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what really happened during the late 70s early 80s in the hifi press

Oj, and IIRC the 'Japanese' people in the advert had something like badges of that seemed to be Japanese characters. In fact these were adverts for the restaurant, in Chinese. :)

I've put on my 'to do' list making some old ads available, and also adding some reviews from old mags like 'Audio' the old 'Hi Fi Sound', Practical H-Fi', etc.
 
A 600 got a good review in a Dutch magazine. Good enough that Armstrong used reprints as part of their publicity. A 625 also got a remarkably positive review in the March 78 issue of "Audio" in the USA that thought it sounded absolutely superb.

600 sets were also exported to various other countries. I recall that we used to get a crate of oranges delivered to the factory just before Christmas from the Israeli importer! Everyone got some oranges to go with the chickens Armstrong gave staff as xmas gifts. (Great firm to work for.)
Those were still the days when every country had its own technical standards. France had more than most ( like a unique telephone circuit with a thermistor in it), so it is possible that France placed a barrier in the way.
 
There may have been a similar B & O ad I guess....

There was indeed, for the Beomaster 1900...

Oei5VSz.jpg
 
Looking through some '70's hi fi mags and Armstrong start out with basically "look at our brand new technology and new range" in '73 then by '78 it's kinda "things that were got right in the first place don't need to change in this here today gone tomorrow world" and it has a pic of the Volkswagen Beetle... They advertised a lot during the '70's that's for sure!
 
This has prompted me to have a delve though some of the documents I've not yet put on the web. Found some 600 range reviews - inc one in a French mag and one in a Dutch mag, as well as the USA 'Audio' one. I'll put copies up for people to read. Also some from defunct UK mags. Also found some similar 500 range reviews.
 
^^I do remember HiFi Answers being very much on the axis Tony describes here, but Kessler’s obsession with Audio Research, LS3/5a and the rest was HFN&RR as I recall, and a few years later. He also got very excited about Pathos and Gryphon, ISTR.

Didn't Kessler like every high priced item, preferably stocked by Absolute Sounds ?
 
Didn't Kessler like every high priced item, preferably stocked by Absolute Sounds ?

I think it was more that he was in tune with what was happening in the US and elsewhere in the world with TAS, Stereophile and the type of kit they were enjoying. It was the start of the valve and class A revival, and as such out of alignment with what was happening in the UK. I remember seeing and occasionally hearing US high-end in Bradys now and again, plus Music Room in Manchester had Maggies etc, but I think for better or worse Absolute Sounds were the main importer for a fair bit of it at the time. He was right at the front of the valves ‘n’ LS3/5As thing that persists to this day. He didn’t buy into the Linn/Naim thing at all as I recall. His turntable was a Merrill modified AR as I recall, which in itself was an interesting thing that I think steered the way for some turntable evolution that is now mainstream. Can’t remember his arm, but I think he was on the Koetsu side of things cart wise, but it is a long time ago. I just remember he was always worth reading as he had an alternative perspective and one I have found increasingly valid (I’m listening to valves and LS3/5As right now!).
 
Didn't Kessler like every high priced item, preferably stocked by Absolute Sounds ?

Pretty much!

I have to gently disagree with @Tony L - I found KK to be nothing but a shill for the (mainly) US brands like CJ, ARC, Krell, Apogee, etc. I always had a sense that part of his 'enthusiasm' was a conscious backlash on his part. I don't doubt he liked what he liked, but his writing always seemed to have a hint - sometimes more than a hint - of condescension.
 
I was amused the other day to find a letter to "Hi Fi For Pleasure" from KK published in said mag back in '78 when he worked in Canterbury hi fi...
Mainly bigging up high end American brands that at the time were pretty much unheard of in the UK as being in another league to UK gear.... which was fair enough really, at about x10 the price of the UK gear!

Obviously I hate him since finding out what a right wing capitalist dick he actually is!
 
I think it was more that he was in tune with what was happening in the US and elsewhere in the world with TAS, Stereophile and the type of kit they were enjoying. It was the start of the valve and class A revival, and as such out of alignment with what was happening in the UK. I remember seeing and occasionally hearing US high-end in Bradys now and again, plus Music Room in Manchester had Maggies etc, but I think for better or worse Absolute Sounds were the main importer for a fair bit of it at the time. He was right at the front of the valves ‘n’ LS3/5As thing that persists to this day. He didn’t buy into the Linn/Naim thing at all as I recall. His turntable was a Merrill modified AR as I recall, which in itself was an interesting thing that I think steered the way for some turntable evolution that is now mainstream. Can’t remember his arm, but I think he was on the Koetsu side of things cart wise, but it is a long time ago. I just remember he was always worth reading as he had an alternative perspective and one I have found increasingly valid (I’m listening to valves and LS3/5As right now!).

I remember it as KK hated MC's and, possibly, digged Decca carts (they where old enough ;)). He was always fun to read, his prose was more or less the opposite of Colloms.

Living in Sweden, US HiFi wasn't anything new or the least strange. My little hometown's only 'real' HiFi shop hade JBL L300 on demo, f. ex.
 
Obviously I hate him since finding out what a right wing capitalist dick he actually is!

I know absolutely nothing about KK’s politics, but I’d argue the late-70s through 80s UK hi-fi scene was the very definition of Thatcherite capitalism. You worked for Musical Fidelity FFS! So many little start-ups, both manufacturers and dealers, lived the ‘80s ‘yuppie dream’ and ended up driving around in their flashy Porsches etc. Often with rather too much obvious cost-cutting to get to that fast buck too.
 
The basic issue, and why these discussions go around in endless loops, is that loudspeaker technology is still primitive and involves multiple drivers, phase error, timing error, port resonance, cabinet resonance, and is exceptionally lucky to get within +/-15-20db of flat between 20Hz and 20kHz.

A little harsh Tony? I have to say I was impressed with what the Exactbox did for my modified Brik's. That's me sat here listing to Radiohead's 'The Bends' on a pair of Sony WF-1000XM3 en route Fécamp to Pozzuoli.......

I cannot remember the name of the shop in London that was the third.

Grahams???????

Regards

Richard
 


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