2. misc-audio
  3. 169567-106444

Audio: what took so long ?

It seems everyone is reporting very positive-changes to playback -fuses, power cords, speakers. The question is, what took so long ?
My reasons:
-The Big Boys did enough (Bell Labs. etc). Radio, cinema-sound, electrical recording-methods. The Depression -1930, no more serious research.

-Shrinking market, less R&D. People started listening to headphones (late 1960s), car audio (w/ its improvements 1980s+90s), then MP3.

-Perfectionist speaker co. had other markets (1970s). Horn/waveguides dominated audio in the 50 &60s, but the market was peaking-off. So an opportunity to expand into studio-monitors, live-sound & the home-market w/ cones. Only exports (to Japan) kept the horn alive. This, while panel speakers invaded high-end, wreaking-havoc on amplifiers and ultimately going backwards on sound.

-EE engineers go into computers, microwave & networking. Audio just wasn’t fun anymore.

-Cheap parts -it took too long to understand, never mind produce, the contacts we have on connectors & fuses. Transistors, regulators, transformers also saw a leap. More study into materials and metals.

-With no serious study, how could we have (proper) speaker placement ? Or speaker stands ?

I’m proud of what’s (finally) being done. But if wasn’t for the Japanese, Danish (and maybe Germans) serious audio would have gone the way of the player-piano or drive-in restaurant.
jonnie22

Showing 3 responses by jonnie22

jonnie22 OP
42 posts
 
I agree, we’re back. But from the 70s to 90s it was a little disappointing.

Gov’t-aerospace R&D trickled-down to great component stands/footers (USA -Stillpoints, Critical Mass, Symposium). And Benchmark, Pass, Rick Shultz (High Fidelity) -outstanding work...

jonnie22 OP
42 posts
 
There was -but a lot of that came from research done at Bell Labs or Western Electric (in the 1920s/30s). This gave us great audio in the 50s.

But more R&D was needed and we got it (in pieces) starting around 2000. Machining beryllium, OCC copper, CLD supports, carbon foam (for room acoustics), Thermal-Trak and GanFet transistors.

A LOT is happening. I was just wondering why the sudden jump in the past 20 years.
jonnie22 OP
42 posts
 
The post was not anti-American. It was trying to figure out where audio-based research was happening. Before 1930, it was all American. This moved into our homes in the 50s -it took time due to depression and war.

Then I see the Japanese audio scene, the Munich and Polish audio shows. Then, how most young-engineers go into other areas of electronics -not audio. But this point happened globally, not just U.S..

Because I feel bad, I've started a new post "American Audio"...
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