@mahler123 Exactly.
We went into a house and saw proper sound systems. That’s just what people did.
Not common anymore. Some cute little toy perched next to bric-a-brac on a shelf. That’s the “system.”
When Was The Audio Golden Age?
I looked at the Vintage section here for the first time. It made me speculate on what other forum users would view as the best era in Audio. For me it is the present. The level of quality is just so high, and the choice is there. Tube fanciers, for example, are able to indulge in a way that was impossible 3 decades ago, and analog lovers are very well set. And even my mid Fi secondary systems probably outshine most high end systems from decades agoHowever when one hears a well restored tube based system, play one speaker from the mid to late 1940s it can dazzle and seduce. So what do others think? Are we at the summit now, or did we hit the top in past and have we taken a few steps down?
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I believe there have been two: roughly 1960-75 and 2010-present. Here's my reasoning. Stereo was new in the mid-to-late 50's but by 1960, all of the primary manufacturers of the time - McIntosh, Harman Kardon, H. H. Scott, Fisher Radio, Sherwood - had multiple, fine-sounding components for sale. Good speakers ranged from AR-2's and KLH 6's to ginormous Bozaks and Klipschorns. The record companies had finally (almost) figured out how to record in stereo (still too many hard left/hard right/no center offerings). As time progressed, good stereo equipment became available to the middle-class. And that fostered the stereo boom of the late 60's/early 70's. For most companies, stereo after 1975 became a commodity, so quality went down dramatically. Yes, there were the Audio Researches and, of course, McIntosh, to carry the flag for the audio aficionados. But, generally, the gear was lousy. Now, although most aspiring audio aficionados can't afford the best (or even second-best), I believe we are in a new Golden Age. The incredible progress in speaker design and manufacture, new circuit topologies, the revitalization of vinyl and the advent of high-quality streaming has created this new age. Unfortunately, only the truly obsessed or the very wealthy can afford the great gear that's out there - which is the only tarnish on the gold. |
I believe there have been two: roughly 1960-75 and 2010-present. Here's my reasoning. Stereo was new in the mid-to-late 50's but by 1960, all of the primary manufacturers of the time - McIntosh, Harman Kardon, H. H. Scott, Fisher Radio, Sherwood - had multiple, fine-sounding components for sale. Good speakers ranged from AR-2's and KLH 6's to ginormous Bozaks and Klipschorns. The record companies had finally (almost) figured out how to record in stereo (still too many hard left/hard right/no center offerings). As time progressed, good stereo equipment became available to the middle-class. And that fostered the stereo boom of the late 60's/early 70's. For most companies, stereo after 1975 became a commodity, so quality went down dramatically. Yes, there were the Audio Researches and, of course, McIntosh, to carry the flag for the audio aficionados. But, generally, the gear was lousy. Now, although most aspiring audio aficionados can't afford the best (or even second-best), I believe we are in a new Golden Age. The incredible progress in speaker design and manufacture, new circuit topologies, the revitalization of vinyl and the advent of high-quality streaming has created this new age. Unfortunately, only the truly obsessed or the very wealthy can afford the great gear that's out there - which is the only tarnish on the gold. |
Technology marches on, sonic improvements across the board. There is no better yesterday period of gear, although there are components that stand the test of time like the Lyra Connoisseur phono stage or the Berning 211/845 amplifier. Kind of like personal computers, there is no superior past products. |
The golden age of high-fidelity (hi-fi) audio is generally considered to be the period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, with the peak around 1959-1960. This era saw several key developments that revolutionized audio quality and made hi-fi systems more widely available to consumers:
Many historians consider the 1950s-1960s golden age to be the pinnacle of hi-fi audio, as it represented a time of significant technological advancements, increased accessibility, and a focus on faithful sound reproduction. |
you have described what most people would give as the answer. A time of innovation, new products, and while your post doesn’t address it, a consumer audience that was motivated. Do you think that from a purely sonic perspective that the gear from 1960-75 can compete with the quality available today? |
In many respects yes, the gear from the 1960's can compete. Today, we have streaming services, but the golden age of hi-fi, in my view, was the period from the 1950s to the mid-1960s. During this era, a relatively high percentage of households owned high-end audio equipment, and most towns had at least one hi-fi store where the passion for high-fidelity audio was cultivated. The resurgence of vintage audio gear, particularly tube amplifiers and vinyl records, has been a remarkable phenomenon. It highlights the enduring appeal of warm, rich, and authentic sound quality that many audiophiles believe can only be achieved through these classic technologies. While modern digital audio formats and solid-state amplifiers offer convenience and affordability, vintage gear has a certain charm and character that resonates with music lovers. The warm, natural sound of tube amplifiers, combined with the tactile experience of handling vinyl records, creates a nostalgic and immersive listening experience that many find hard to replicate with contemporary equipment. Moreover, the craftsmanship and attention to detail that went into the design and construction of vintage audio gear from the golden age of hi-fi are often unmatched by modern mass-produced equipment. These factors have contributed to the enduring popularity of vintage audio gear among audiophiles and music enthusiasts alike. |
“Golden Age” certainly refers to a time in the past. I would agree that the time pre SS and pre digital would fit. However, if it refers to the High End’s achievements in absolute SQ, Now is pretty “Golden”. For decades, I was a die hard tube guy. I don’t think that tech has really advanced much. But SS has. It took me years and decades to warm up to SS, but Now there are a number of SS designs that definitely bridged to gap of the tube sound and, IME, have eclipsed Tubes. And the best digital has done the same with analog. |
