Even if audio is a global thing, good ’ole USA is still there:
PS Audio -not terribly expensive, excellent-sounding gear Benchmark, Sanders -innovative amps, no nose-bleed prices Cables/cords -Transparent, High Fidelity, Synergistics, Cardas, Kimber, Audioquest. More brands than anywhere on Earth. Klipsch, JBL -still after 75 years, horns no longer ’sound’ like horns Emerald Physics/Spatial -new takes on horn/waveguides. Like Klipsch, all-American incl parts Vandersteen, Joseph, Ryan -the cone speaker keeps getting better Component/speaker stands -Symposium, Critical Mass, Star Sound ASC -room acoustics
It’s a confusing world of ear-buds, computer & car audio. And tech-general like the internet. But quality 2-chan audio is around and it’s more than I thought....
Hi-fi had two beginnings -the late 40s/early 50s (gear-Marantz, HK, HH Scott /Corner horns /LP low surface-noise).
Then the early 70s when these brands went mass-market -or went out of business. Luxury-looks and higher prices were the feature. No advance in SQ, except the panel speaker w/ its greater transparency.
But IMO, it’s now questionable whether the panel was an advance over the prior best -horn for stereo (not corners). Like the Altec’s that Art Dudley used in the last 7 years of his life or the Klipsch Lascalla/Cornwall. Holt would say that the horn was the reference, as of the early 70s.
Of course, by the mid-70s he and Pearson went completely for the panel. But the panel seemed to have too many negatives, until Roger Sanders improved (the ’stat) around 2007-08. Magnepan got better too and more clean-power further improved these designs.
IMO, high-end of the 70s+80s greatest achievement was the discrete-circuit output-stage. For solid-state, this replaced the horrible-sounding op amps from the 60s. More voltage and much better sound. But since most high-enders used classic tubes in the 70s, they didn’t ’notice’ this advance until the 80s, when SS gear got more respect.
@mijostyn: I fully understand your point, but with all due respect I was drawing a finer distinction. I made the statement "Bill Johnson instigated the high end revolution in electronics with the introduction of his tube designs in 1970" intentionally and deliberately to draw a line-in-the-sand between high end and mass market hi-fi. Johnson introduced his all-tube product line at CES in 1970, and receiving a shocked reaction. Tubes, in 1970?!
Remember, by 1970 Marantz had discontinued the Model 7 tube pre-amp and model 9 and 8b tube power amps, replacing them with solid state models. Bill Johnson's 1970 introduction of his model SP-2 pre-amp and Dual 50 power amp was the first shot fired in the war between what we now think of as high-end and mass-market consumer hi-fi products.
J. Gordon Holt reviewed the ARC SP-2C pre-amp and Dual-50 power amps in Stereophile in 1971, declaring them the first electronics he had heard which he adjudged superior to the Marantz Models 7/9/8b (his reference standards at that time, along with the KLH Model 9 ESL and QUAD ESL loudspeakers). In his reviews of the Dynaco PAT-4 solid state pre-amp and ST-120 solid state power amp, Holt stated he still over-all preferred the sound of the PAS-3 and ST-70 (both of course tube). By that time Stereo Review and High Fidelity magazines were touting the superiority of solid state over tube, using static measurements as their yardstick. High end vs. mass market.
Sure, the birth of high end sound could be traced back to the introduction of the QUAD ESL in 1957, but at that time ALL hi-fi was high end. Know what I mean? By 1970, things were considerably different. The all-in-one receiver had displaced separate pre-amp/power amp combos, and acoustic suspension loudspeakers were what everyone I knew owned.
At the beginning of the 1970's there were new, small hi-fi shops just starting to open, catering to "advanced" audiophiles, selling mostly small, high end brands: Audio Research, SAE (at that time high end ;-), Infinity, ESS, Magnepan, SME, Decca, etc. THAT is what we think of as the birth of the high end, NOT the 1940's-50's hi-fi pioneers.
By the way, I myself bought only one piece of Levinson/Curl gear: their first collaboration, the little battery-powered pre/pre-amp (JC-1?), made for boosting the signal of low-output moving coil cartridges such as the Supex I bought in 1974.
@bdp24 , it started well before Bill Johnson. How's about Paul Klipsch, Edgar Villchur, Joe Grado, and Saul Marantz. Bill did take it a step further but he certainly did not start high end. Mark Levinson demonstrated that you could charge silly money for Hi Fi gear and get away with it but the real master was John Curl.
I believe my system has a few American brands not seen on the list yet: ADS tower speakers (still excellent sounding ) B&K Reference amp (very underrated ) B&K sonata pre-amp (nice solid state) Advent 300 (still superb) Schitt switch and headphone amp (ingenuity from America at its best) Adcom GP5400 (great amp for optional system) Grado cartridge (innovative products) Sylvania FM/Am radio (interesting quality for so long ago, good sound from a small size )
I think someone did mention Schitt audio. My Advent 300 may be my most loved treasure right now. Never selling my speakers, sound too good.
Didn't read the whole thread. Sanders Sound Systems, Herron Audio, JRDG and Evolution Acoustics have all graced my system at some point. (Some still do🙂).
Outside of a British tone arm and an American companies CD player made in Japan I have an all Americcan system . Maybe someday I'll find an american tonearm that I can afford , but I doubt that I'll ever find or bother replacing the CD player with an American made one ( because I'm a vinyl guy ) .
Merrill Hierloom TT with Rega RB300 arm and Soundsmith cartridge Carver CD player ( with tubes ) Tavish Designs tube phono Preamp , Goldpoint passive Preamp McCormack amp , Thiel speakers Cardas interconnects and speaker cables
My favorite response was Crate&Barrel !!! listening chair ha ha .
your Bose 901 caught my eye. I ran mine for years when I had had my Sansui 7070 in the rotation and they sounded very good. Not great but good. Then when I went to Aiger mono blocks and tube Freya I could never get them dialed in. Even an old pair id 301’s sounded better. I found a pair of Vandersteen sig II and was shocked how good they sound in comparison to my Bose. My 901’s are in storage as I don’t even think anyone would buy them. Maybe some day I will hook up in the garage with the 7070 that still runs great.
Don’t forget about the most knowledgable poster on these forums - Atma-sphere, made in Minnesota. Anticables, Audio Mirror and Van Alstine also, same state. Audio Research, Magnepan, Bel Canto previously mentioned.
Made in the USA is Made in the USA. Which a couple of you guys reminded me, Campfire Audio, I have their awesome ceramic IEC. Shunyata, how could I forget Caelin Gabriel was in my listening room! Just goes to show how much great American gear there is, can't hardly even keep track of it all!
Bryston (big 28B3 monoblocks for my Maggies) and BP-17 cubed preamp (for sale <shameless plug>) Simaudio Moon (one of my phone preamps and practically a collectors item: 310LP with 320S outboard power supply connected with a Revelation Audio Lab power umbilical). Isoacoustics Mye Sound (maker of Mye Stands for Magnepans)
Don’t forget the Canadians (we’re "North" American eh):
Anthem Bryston Classé Energy PSB Coincident Kronos Audio Hansen Audio Paradigm Resonessence Labs MOON by Simaudio Space Tech Laboratory Totem Acoustic NAD ( Canadian based development team )
ECM jazz via Roon/Qobuz. Thanks. This is our little support group! I am giving my Raven a rest and using my PrimaLuna (not American) Dialogue Premium HP with the stock EL34s to give it a workout. I am excited because I pulled the trigger and got 8 KT150s for it and am anticipating the advertised big difference (I hope). They are on the way. This is on my Magico A3/Aperion SuperTweeter/REL T9i system.
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