Posted on 12/12/2018 9:31:34 AM PST by ETL
When we hear the word "stereo" today, we might simply think of a sound system, as in "turn on the stereo."
But stereo actually is a specific technology, like video streaming or the latest expresso maker.
Sixty years ago, it was introduced for the first time.
Whenever a new technology comes along – whether it's Bluetooth, high-definition TV or Wi-Fi – it needs to be explained, packaged and promoted to customers who are happy with their current products.
Stereo was no different. As we explore in our recent book, "Designed for Hi-Fi Living: The Vinyl LP in Midcentury America," stereo needed to be sold to skeptical consumers. This process involved capturing the attention of a public fascinated by space-age technology using cutting-edge graphic design, in-store sound trials and special stereo demonstration records.
The rise of 'hi-fi' sound
In 1877, Thomas Edison introduced the phonograph, the first machine that could reproduce recorded sound. Edison used wax cylinders to capture sound and recorded discs became popular in the early 20th century.
By the 1950s, record players, as they came to be called, had become a mainstay of many American living rooms. These were "mono," or one-channel, music systems. With mono, all sounds and instruments were mixed together. Everything was delivered through one speaker.
A graphic detail, from an RCA inner sleeve, shows listeners how new stereo technology operates.
Credit: From the collection of Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder, Author provided
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Stereophonic sound, or stereo, was an important advance in sound reproduction. Stereo introduced two-channel sound, which separated out elements of the total sound landscape and changed the experience of listening.
Audio engineers had sought to improve the quality of recorded sound in their quest for "high fidelity" recordings that more faithfully reproduced live sound. Stereo technology recorded sound and played it back in a way that more closely mimicked how humans actually hear the world around them.
British engineer Alan Dower Blumlein paved the way for two channel recording in the 1930s. But it wasn't until the 1950s that stereo technology was incorporated into movie theaters, radios and television sets.
With stereo, the sound of some instruments could come from the left speaker, the sound of others from the right, imitating the setup of a concert orchestra. It also was possible to shift a particular sound from left to right or right to left, creating a sense of movement.
Although Audio-Fidelity Records offered a limited edition stereo record for industry use in 1957, consumers needed to wait until 1958 for recordings with stereo sound to become widely available for the home.
A sonic 'arms race' to sell the sound
When stereo records were introduced to the mass market, a "sonic arms race" was on. Stereo was aggressively promoted as the latest technological advancement that brought sophisticated sound reproduction to everyone.
Each of the era's major record labels started pushing stereo sound. Companies like Columbia, Mercury and RCA, which sold both stereo equipment and stereo records, moved to convince consumers that stereo's superior qualities were worth further investment.
A key challenge for selling stereo was consumers' satisfaction with the mono music systems they already owned. After all, adopting stereo meant you needed to buy a new record player, speakers and a stereo amplifier.
Something was needed to show people that this new technology was worth the investment. The "stereo demonstration" was born – a mix of videos, print ads and records designed to showcase the new technology and its vibrant sound.
Stereo demonstration records showed off the innovative qualities of a new stereo system, with tracks for "balancing signals" or doing "speaker-response checks." They often included compelling, detailed instructional notes to explain the new stereo sound experience.
Stereo's potential and potency stormed retail showrooms and living rooms.
Curious shoppers could hear trains chugging from left to right, wow at the roar of passing war planes, and catch children's energetic voices as they dashed across playgrounds. Capitol Records released "The Stereo Disc," which featured "day in the life" ambient sounds such as "Bowling Alley" and "New Year's Eve at Times Square" to transport the listener out of the home and into the action.
A particularly entertaining example of the stereo demonstration record is RCA Victor's "Sounds in Space." Appearing a year after the successful launch of the Soviet's Sputnik satellite in 1957, this classic album played into Americans' growing interest in the space race raging between the two superpowers.
"The age of space is here," the record begins, "and now RCA Victor brings you 'Sounds in Space.'" Narrator Ken Nordine's charismatic commentary explains stereophonic sound as his voice "travels" from one speaker channel to another, by the "the miracle of RCA stereophonic sound."
Record companies also released spectacular stereo recordings of classical music.
Listening at home began to reproduce the feeling of hearing music live in the concert hall, with stereo enhancing the soaring arias of Wagner's operas and the explosive thundering cannons of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture."
Today, rousing orchestral works from the early stereo era, such as RCA Victor's "Living Stereo" albums from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, are considered some of the finest achievements of recorded sound.
Visualizing stereo
Stereo demonstration records, in particular, featured attractive, modern graphic design. Striking, often colorful, lettering boasted titles such as "Stereorama," "360 Sound" and "Sound in the Round."
Some stereo demonstration records focused on the listening experience. The ecstatic blond woman on the cover of Warner Bros. Records' "How to Get the Most Out of Your Stereo" sports a stethoscope and seems thrilled to hear the new stereo sound. World Pacific Records "Something for Both Ears!" offers a glamorous model with an ear horn in each ear, mimicking the stereo effect.
These eye-catching design elements became an important part of the record companies' visual branding. All were deployed to grab the attention of customers and help them visualize how stereo worked. Now they've become celebrated examples of midcentury album cover art.
