The company was founded in 1961 by Ralph Yeomans, a concessionaire in Fedco (a discount membership store chain in southern California, until the chain closed in 1999). Early Soundcraftsmen components included tube-type receivers and amplifiers. Ralph Yeomans and Charles Gassett, a southern California audio equipment representative and international marketing entrepreneur selling Coastron Sherwood Electronic Laboratories receivers at the time, had an interest in expanding the brand nationwide. Yeomans and Gassett decided the first product was to be an equalizer, something not already on the market. They employed an electronics engineer, Paul Rolfes, in 1968 to design the equalizer. It was introduced by Gassett at the 1969 CES in New York. National distribution started in late 1970. In the mid-1970s they introduced their line of preamplifiers and power amplifiers, including the first preamplifier/equalizer combo. Soundcraftsmen equalizers and their compact "brick" style power amplifiers gained a sizable following among audiophiles during the 1970s and 1980s. All Soundcraftsmen equalizers and amplifiers were made at the company's Santa Ana, California facility. In the early 1970s they also sold a solid-state stereo receiver, but only through the Fedco stores. It was built by Electro-Voice but shipped with a Soundcraftsmen brand faceplate; no national distribution was sought for this product.
As mentioned, Yeomans operated the HiFi Stereo Components Concession in Fedco under the vendor name of Coastron. The department was an independent concession within Fedco, hiring its own staff and renting floor space. Coastron supported its Fedco operations from a warehouse in Montebello, near Los Angeles. The second in command at Coastron was Robert Rann. Soundcraftsmen and Coastron-sold electronic and speaker products were repaired by a technician at the Montebello warehouse. Some repairs to the Soundcraftsmen brand Lancer speakers were often done in the back room of the sales departments by the salesmen.
Yeomans also owned and operated a local audio-video store in Costa Mesa, California, called Atlantic Stereo. Atlantic still operates, but has no affiliation with Yeomans.
Gassett, the marketing entrepreneur, took the Soundcraftsmen equalizer, preamplifier and power amplifier nationally and internationally. It was Gassett, becoming President and CEO of Soundcraftsmen, who took the Coastron/Fedco "House Brand" from a few hundred thousand per year to a multimillion-dollar company. Gassett left in 1980 to expand his international business.
In 1991, the company was acquired by MTX and was renamed MTX Soundcraftsmen. In the mid-1990s MTX discontinued production of Soundcraftsmen components.
High fidelity is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat frequency response within the human hearing range.
An audio power amplifier amplifies low-power electronic audio signals, such as the signal from a radio receiver or an electric guitar pickup, to a level that is high enough for driving loudspeakers or headphones. Audio power amplifiers are found in all manner of sound systems including sound reinforcement, public address, home audio systems and musical instrument amplifiers like guitar amplifiers. It is the final electronic stage in a typical audio playback chain before the signal is sent to the loudspeakers.
Nakamichi Corp., Ltd. is a Japanese consumer electronics brand that originated in Japan and gained a name from the 1970s onwards for original and high quality audio cassette decks. Nakamichi is a subsidiary of Chinese holding company Nimble Holdings.
Marantz is a company that develops and sells high-end audio products. The company was founded in New York, but is now based in California.
PS Audio is an American company specializing in high-fidelity audio components equipment for audiophiles and the sound recording industry. It currently produces audio amplifiers, preamplifiers, power related products, digital-to-analog converters, streaming audio, music management software and cables.
Harman Kardon is a division of US-based Harman International Industries, an independent subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. Harman Kardon was originally founded in Westbury, New York, in 1953 by business partners Sidney Harman and Bernard Kardon.
McIntosh Laboratory is an American manufacturer of handcrafted high-end audio equipment headquartered in Binghamton, New York. It is a subsidiary of McIntosh Group, which is under the ownership umbrella of Highlander Partners, a Dallas-based private equity firm.
Founded by David Hafler and Ed Laurent in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1955, Dynaco was an American hi-fi audio system manufacturer popular in the 1960s and 1970s for its wide range of affordable, yet high quality audio components.. Its best known product was the ST-70 tube stereo amplifier. They also manufactured other tube and solid state amplifiers, preamplifiers, radio tuners and bookshelf loudspeakers. Dynaco was liquidated in 1980, and the trademark is now owned by Radial Engineering Ltd.
Robert W. (Bob) Carver is an American designer of audio equipment based in the Pacific Northwest.
Quasar is an American brand of electronics, first used by Motorola in 1967 for a model line of transistorized color televisions. These TVs were marketed as containing all serviceable parts in a drawer beside the picture tube. It was then established as a subsidiary brand, with all Motorola-manufactured televisions being sold as Quasar by Motorola. In 1974, Motorola sold its television business to Matsushita Electric, now Panasonic, which continued producing and marketing televisions under the Quasar brand until 2005. In 2013, Panasonic re-registered the Quasar trademark.
Gryphon Audio Designs is a manufacturer of high-end audio equipment located in Denmark. Gryphon is known for their extremely expensive cost-no-object audio equipment, with few updates and product changes compared to their competition.
David Hafler was an American audio engineer. He was best known for his work on an improved version of the Williamson amplifier using the ultra-linear circuit of Alan Blumlein.
An audio/video receiver (AVR) is a consumer electronics component used in a home theater. Its purpose is to receive audio and video signals from a number of sources, and to process them and provide power amplifiers to drive loudspeakers and route the video to displays such as a television, monitor or video projector. Inputs may come from a satellite receiver, radio, DVD players, Blu-ray Disc players, VCRs or video game consoles, among others. The AVR source selection and settings such as volume, are typically set by a remote controller.
Luxman is a brand name of Japanese Luxman Corporation (ラックスマン株式会社) that manufactures luxury audio components. Luxman produces a variety of high-end audio products, including turntables, amplifiers, receivers, tape decks, CD players and speakers.
Fisher Electronics was an American company specialising in the field of hi-fi electronics. The company and the name was bought by Japanese electronics conglomerate Sanyo in 1975.
TC Electronic is a Danish audio equipment company that designs and imports guitar effects, bass amplification, computer audio interfaces, audio plug-in software, live sound equalisers, studio and post-production equipment, studio effect processors, and broadcast loudness processors and meters. In August 2015, the company was purchased by Music Group, a holding company chaired by Uli Behringer.
Technics is a Japanese audio brand established by Matsushita Electric in 1965. Since 1965, Matsushita has produced a variety of HiFi and other audio products under the brand name, such as turntables, amplifiers, radio receivers, tape recorders, CD players, loudspeakers, and digital pianos. Technics products were available for sale in various countries. The brand was originally conceived as a line of high-end audio equipment to compete against brands such as Nakamichi.
Home audio refer to audio consumer electronics designed for home entertainment, such as integrated systems like shelf stereos, as well as individual components like loudspeakers and surround sound receivers.
Threshold Audio is a high-end audio equipment manufacturer originally established in California in 1974 by audio engineer Nelson Pass and graphic designer René Besne. The company, today based in Houston Texas, manufactures mono-block and stereo power amplifiers, multi-channel power amplifiers and stereo control amplifiers.
Manley Laboratories, Inc. is an American manufacturer of pro audio equipment, including microphones, signal processors, dynamic range processors, equalizers, converters, and specialized mastering products. Manley is located in Chino, California.
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