A Trip Back in Time- Audio Magazine’s December 1958 Issue
The website of World Radio History (“WRH”), a non-profit organization, is an enormous, free repository of television and radio broadcast, electronics, music, and technology journals and magazines, some popular, but many arcane, that span from at least the turn of the 20th century to almost current day. Examples of the hundreds of publications on this site are The Westinghouse Engineer (“the technical publication of Westinghouse, covering everything from [the] early generation of power to nuclear power plants as well as radio and electronic equipment,” from 1941), Vacuum Tube Valley (“90’s and [20]00’s magazine about tube technology”), and 73 Radio (“A United Stated-based amateur radio magazine that was published from 1960 to 2003”).
Given enough food and drink, I could spend the rest of my admittedly geeky life on WRH website. After admiring the diversity of its publications, I headed to its selection of audiophile rags and selected the December 1958 issue of Audio magazine. Remember, stereo sound had only recently become widely available to the public at the time the issue was released.
The issue’s .50-cent price, set forth on the cover’s top-right, appears above the magazine’s name and slogan (i.e., “…the original magazine about high fidelity).” Featured on the cover is a photo of a stereo system designed by the folks at Bell Sound Systems, a Columbus, Ohio audio hi-fi manufacturer. The photo shows an imposing custom wood console, which held the company’s slim-line, leather-toned components, each sporting a very 50’s space-age look. There is also a Rek-O-Kut turntable with Pickering cartridge and Bozak infinite baffle speakers. The Bell company peaked about the time of the issue and in 1965 stopped producing audio gear.
The issue’s equipment reviews cover an Acrosound amplifier, Viking tape deck and amplifier, General Electric phono cartridges, and Fairchild preamplifier/equalizer, though no prices for these products are provided. A new product section included write-ups on a Scott 40Wpc stereo amplifier, Garrard and Collaro transcription turntables, and a portable, all-transistor Steelman Transitape tape recorder.
The issue also contains numerous feature articles. One, titled “Sound Recording and Reinforcing at The Monterey Jazz Festival,” explores “what is probably the largest outdoor stereophonic sound . . . system used to date.” Another, titled “Tape Tension-The Neglected Dimension,” examines problems resulting from excessive reel-to-reel tape tension (e.g., excessive wear on magnetic tape heads and the possibility of print-throughs) and explains how to use the then new Tensitron tape tension meter. Music reviews included mostly classical and jazz recordings, both stereo and mono.
The quaintest part of the issue may be its advertisements. One for the Rigo Audio shows, destined for five U.S. cities, promised demos of everything from “the most economical units . . . to spectacular home music theaters,” all for a .75-cent admission fee. Another features a photo of Louis Armstrong in his home studio editing reel-to-reel tape with his Acoustic Research AR-2 speakers ($89-$102, depending on cabinet finish).
There are ads for other products too, such as a Garrard turntable (model 301, $89) and tone arm ($19.50), Heathkit “Extra Performance,” 55Wpc stereo amplifier DIY kit ($54.95), Grado Laboratories’ phono cartridge and tone arm ($49.50 and $29.95, respectively), Tannoy dual concentric Belvedere speaker, billed as “excellent in monophonic [and] superb in stereo” ($195 per channel), Marantz Model 5 mono amplifier ($147, $7.50 extra for grill cover), and the enormous JBL Ranger Metregon stereo cabinet speaker (no price given, although at the time of this writing, a refurbished one is for sale on eBay for $15,000).
As someone who has written for several audio publications over the past 15 years, I can say that the issue is comprehensive and extremely well done. Further, it shows that 63 years ago, high-end audio was thriving with technological innovation, product diversity, and consumer interest.
Howard Kneller is an audio reviewer, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in such publications as the SoundStage! Network and Sound & Vision magazine. His audio and art photography can be found on Instagram (@howardkneller, @howardkneller.photog) and Facebook (@howardkneller).
