Music Centres

[George 1978]

Re: Music Centres

I used to haunt Richer Sounds!

At least I know where the Nottingham branch is...

[Richard1978]

Re: Music Centres

I can remember lusting after the products in their flyers, particularly tape decks and CD players. Don't ever remember buying anything there though. Did they not have a slightly dodgy reputation at the time, e.g. selling repackaged and imperfect/repaired items without letting on?

I not heard of that, but they sometimes sell reconditioned & ex-demo items at a discount, but make this clear.

[zabadak]

Re: Music Centres

I used to haunt Richer Sounds!

[CrystalBall]

Re: Music Centres

I'm lucky to have a Richer Sounds near me, which has been round since the early 1980s.

I can remember lusting after the products in their flyers, particularly tape decks and CD players. Don't ever remember buying anything there though. Did they not have a slightly dodgy reputation at the time, e.g. selling repackaged and imperfect/repaired items without letting on?

[Richard1978]

Re: Music Centres

So when did music centres/all-in-one cabinet systems go out of fashion? I would say the mid-1980s when midi-systems took over, which were in turn overtaken by mini-systems without record decks (e.g. JVC MX-1) in the early 1990s when CD became all the rage. Hi-fi separates were always a relatively small sector of the market and this is even more the case today. Every major city used to have two or three specialist hi-fi shops, now you are lucky if there is one!

I'm lucky to have a Richer Sounds near me, which has been round since the early 1980s.

[CrystalBall]

Re: Music Centres

So when did music centres/all-in-one cabinet systems go out of fashion? I would say the mid-1980s when midi-systems took over, which were in turn overtaken by mini-systems without record decks (e.g. JVC MX-1) in the early 1990s when CD became all the rage. Hi-fi separates were always a relatively small sector of the market and this is even more the case today. Every major city used to have two or three specialist hi-fi shops, now you are lucky if there is one!

[Clare]

Re: Music Centres

I remember my dad (RIP+) assembling a Technics hi-fi in the '80s.

[Zincubus]

Re: Music Centres

Ah yes Technics .... seem to recall being 'bullied' by peers to get rid of my Silver Sharp system and get a black Technics one as it was the 'thing' to have a Black HiFi ..


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[Arran]

Re: Music Centres

Music centre = radiogram with semiconductors in a plastic case.

There were also all in one Hi-Fis in upright cabinets with a glass front and a space to store records at the bottom.

The advantage of Hi-Fi separates was that you could add a CD player and remove the record turntable at a later date.

[Mulletino]

Re: Music Centres

My parents had an HMV Radiogramme, one of those long wooden cabinets that could play lots of records all stacked up.

Then they moved onto a 70s Music Centre with the record player, radio and tape deck all in a small wooden case with a smoked plastic lid. Their's had touch buttons on the front so you could change stations without pressing them. I I remember listening to (and taping) the audio serialisation of Star Wars on this. It had pride of place in their G-Plan wall unit.

I had the usual ghettoblaster type things, then in 1990 (I think) bought myself this Technics system which cost me almost a grand:



I still have it (am thinking of getting rid of it) but don't use it, I do however still use the speakers it came with on my games room surround system.

I also got this from an ex who's uncle was a BBC sound engineer, so he had top of the range stuff, I gave it to my bro-in-law:




It's very beat up now after so many moves. Nowadays I just have my Sony 7.1 Surround amp and a Yamaha 5.1 surround amp and some small radios.

[Zincubus]

Re: Music Centres

Think that I just had Sharp separates back in the day ...plus an amazing looking / sounding Armstrad turntable - it was basically a black pine base with a silver alloy three -pronged turntable ...


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[CrystalBall]

Re: Music Centres

I think that Waltham was based in the Republic of Ireland, although by ~1980 they would probably be selling mainly rebranded products imported from the Far East like their direct competitors, e.g. Bush/Alba, Ingersoll, Fidelity etc. They were not exclusive to Woolworths - I can definitely remember them being in Argos catalogues and I think in Dixons/Currys as well.

[zabadak]

Re: Music Centres

I had a National Panasonic one for my 18th birthday (although I had to pay half). I had it for years, even though one of the channels went about 2 years after I got it...

[George 1978]

Re: Music Centres

Most of them had a clear lid to keep the dust out.

Waltham was mostly sold though Woolworths, so they might not be around.

Yes, that rings a bell (as well as other sounds of course). My parents used to get so much stuff from Woolies - records, tapes and that in the 1970s, even Christmas decorations as well. The W logo was not a million miles away from Woolworths' as well.

I certain that I had also seen Waltham branded radio cassette recorders as well as record players in 1980s Argos catalogues as well, so I don't think they were exclusive to Woolworths - a bit like how Chad Valley toys were sold by both those stores. I think that Waltham bit the dust (so to speak) a good few years prior to Woolworths closing down for good.

As I live in the East Midlands and got TV programmes from the Waltham transmitter (as well as the Music Centre having an aerial socket at the back where my family had a two way aerial plugged in there), I actually thought that there was some association between the manufacturer and the transmitter!

[Trickyvee]

Re: Music Centres

One of our neighbours had one. I thought it was amazing, along with everything else in her house. I've spoken of this neighbour before. She was a widowed woman in her 60's who's flat was a shrine to the 1960's and Mediterranean holidays. Coming from a very conservatively decorated flat of the 80's with minimal flash content, I simply LOVED her flat. Everything was white and turquoise, and the things the 9 year old me coveted, aside from the big wooden music centre, included a Del Boy style mini bar, multi colour fibre optic lamp, big TV with remote control and teletext (we had neither on our TV), turquoise glass head, fancy beaded curtain, big swish executive chair that spun around and a big bowl of semi precious stones from around the world. Some of these things seem quite mundane now but I had never seen such things anywhere at that age. My mother used to say she had no taste.