I agree with @sudnh and others who have referenced the 50’s and early 60’s as the golden age of sound recording, especially in classical music. Tube equipment and mini miking led to the warmth and incredible sound staging that is only beginning to be matched digitally in the past few years. |
41 years ago, you might have been able to buy the above, One of a series of 8.. All of which are in museums now, which makes the price of one 'set' likely on the level of MBLs' with all those natty details...amps, pre, source....etc. What price perfection, and what exactly does that consist of ...? Joy in what you own....J |
My system is as follows: 1980s / 1990s / 2020s - Cartridge: Benz Micro, Koetsu Black, Grado 78, Koetsu Rosewood Signature, Koetsu Onyx, Koetsu Leopard 1980s / 2010s - Tonearm: Sumiko MMT, Jelco SA-750EB 1980s - Table: VPI HW MK IV with SAM 2020s - Step-Up Transformer: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2 1980s - Preamp: Beard P505 2010s - Phase Alignment: BBE282ri sonic maximizer 1990s - Subwoofer: Velodyne ULD-15 1980s / 2020s - Amps: Julius Futterman OTL3s, converted to triode by Jon Specter 1960s - Crossovers: Mastering Lab 1950s - Speakers: Altec Lansing 604C coaxial studio monitors 2020s - Semi-anechoic room design and treatment: by architect C.B. Wayne |
+1 @unreceivedogma on the vintage equipment. I’ve a bunch of vintage gear too. |
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The Golden Age is right now. Very high-quality equipment is available for pennies-on-the-dollar compared to to just 10 or 15 years ago. And the information about hi-end is just a click away. Not to mention, there are probably more smaller companies offering more intriguing products than any other time in history. The only downside is many smaller boutique hi-fi dealers are long gone, but still, even in their prime, most had a very limited offering. |
The Golden Age of Audio could be today - that is, if we combined in a sense past and present; what was lacking then we have now, and what we lack now they had then. The good news is that, if we really wanted to, we could attain both in our present day world, but the sad part is that, pragmatically speaking, we don't really see the era of the past merged with the technology of today, and by that I mean the more uninhibited physics of mainly pro horn speakers of yore in tandem with the tech advances in the digital domain (incl. DSP), active configuration and developments in SS amplification. We see advances in horn and waveguide geometry design aided through sophisticated CAD simulations, but at least in the domestic market those designs are typically stunted physically to cater to interior decoration demands - for aesthetic reasons, that is, not acoustic ones - and as such are not followed through to be and sound their best. The large pro horns of yesterday however, even as older designs, can really come out the other side with the best of both worlds when configured actively via DSP and more modern SS amps. What we, crudely put, see today of the domestic old is often just that as a vintage, niche segment with analog source(s) - heralded as such, and often very pricey - and on the other hand we have all the modern stuff, which is to say largely inefficient and smaller speaker designs with a combo of higher power SS and (to a lesser extent) tube amp designs, and both digital and analog sources - with prices ranging into stratospheric heights as well. You could say the latter, modern camp is the more diverse one, but by and large the physics of speakers have been thrown out window. Attaining that merger of old and new requires of one to very deliberately seek out the former, because it isn't readily available, if at all in stores today. Walking into many a contemporary hifi store is being met with the sight of endless rectangular speaker boxes - slim and deep, with the typical dome tweeter and array of smaller woofers - differentiated more or less only in size, i.e.. height and driver count. What those designs generally sound like, to my ears, is hardly anything mimicking live acoustic or amplified sound. The main focus of modern, low efficiency speakers appears to be soundstaging/imaging and to some degree tonality, but whatever happened to dynamics, proper size of presentation, ease, physicality and presence, all of which are core pillars emulating a live sound imprinting? Going further: what happened to the feel of music? What we hear today, to my ears, is mostly about the think of it. |
@whart, I agree. But I believe there to be a difference between "good sound" and "true to life," not that you are not saying this. I just see people confusing advances in "sound" as "better." I suppose they are better if that is all that is required as a measurement, but to advance actual sound towards a lifelike facsimile? That does not happen as much as people believe it, unless they listen to less complex music such as pop or rock, which are highly manipulated in the mixing process and therefore will not reveal that which is truly likelike. The "Golden Age" seems to have lasted into the 80s - maybe even 90s. At that time, the readers of Stereophile and The Absolute Sound were mostly classical and jazz music lovers (singers, too, of course!) and the designers were designing with this in mind. I don’t hear that as much when I listen to components that are touted as "top drawer." I hear them as technically correct, but a living, breathe facsimile of the concert hall (symphonic, not articially enhanced concerts such as rock or pop) experience, they are not. But I don’t think it matters that much if what people are listening to are synthesizers, drums and other electronically-generated instruments. It’s possible to have a "Golden Age" that won’t mean the same thing to everyone. Frankly, I think it helps to be older because there was a time when any grade school student heard the school band at least 3 or 4 times a year, and went to parades (more acoustic music), and usually heard a symphony or something unamplified at least a dozen times while going K-12. That is not the case anymore. It stopped in the 80s in schools (most of my family were educators, so I know this to be true). People can get thru their entire education without once hearing a flute or a violin. If one doesn’t know what the "real thing" sounds like, then the Golden Age that some speak of is simply more features, more "tech" which, as I have said, does not lead to truly better sound. So, for some, the Golden Age is now. For me, it’s been gone for at least 25 years, but there are still developments going on for the younger listeners.
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@gbmcleod +1 |
