Archival

Everything you need to know about vintage audio gear was published decades ago. Here’s how to find it.

Written By:

Randall Roberts

February 6, 2023

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Opening illustration from story in 1963 issue of High Fidelity.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, the home audio explosion was documented in real time. Online archives have digitized the bounty.

It’s true. Those wanting to better understand stereo reproduction, find the most desirable gear, learn how seminal audio products by Acoustic Research, Klipsch, Garrard, and Pioneer were contemporaneously reviewed, and luxuriate in design-rich advertisements for nearly every notable stereo component since the birth of hi-fi audio in the 1950s need only do an online search to find troves of fascinating information. The best archive is World Radio History. Despite its clumsy web design, its database is filled with dozens of magazine titles devoted to music––whether making it, recording it, listening to it or assessing it.

Take, for example, the 1950s magazine Audiocraft. An early maker’s magazine written for amateur audiophiles interested in building their own stereo amplifiers and speakers, it offers wildly informative tips on everything from basic electronics and tonearm weighting to speaker placement and the pros and cons of contour controls. Are you a speaker buff interested in building a rear-loading corner horn enclosure? Good news: The March 1958 issue has an easy-to-follow how-to. (See above.)

Or this fascinating tidbit: Editors experimented with speaker placement, assessing sound quality in a blind listening test. (The surprising result is identified in the caption.)

High Fidelity magazine was published for nearly 50 years. It offered a fount of information about listening, fidelity, and audio engineering. Best, because it was geared toward a mass market audience discovering the wonder of hi-fi listening and stereo reproduction, the magazine’s articles and various explainers were written in relatively clear language. The publication blossomed in the 1960s.

Opening page of a story in High Fidelity’s 1962 ‘Stereo Edition’ buyer’s guide.

In 1972, audio expert William Boyce published an updated edition of his Hi-Fi Stereo Handbook, which he original wrote in 1957 and also updated in ’61 and ’67. Next time you’ve got a few hours to spare, read it. You’ll come away with a much deeper understanding of audio, sound, and listening strategies.

The 1970s were boom times for component manufacturers, as competition from emergent Japanese manufacturers created a kind of arms race. The full-color double-truck ads are impressive––and incredibly informative when looking for vintage gear today.

Peruse issues and discover covetable turntables galore. Looking for small-batch vintage gear? Search old magazines for obscure brands that other potential bidders might miss.