I've been an audio and music enthusiast since the 1970's. We've all seen a fair number of companies come and go. Some burned brightly for a while, some not at all, and some companies are still present but only in name as they otherwise bear no resemblance to their ancestors.
Are there any companies you are sad to have seen disappear?
l can name a few former luminaries that are now gone- Counterpoint, Apogee. Both offered very good products, but unfortunately neither offered bullet proof reliability. I am of mixed feelings of the various Carver companies. I think Carver, the man, is capable of producing some genuinely first rate products but I viewed much of the marketing as smoke and mirrors which to me detracts from a manufacturer's credibility.
Rectilinear - remember those? My brother in law still has a pair he received as a wedding gift nearly 40 years ago. I remember helping him shlep them into his apartment.
Len Wallis Sydney is where I actually bought my Duntech circa '80s. After J. Dunlavy returned back to US I thought that was pretty much it for the brand. Surprised, and good to know that they are still around.
Fidelity Research tonearms and cartridges Kenwood turntables (KD-500, L07D, etc.) ADC cartridges and tonearms Sonus cartridges +1 on Acoustat (I had a pair of the Acoustat X) Dynaco
How about those 7ft tall panel carver ribbon speakers!, they were a flat panel plith with multiple 12 inch woofers, they had a good clarity to their sound!
Mrschret-I don't think most of us are reminiscing. Many of the companies mentioned were top performers at there price points. Not sure if Acoustat was mentioned but they were a top player in planar speakers, and also made a great power amp. Need to give a shout out to Clements Audio. The RT-7 was one the great forgotten(by many) speakers of the late 80's. Was very close to purchasing the RT-7 but the ribbon tweeter(ahead of it's time)was just to prominent for a Magnepan/SMG owner(lol). I'm sure I would have adjusted to all that treble resolution and had a speaker that would have given me many years of enjoyment!
there was another that was 2 initials followed by a name (x.x. smith, for example) that eludes me at the moment.
Do you mean C.J. Walker?
Didn't Will Vincent used to restore and modify those old Western Electric tube amps? Wish he was still working his magic too! I think he has retired from his work with ST-70s, etc. There are quite a few of his restored Dynaco ST-70s out there. He made quite a name for himself here on Audiogon.
03-12-14: Knghifi Almarg, do you remember hearing or seeing them in the theaters growing up?
If I ever heard any of the classic Western Electric theater gear in my younger days, I was too uninformed to realize it. And I suspect that in many or most cases the theaters had "upgraded" their equipment by that time. Although I believe that here and there a number of smaller movie houses continued to use that equipment until fairly recent decades.
Best of luck with your prospective purchase, if you decide to pursue it.
I miss Sonic Frontiers. Uncredible build quality and parts, amazing ergonomics ( that smooth- turning knob on their Line 1-2-3 preamps) and that funky but very nice hockey puck remote.
Tactile and visual appeal, and the sound was darn nice too.
Interesting that no one mentioned Western Electric
Western Electric (many of whose products from the 1930's are still revered for their sonics, and are worth small or not so small fortunes)
Line Magnetic keeps the "Western Electric" spirit (and sound) alive nicely
Speaking of WE and LM, spent last Sunday at my dealer's home with the Line MagneticÂ’s Replica Western Electric Theater Speaker System. It was driven by Shindo 300B monos, pre and Lamp L5 Dac and is one of the best speakers I've ever heard. Everything we played sounded so natural, organic and perfect tone.
Fortunate or UNFORTUNATE, it's a perfect fit in my 25'x33'x15' room so thinking buying them. These could be the speakers that finally get me off the bus for good.
Almarg, do you remember hearing or seeing them in the theaters growing up?
I understand, and must everyone else, that as comparing the Ariston vs the Linn, the Ariston is the original but Linn definitely put in the time to make it better and better, which deservedly makes Linn the king of the hill since the 1970's of that genre of turntable.
I do miss Nakamichi. I once owned a few 3 head cassette decks- a Nakamichi BX300 and an Aiwa F660. Between the 2, I thought the Aiwa in some ways was superior. Aiwa did do well with tape stuff.
