Audioland

audioland

Today a good hi fi system is a necessity. Only a great one is a luxury.

Talk to anyone who owns a good hi fi system and you'll be talking to a believer. Someone who'd give up the TV, the toothpaste, the morning oatmeal before giving up his hi fi. That's not just the guy with four walls and a mattress. That's just the way it is when you let the good vibes entertain you, life you, expand you. It beckons the imagination into visuals TV can never hope to achieve. It rocks the socks off of rockers, unfurls the brow of progressives, reveals the soul of Brahms, Beethoven and Bach. Without it the movie theatre would die. With it, your money's buying a better slice of living.

When to buy Hi Fi

In general the people who buy hi fi fall into four categories. (1) Those who buy it just to have it. Like keeping up with, the Jones's. (2) Those who dig electronics, the why and wherefores, the mechanics, the tinkering, the dynamics of its advancement, the capability hi fi affords in the controlling great magnitudes of range, tonality and texture. (3) Those who like music, and (4) Those who are a combination of 3 and 1 and 3 and 2. The common denominator: liking music.

But most of us will admit to liking music, at least a certain kind of music. You must like your music so much that you really want to experience it. You want it to fill your mind as if the music was being performed in your head. When that's your like of music, that's when to buy hi fi. There's no need to wait for sales or what you think is a right price. At shops like Audioland, the price is always right.

When not to buy it? When you just want a nice piece of furniture that fills in with background music.

How to buy

If you're just getting into hi fi, this may be the first major leisure purchase of your life. Be thorough. Talk to the right people. Don't get ripped off. Understand going in that there isn't much difference in prices of relative products from one store to another. Think twice about offerings of discount, because in hi fi the price a dealer sells for is the price, the going price. Any higher price from which a discount is claimed is dreamed-up phoney balony. It doesn't exist. Also realize this: Great sound can take you over like everlasting Spring fever. Liking it turns to loving it. So maybe you should buy to allow for upgrading your system. Figure how much you want to spend now and deal with someone who has the necessary equipment selection and desire to satisfy your wants.

What to buy

A component system generally consists of a pair of speakers (four for quad), a receiver, and a turntable with a stereo cartridge. What you buy should depend on how much you want to spend on the whole system and the sound you'd like to get for your money. The worst you can do is to end up with a mismatched system. Better to start with a dealer franchised to sell a great variety of quality components such as Audioland. Below are some of the brand names we carry:

The speaker is the thing

The component that makes the biggest difference in the sound is the loudspeaker. It also makes a difference in how much you spend for your system. How many times have people been dissatisfied with the sound of their system, because they didn't consider the speakers first! After the fact, they come in to Audioland for help only to find that the sound they really want is from speakers requiring more power than their electronics can deliver. It happens time and time again. And the reverse is true, too: Getting the sound you want but paying for electronics that are far more powerful and expensive than the speakers can ever use. Speakers must be compared, two at a time, never three, because hearing has no memory. Listen in a sound room to the speakers first and you're sure to get your money's worth in an entire system. One speaker you won't want to miss is Infinity.

Infinity speakers are made in California. The first speaker built by Infinity was the Servostatic 1 and cost $2000. Fantastic, wonderful speaker. But $2000? Please Infinity put your genius into something affordable, we pleaded. And they did. Now they offer speakers from $ 100 to $450 as well as a new Servostatic 1 A. In every price range, a super speaker for the money. An exceptional value: The New Infinity 3000J. A very high efficiency, 12" 3-way system, it requires relatively small amp power, but will also handle 125 watts RMS with no problem.

Bill Bendier, unknown author, poet, radio, TV and screen personality and friend of Audioland describes the hi fi experience: "Think of the universe. From earth all the heavens appear as a continuous splattering of stars within touching distance of each other. Low fidelity music reproduction masses notes and instrumental qualities in the same non-spacial manner. The music, like the stars, is "out there" removed with no movement between you and it. Hi fidelity, however, as an astronaut hurtling at the speed of thought, places you among the notes and beats and your awareness of distance between them is something like feeling free.

Electronics
Akai, Ampzilla, Burwin*, Pioneer, Marantz*, Sony, Sansui, Kenwood, Sherwood, Spectro Accoustics*, Phase Linier, Meteor*, Crown*, Concord, Infinity*, Sound Craftsman, Accuphase*, DBX, JVC, Superscope, Dynasco, BSR, Sequarra*, and others.

Speakers
Akai, Pioneer, Marantz, Sony*, Meteor*, Infinity*, Superscope, RTR*, Micro Accoustics, Accoustiphase*, BIC Venturi, Fisher, Crown*, Design Accoustic*, EPI, Ultralinier, Genesis*, Utah, CTS, Tannoy*, KLH*, Electrovoice, Dynaco, and others.

