How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public

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LesterSleepsIn

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How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« on: 13 Dec 2018, 08:09 pm »

“... But stereo actually is a specific technology, like video streaming or the latest espresso maker.”

http://theconversation.com/how-stereo-was-first-sold-to-a-skeptical-public-103668

twitch54

Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #1 on: 13 Dec 2018, 10:15 pm »
ahhhhh , a walk down memory lane, thanks for sharing !

wushuliu

Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #2 on: 13 Dec 2018, 10:57 pm »
I'd love to see articles of people saying there was no appreciable difference from mono and that stereo was basically snake oil. Cause I'm sure there were plenty.

Elizabeth

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Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #3 on: 13 Dec 2018, 11:39 pm »
I remember as a teenager is the mid 60's my well to do uncle showing me his new 'stereo' console.. Explaining how the lows come out this side. and the highs come out that side... No point in my telling him his explanation was hogwash...

Goosepond

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Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #4 on: 13 Dec 2018, 11:53 pm »
Probably back in the early 60's, my older brother's father-in-law had one of those long stereo consoles. He put on one of those stereo demo records (yes vinyl ). These 2 guys were playing Russian roulette in a saloon. You could hear the gun slide from one end of the bar to the other. We thought that was the greatest thing since sliced bread!  :thumb:

Gene

twitch54

Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #5 on: 14 Dec 2018, 12:53 am »
I remember as a teenager is the mid 60's my well to do uncle showing me his new 'stereo' console.. Explaining how the lows come out this side. and the highs come out that side... No point in my telling him his explanation was hogwash...

LOL Elizabeth , I'm sure back then as an impressionable young lass you believed him !

for me it was the early sixties sitting in front of my parents Stromberg Carlson console and listening to music 'drifting' from one side to the other, with my father sitting on the sofa contemplating a power cord upgrade !   Sorry, I couldn't resist !!

« Last Edit: 14 Dec 2018, 06:16 pm by twitch54 »

FullRangeMan

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Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #6 on: 14 Dec 2018, 01:07 am »
I remember as a teenager is the mid 60's my well to do uncle showing me his new 'stereo' console.. Explaining how the lows come out this side. and the highs come out that side... No point in my telling him his explanation was hogwash...
It also was so with Perfect Sound Forever and today teenagers situation is worse than ever.

OzarkTom

Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #7 on: 14 Dec 2018, 01:21 am »
My dad was a Bell and Howell salesman in the late 50's. He brought home a stereo reel to reel set that looked something like this.

https://reverb.com/item/11716254-bell-howell-1-4-reel-to-reel-tube-analog-recorder-player-771-stereotone-from-1958

Of course the demo tape had the infamous freight train that roared through the house as well as a ping pong match. I sat in awe listening to stereo over and over.

Letitroll98

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Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #8 on: 14 Dec 2018, 06:19 am »
I still have some of those demonstration records from my grandfather's collection.   I remember playing one years ago, not a pleasant experience.

stonedeaf

Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #9 on: 15 Dec 2018, 01:39 am »
I started selling stereo/hi-fi in the sixties  and remember the ping-pong records all too well. The strangest early stereo records to my ears were the first Mercury jazz and pop recordings -these would be mixed with Dinah Washington in the left channel and the "band" in the right channel. Completely odd perspective. I treasure the mono versions of some of these same recordings/sessions. What I find peculiar about these Mercury recordings is they occurred at the same time that their stereo classical recordings were pretty much top of the game - and are collected and valued to this day ?

undertowogt1

Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #10 on: 15 Dec 2018, 01:58 am »
I'm Sold    :D

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thunderbrick

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Re: How stereo was first sold to a skeptical public
« Reply #11 on: 15 Dec 2018, 02:08 am »
Late 50's (I think), and I distinctly remember my dad talking about getting stereo with one channel from the TV and the other from his Grommes/Fisher/University hifi.  The big deal was that TV was showing parts of Fantasia where the dinosaurs were dying to the "Rite of Spring score.  We didn't manage to get the effects, but I remember the event as if it was yesterday.  Or I was dreaming...