I also had a Honda which had the radio/cassette player stolen and replaced that with a Nakamichi head unit which was outstanding.
@ Tls49, Hi, I remember mcs, those systems and speakers were really good!, sounded fantastic compaired to the multi-thousands of dollars speakers these days!
In retrospect, "knock off" was a poor choice of words. I really meant "Linn-alikes" - belt driven, UK sourced, suspended designs with wood plinths that are the calling cards of the LP-12, the best known of those types. I wasn't intending to imply anything re:quality or innovation. Systemdeck (per Waxwaves' post is another example) and there was another that was 2 initials followed by a name (x.x. smith, for example) that eludes me at the moment.
Matjet - I presume you mean KLH. I was going to add them along with Advent and AR also. KLH - Henry Kloss, Malcolm S. Low, and Josef Anton Hofmann. Kloss also founded Cambridge Soundworks and Tivoli audio, both successes in limited markets. At Cambridge Soundworks Kloss sold the Model Six which was his follow-on the to famous KLH Model Six.
Advent loudspeakers, KLS, Acoustic research (AR), all here companies were created by Henry Kloss. The 'real' Mark Levinson (before bought out by Harmon Kardon), SAE, EAD, Audiolab (tuners), Nakamichi (high end reel to reel tape decks), to name a few.
I remember owning a Systemdek IIX with a Grace G-707 Mk II arm and F9E cartridge, recall that sounding extremely good. I really enjoyed my Allison Model Nine loudspeakers... I used them with a Nikko Alpha 440 at one point. Loved my Ohm Walsh 3, and Spicas TC-50 too. I've hung onto a sweet looking pair of Hales Revelation Three, my favorite.
Well, the Ariston was no Linn knockoff- 1- it predates the LP 12, and 2- infact, the actual manufacturing of the Ariston was at Castle engineering which was owned by a certain Mr. Tiefebrun whose son latter founded Linn.
At one point there was a press release indicating that the turntable previously known as the ariston rd-11 will now be known as the Linn LP12.
Anyone remember Audire? Really good SS electronics from IIRC a former NASA guy called Julius Siksnius. Audire made my first separates which were purchased at a steep discount from Crazy Eddie (?!) in NYC many, many moons ago.
Lots of turntable names also come to mind like; Coinesseur, Dual, Garrard, AR, Transcriptor and a bunch of Linn knock offs like Ariston.
Thanks, Zavato. As you realize, Lincoln Walsh is better known these days for having developed the Walsh driver, used in Ohm speakers, than for his earlier Brook Electronics Company. Even though Brook manufactured what were as far as I am aware the only DHT (directly heated triode) amplifiers (2A3's and 300B's in this case) that were produced for use in the home prior to the resurgence of interest in DHTs during the past few decades. Aside, that is, from some elaborate multi-chassis "radios" produced by E. H. Scott and McMurdo Silver ca. 1935, which used 2A3-based amplification in some models.
I see that there is a pair of the top of the line Brook monoblocks, the model 10C, being offered at the well known auction site right now for only $24K, for those who may be interested :-)
Brett (Isochronism), your speculation is logical, but Mark Levinson lost his original company and the rights to his own name around 1983, and he didn't marry Kim Cattrall until 1998.
Hats off to Almarg- Brook is a great inclusion. I completely forgot about Brook, even though a pair of Ohm F's (Walsh drivers) are sitting in my home waiting for restoration or a new home
Maybe, that is a tougher call as they seemed to have a lot of their 'success' after the man left the company. I quote success, because I never was a fan, either before or after. However, I believe the company was a lot more prosperous after the man left the company. I don't think the same can be said in the case of Threshold, Krell, Thiel or Cary.
However, if you are referring to when Madrigal left the company Mark Levinson to Harmon International, then you probably have a valid point.
That's the one I'm likely to have a need for at some point soon and I have not found a clear replacement for to-date, though there are candidates in the running.
Tandberg I suppose though I have moved on from there as well.
No others I can think of that have no modern replacements/alternatives.
Heath, as in Heathkits, and Dynaco, although I am not sure how many people have the patience to assemble kits any more. As Al just posted, David Hafler founded Dynaco before Halfer.
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