The 70's was a decade known for lots of wild and crazy stuff that came and went in a flurry. I mean, what was hotter, then colder, than disco music? Other uniquely 70's crazes that appeared for a bit, shined brightly, than vanished included fondue pots, macrame, and CB radios.
Another 70's debut, but one that didn't vanish as much as it evolved into smaller, lighter incarnations, was hi-fi stereo systems.
When we were kids of the 50's and 60's, we got along fine listening to transistor radios and portable record players. But as we became teenagers and young adults in the 70's, why, it was time for some serious musical upgrading to take place! And manufacturers of huge wooden-encased components were more than happy to help us out.
One of the first things that I became aware of early in the 70's was that sound could be heard in absolutely amazing stereo. My mom had a venerable record player console that sounded pretty darned good, with its 12" woofer providing bass thump that was very impressive despite its its 50's vintage. But even though it had the word "stereo" on a plastic label on its front panel, it was most assuredly a monophonic system.
I listened to Paul McCartney's Band on the Run (still one of my favorite albums) on my oldest brother's headphones about 1972. The stereo sound made me determined that I would have my own sweet sound system as soon as possible.
I began with a Radio Shack FM/cassette deck with satellite speakers in 1975, shortly after I landed my first job sacking groceries. It set me back $199, and a component turntable was another 50 or so bucks.
It sounded great, but lacked deep bass. So two years later, having graduated high school and begun working full time, I sent a check for $1200 to an outfit called Illinois Audio for a Pioneer system.
My dad thought I was nuts. He figured that check would be cashed and I would be ripped off. But within two weeks, a semi-trailer was in Bentonville, Arkansas with a bunch of big boxes inside that belonged to ME!
I'll never forget the thrill I felt as I unpacked my 40 watt receiver, my Dolby cassette deck, my direct-drive turntable, my gorgeous HPM-40 speakers, and my high-end Koss Pro 4-AAA headphones that I had splurged for.
That stereo turned out to be a whale of an investment. It provided me with an amazing amount of pleasure and entertainment over the years, and a few years later, my brand-new wife was pleased that I had a decent sound system. Lord knows I didn't have much else in the way of material things!
Nowadays, I do most of my listening to music in the car or on the computer (Carly Simon's Spy sounds good through my Creative subwoofer system as I pen this piece). But I still have a bonzer home system, too. The last of my original Pioneer components to go were my HPM-40 speakers. They sold in a yard sale five years ago. My kids had managed to push both woofer cones in as they struggled to master the fine art of walking, but they still sounded good.
But as long as I live, I'll never forget the ecstasy I felt as I unpacked my heavy, wooden-clad Pioneer stereo components and hooked them all together, then listening to that first rush of high-fidelity sound.
Comments (5)
The first one I had was a Craig ( totally state of the art, with 8-track AND cassette ), then a hand-me-down Pioneer that was essential in college. But I've never been a big audiophile. A decent boombox and a good set of headphones have been sufficient my whole adult life, and these days a good laptop and RadioShack speakers with a woofer put out sound as good as my old Pioneer did. I don't even own many CDs since it's all on the net...still have a lot of good ol' vinyl though, but no turntable...does Pioneer even make 'em anymore??
Posted by Lee Morris | April 4, 2008 1:14 AM
Posted on April 4, 2008 01:14
Lee, http://www.pioneerelectronics.com lists one model on their website. I saw one turntable at a Circuit City store, not sure what manufacturer, but their website lists several brands. Radio Shlock lists some at their site, too.
Some listeners still prefer turntables to CD players or MP3s because digital music seems to remove all the highs and lows, but my ears can't tell the difference.
As a graduation present to myself after college, I bought a Sony system with turntable, cassette recorder, and AM/FM radio all in one. Still have it, though the turntable needs some work.
Posted by David S Paleg | April 7, 2008 12:50 AM
Posted on April 7, 2008 00:50
I got my first real stereo system in the mid seventies for Christmas! It was a Kenwood with turntable, cassette tape, eight track tape and AM/FM radio. I also had four nice speakers to go with it! I spent many days playing my record albums on it! I remember the needles were not very cheap either! Pink Floyd, Elton John and David Bowie! Being a product of the seventies, most of my music collection was on eight track! It's sad, because the are basically no good anymore! I even had a quad system at one time! Now I also had a lava lamp to go with my stereo too!
Posted by Rivers End | January 21, 2009 9:30 PM
Posted on January 21, 2009 21:30
My first one was a Hitachi amp 50 watt/channel and turntable. Got a RadioShack Cassette deck and later a Technics deck with DBX. If you were into recording, then you know about DBX compression and how much better it was than crappy Dolby or the like.
I made speakers from RadioShack 12" woofers, with a full range and a tweeter with cross overs. Great sound.
Now I gotta ask, does anyone remember the attempt to market a Quadraphonic sound system? It never caught on and eventually died.
Posted by Scott Irv | June 9, 2009 3:21 PM
Posted on June 9, 2009 15:21
Dear All,
Please help...
In 70's my father bought a sound system, it was emblemed L-R. It was round in shape, silver in color, all plastic body with Cassette, Cartridge (8track) players & Radio. The system along with (external)
speakers were supported with 2feet steel legs.
I have tried the web to search for this with "70'2 L-R Sound System" but no avail.
Can you guide me the manufacturer name/company...
Posted by Rehan | April 12, 2011 8:26 AM
Posted on April 12, 2011 08:26