Turn tables
Garrard, Dual, BIC, Tannoy*, Sony, Pioneer, Marantz, Kenwood, Sansui, BSR, Lenco*, Stanton, Miracord, Thorens, and others.

Tape decks
Teac, Dokorder, Revos, Crown, Tanberg, Sansui, JVC, Kenwood, Pioneer, Marantz, Sony, Tascam, Akai, and others.

Cartridges - Over 100 different kinds

Car Stereo and tape units - A wide selection in all price ranges.

* exclusive or semi-exclusive

What's best?

How can there be agreement on what's best, when what's best is that which is right for you? All manufacturers are trying to build the best - for the money. You have to judge the compromises, the cost, and with a little help from a friend (Audioland, we hope) you'll have the best. Accuphase electronics, for instance. Stereo Review and other hi fi publications rate Accuphase tops. It not only looks and feels like pure "state of the art," but it outperforms most test equipment. We can find no corners cut and you know it because of a 5-year unconditional guarantee. Expensive but . extraordinary.

$300, $3000 or somewhere in in between?

What price to pay usually depends on how much one can afford. But even if you were King Midas himself there's no point spending more than it takes to satisfy yourself. Toward this end, manufacturers have been progressing at a fast pace building good sound into lower priced components. Up until a couple of years ago, it took $800 to match a good system. Under that, musical parameters weren't perfect. Today, a good system can cost a lot less - even at $300, the system on the opposite page is not bad, not bad at all. There are significant improvements in the better systems between $550 and $900, such as increased power handling capacity and spatial relations. Just remember - whether your bracket is around $300 or $3000, you'll get your money's worth for every dollar you spend at Audioland.

CB - Alive and well

You might say, the country's gone CB crazy. In December of '75 alone, over 400,000 people applied for CB Citizen's Band radio operators licenses. And that number can't be half of the actual number who bought CB units for their cars and homes! If you're next, you might want to know that Audioland has sold and serviced CB rigs for 10 years. And at the Detroit Hi Fi Show you'll find the largest display of CB equipment ever assembled for public consideration. Mercy. Mercy. Audioland's got the goods, ready to go. Up. Up. And away.

IT TAKES TWO TO STEREO
You and Audioland

Audioland Matched Detroit Hi Fi Show System Specials

A matched system is the key to a good value. In arriving at the three matched systems here, each component was included for its relative values and reliability records. All things considered, it is likely one of these will lie in your price range and turn it on for you. You'll only know if you listen.

$300
Kenwood KR 1400 Stereo Receiver. Selected for its outstanding FM performance and reliability and it’s a few dollars less than other receivers with like capability.
Garrard 440M Automatic Changer. This is a new economy model from the British. Manual or automatic cycling. Includes base, cover, Shure cartridge.
Accoustiphase Micro Speakers. You may not have heard of this speaker yet, but you will. There is no other speaker near its price that comes close to its performance.

$600
Kenwood 3400 Stereo Receiver. This is the “best buy” receiver. Noth only does it offer features and power of higher priced models, it looks great.
BIC 940 Belt-driven Changer. Our largest-selling record playing device. Outstanding and includes base, cover, AT125 cartridge.
Infinity 3000J Speakers. An exceptional value. A very high efficiency 12” 3-way system requireing small amp power, but will also handle 125 watts RMS with no problem.

$1000
Pioneer SX838 Stereo Receiver. A true power house receiver. Some of the best FM performances we’ve seen in a receiver.
BIC 940 Belt-driven Changer. No wonder it’s our largest selling changer. it goes with anything to do everything a great changer should.
Infinity Columns. At Audioland, we believe these to be the very best speaker for most people. Not usually found in a system of this price, a bargain indeed.

What's an Audioland? It's a place that's in many places. It's a belief that for you to get the most for your hi fi money, you must have service and a vast product selection. It’s a concern that you will never pay more than the lowest going price. It’s knowing that anything less than quality or product is that much less satisfaction for you. Audioland is a hi fi shop that began as one, on Gratiot near the Metro Parkway and now is six going on seven. Audioland is employees most of whom came into Audioland as customers. Audioland is hi fi, home or car, stereo or quad, CB radios, PA systems, and music. Which brings us back to where we began. If you really like music, isn't it time you looked into hi fi at Audioland?

North Woodward: 4725 Woodward at 14 Mile. 576-1770
Ann Arbor: Briarwood Mall. 761-6150
Port Huron: 314 Huron Si., downtown 985-7191
Livonia: 33919 Plymouth Rd. west of Farmington Rd.
Eastside: 36633 Gratiot south of 16 Mile. 791-1400
Northwest: 8 Mile Rd. at Grand River