MAD Goes Hi Fi deserves some comments.
Page 1.
“...what you are bothered by is hum, surface noise..” Sounds like tubes and record players were pretty much state of the art in 1958 already.
'Low-Fidelity' = “Porfirio Rubirosa Ariza (January 22, 1909 – July 5, 1965) was a Dominican diplomat, race car driver, soldier and polo player. He was a supporter of dictator Rafael Trujillo, and was also a political assassin under his regime. Rubirosa made his mark as an international playboy for his jet setting lifestyle and his legendary sexual prowess with women. His five spouses included two of the richest women in the world.” (
Wikipedia).
The definitions for “tuner, bass, diamond needle and pitch” are spot-on.
“The human ear is only capable of hearing sounds to about 15,000 cycles.” Even then, you had to be >40 years old to afford decent home audio.
Page 2.
“…20-watt basic amplifier…” This is 10 watts more than Stereophile’s 2023 Amp Of The Year…
“...non-neurotic, pre-tranquilized…” turntable. Have you
seen the ASR ‘vinyl renaissance' thread?
Steps 5-7, power pole upgrades. Fore-shadow of
Japanese audiophiles.
Page 3. Steps 5-7. I believe ‘mother-in-law jokes' comprised ~25% of 1950s-60s ‘comedy.’ Just a personal re-collection.
Page 4. Predicts the rise of Sonos and ‘whole-house audio.’
Page 5.
“...although several of the belches suffer from distortion.” Priceless.
“Concerto for Kettledrum and Triangle.” Apparently ‘audiophile music’ has been around for awhile.
“No true Hi-Fi fan cares about the music. It’s the sound that’s important.” Most ASR music threads appear to concur.
