speaker shopping. My brother was really into efficiency and I remember we auditioned a pair of Klipsch Cornwalls. I was impressed but they were too expensive for me at the time. I picked up a pair of B&O bookshelf speakers, S-60s, and was off into the world of audio madness. Thanks for the memories!
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Follow Ups
- RE: Where did/do you learn about audio, sound and acoustics? - George S. Roland 07/25/2418:10:50 07/25/24 (0)
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
