...as a psychosis, that is... It has been around for at least 85 years...
DIY Panel speaker from 1927. This was a weekly column about audio technology from Pittsburgh, PA newspaper. I think it was syndicated because the author, Austin C. Lescarboura had published several books about broadcast and movie technology.
1927 was at the beginning of the "jazz age," radio was like iPad3G, people had money and the nation was at peace. He sounds pretty serious about his hobby and concerned with the same things we are now.
What I find most interesting is how satisfied (and proud) he is with his speaker, and how much better it is than other technologies of the period. Obviously modern speakers will outperform it in every way, so why aren't we satisfied?
I believe it is because we,
as audiophiles, are not seeking audio sound quality per se, we already have that. What we are seeking,
as audiophiles just like Mr. Lescarboura, is the continuous thrill of ever better sound. Change is what we seek, not the destination.
As music lovers, we are content with our lot. We can pipe music of any genre, in far better fidelity than AM radio, into our home for free. We even let a machine choose what music we will like. This is the fruition of Nikola Tesla's dream (from that same era) of all information, available to anyone on earth, instantly and free.
Note the columnist's comments on how important the transducer motor is to the performance quality of the diaphragm. How did he learn that? By not being satisfied with his existing motor, and upgrading to a better one. Also, he says the amplifier quality is another critical aspect to ultimate sound quality, more upgrades and no doubt tube rolling too. His comments reveal a continuing quest to improve sound quality. Upgraditis in full bloom in the roaring 20s!
The real giveaway about his terminal audiophile condition is when he commits the ultimate audiophile sin: believing that the content is less important than the sound quality. He suggests that we choose radio signals that are strong enough to avoid static, especially jazz orchestra programs because they play louder and increase s/n. Sounds like one of our own vinyl vs CD discussions! Sound quality vs music availability.
An especially poignant relevance to modern audiophiles is when he blames the radio broadcasters for the static on his own set. Clearly this is a mental defense mechanism, a safety valve to shift blame and protect his ego when the system sounds like shit when his friends come to hear the new balsa panels.
I enjoyed reading this column, and a couple others of his on google. Obviously he was a pioneer in audio hobby, and led people to consider the possibility of better sound quality in their own systems. It's clearly evident that he is enjoying his affliction just like we do.