By the late 1960s, stereo dominated sound reproduction, and album covers no longer needed to indicate "stereo" or "360 Sound." Consumers simply assumed that they were buying a stereo record.
Today, listeners can enjoy multiple channels with surround sound by purchasing several speakers for their music and home theater systems. But stereo remains a basic element of sound reproduction.
As vinyl has enjoyed a surprising comeback lately, midcentury stereo demonstration records are enjoying new life as retro icons – appreciated as both a window into a golden age of emerging sound technology and an icon of modern graphic design.
Explore further: The Beatles Return to Mono
It’s hard to believe we went from Mono to 7.1 Digital sound in one lifetime.
Of course, I went from a 10mg hard drive to a 1TB SSD since college
I had a 4 channel open-reel tape deck and quadraphonic amplifier (and 4 speakers, of course). My music library consisted of about 18 discrete four channel tapes which might have been all that were ever recorded. Then, they began to sell 4 channel LPs which I thought was a gimmick - after that, 4 channel died.
My Uncle Dale Lydick was the engineer for Packard Bell designing all those many different wooden cabinets for the hi fi, and then stereo of the day.
My GGF had one of the first ten inch televisions from Packard Bell given as a gift by Uncle Dale.
We used to go over to the Great Grand Parents house to watch Ed Sullivan, What’s My Line, and of course GGF’s favorite Wrestling from the Olympic.
As a teen in the 70s, after coming into a few bucks a from an insurance settlement, I bought a new at the time really good Kenwood receiver with Koss headphones. Thought I died and went to heaven, as it was the first time I ever heard music of anywhere near that quality. The first album I bought was Boston's debut album.
Could not believe the sound. Drum rolls sounded like they went back and forth inside my head. Super clear deep bass. I had not even heard stereo prior to that. Had an old am/fm transistor radio and a portable cassette player, but both had only a single speaker.
That never really took off, either................
1. More Than a Feeling
2. Peace of Mind
3. Foreplay / Long Time
4. Rock & Roll Band
5. Smokin’
6. Hitch a Ride
7. Something About You
8. Let Me Take You Home Tonight
I still have my Marantz 1030 amplifier............bought in 1976....
My dad had a train album he would crank up at 7am on random Saturday mornings he played on his homemade, 8 foot long stereo cabinet, complete with turntable, reel-to-reel tape recorder, microphone and sound gages with plenty of storage for albums, tapes and accessories. I wish I knew what happened to that thing.
He made his own speaker cabinets too, all probably made from popular mechanics plans.
The train album was so cool. It would start out slow with a barely audible rush of air escaping from the braking systems and progressing to full on, loud track noises and train whistles. It sure woke the whole family up nicely.
Just listened to the RCA Sounds in Space on YouTube. I was wrong about Victory at Sea being played, but besides that, it was like I was a teenager again hearing that demo record. I’ve gone from the little yellow 78 Golden vinyl records I used to listen to as a kid, to 45’s and 33 1/3’s in my teens, then 8 track tapes, cassette tapes, and CDs through the years. God I’m old!
>p
I bought a Stereo! Wow! With TWO speakers!
But then I heard the quad with the four speakers and I was like this is it, so I got rid of the stereo and got the quad.
I’m listening to this thing and I’m like, 'Hey this sounds like SH|T!'
So, I got rid of that and got the dodecaphonic with the 12 speakers.
This was more to my liking . . . for a while.
But the gear gets pretty sophisticated pretty fast and I got rid of that and got the milliphonic with the 1,000 speakers.
And I’m listening to that one and I’m like, 'Hey, this sounds like SH|T too! The other one was SH|T one, this one is SH|T too!'
So, I traded that in and got the googolphonic, which is the highest number of speakers you can have before infinity.
Sounds like SH|T!
So, then I said, 'Hey, maybe it’s the needle!'
I had the typical diamond needle. So I searched around and got the moonrock needle; cost me 3 million bucks, but what the hey?
So, now I have a googlephonic stereo with a moonrock needle.
OK for a car stereo, wouldn't want it in my house."
His prices were INNNNNNSAAAAAAANE!
I don’t remember owning an FM radio like that when I was young, but I do remember having portable AM transistor radios as a teen. I had one in my purse on the day that JFK was assassinated, and I pulled it out, and our Bookkeeping class sat there and listened to it through the whole class.
Don’t waste your money on a new set of speakers
You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers
First stereo was Second hand but what a system. All Fairchild tube amps & Preamps and a Fairchild transcription Turntable...a massive thing. With Klipsch speakers no less.
Helped my grandad was a Hi-Fi salesman in the Golden Age when the first stereo equipment was coming on the market.
I have a Marantz 1060 with Imperial 7 speakers and a Puoneer 12D turntable. I call it my time machine.
Original Fisher vacuum tube stereo amplifiers can be found on eBay, but they’re expensive. Must be the sound.
Not stereo, but the restored Westinghouse FM radio phonograph which my grandfather bought in 1947 has very rich sound. At some point a Garrard Type 1A was installed, which helped.
Still have my Dad’s Pioneer QX-8000 receiver. Has anyone tried using a Pioneer spring reverb to simulate quadraphonic sound?
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