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Mail Order HiFi back in the Day.... Where'd ya Buy?

Man, I missed this thread the first time around!

I collected all the mail order catalogs and even kept an index card with all the '1-800' numbers of the others.

Used to call Wisconsin Discount Stereo and others all the time to get quotes. Bought my first piece of audio gear via mail order from Stereo Discounters (an Akai AM-2400) - I believe I still have the stub from the cashier's check (for $147, IIRC). I collected the Warehouse Sound and Illinois Audio catalogs, but they were lost in a move (along with many boxes and boxes of audio brochures - wah!!!). International Hi-Fi, Dixie Hi-Fi, Sound Reproduction, Tokyo Shapiro, International Hi Fi Distributors (NJ), J&R, - I remember them all.

But there's one that I NEVER can remember the name of - there was one place out of CT or some other northeast state that used to publish catalogs ala Warehouse Sound - 'matched' systems described in the most hip, groovy, and with-it terms...all illustrations (pretty good ones, at that) and no photos...'half-height' (6"h x 8"w?) format...but no matter how much I think or search I never have been able to remember WHAT THE HELL THEIR NAME WAS! Arrrgggghhhh!

Great thread guys, keep the memories comin'!
 
J&R Music World & Crutchfield for me in the mid 80's. I wanted so many of the boomboxes in the J&R catelog, but never got one. I remember ordering Baby Advent's from Crutchfield.
 
Baltimore Stereo Wholesalers/Stereo Discounters

veloceleste said:
I was a store manager for Stereo Discounters/Electronic World in PA. The chain was based out of the Baltimore, MD area and had a number of stores in MD, PA, NJ, and DE as well as a catalogue division. They eventually closed for a number of reasons not the least of which was the advent of the big box retailer.
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Ah, good old Stereo Discounters! I used to buy from them in the 70's, even before they were called Stereo Discounters...when they were called Baltimore Stereo Wholesalers. I bought my first "real" system from them-a Garrard Turntable (SP20 with Shure M93E Cartridge), a Marantz 1030 Amp (I still have it!) and AR-4x Speakers (still have them too). The good old days! I was 13 years old a the time. I'll never forget how excited I'd be when the UPS man would show up with my latest delivery from Baltimore!

Peter
 
I dont have the age of most of you guys so my mail order days were in the 1990s.

I used to order through Sound City all the time. Also J&R music world etc.. I used to price shop these guys for days and beat em down on price. Hell, cash was limited when I was 12 or so!

I always go used nowadays because my habit has outgrown the budget.

Evan
 
WDS or American TV boy do I remember all of the places listed in this thread.
WDS is the warehouse behind American TV. I had a good friendship with the
audio manager. Let me take the 1st of 2 CD players when it was store
display taking orders on them. The Sony or Hitachi DA1000 the later one I
took. He proceeded to put a cardboard display of the unit out in its place.
I was 1 of the top spenders their at 60K in 6 yrs. Back then only 13 discs
were available for the cd.
Sound Reproduction had loose components I purchased some things from
them also. Empire 698II for $399 some Altec components.
But the best of all from them was 4- EV 30W woofers at the time $400 ea.
Boy was the UPS driver pissed when he brought them. Huge boxes and the
UPS driver almost messed himself when I opened the boxes looking for
damage. Not 1 was damage not like todays shipping:yes:
 
I had a Stereo Discounters and a Lafayette Radio store within 3 miles of my house and I spent many an hour browsing and dreaming in them. I also bought most of my earliest gear there. My first "real" receiver came from Lafayette. I guess I was lucky enough to have many audio-related stores in my area so I never really had to rely on mail order back then.

I did, however, have just about every one of those catalogs Mark posted. Wow, that brought back memories. I really wish I had held on to a few of them but I tossed them a long, long time ago when they were "out of date". Thanks for posting those, Mark! Your collection of old stereo literature must be incredible!
 
Ah, memories!

Most of the big mail order sellers of the time also had retail stores, but often traded under a different name by mail.

Dixie Hifi was operated by Wards, Inc., who later changed their name to Circuit City.

International Hifi Distributors was actually Stansbury Stereo, a small Baltimore chain that was later absorbed by Bryn Mawr Stereo of PA (who in turn was absorbed by Tweeter a few years later).

WDS (Wisconsin Discount Stereo) was actually American TV & Appliance of Madison, which is still in business as a regional retail chain.

J&R Music of NY is still in business today and continues to sell mail order.

Other companies with college rep programs included BrandsMart (still in business in Florida as an appliance chain) and Hifi Warehouse Company in NJ (who later changed their name to Soundworks and then folded).
 
Too young to have ordered anything stereo related in the 70's but I do have a Sansui G-7700 with all of its documentation and the sales receipt was from Wisconsin Discount Stereo which has been mentioned several times in this thread. It was purchased from someone [ I can't recall the name specifically off the top of my head ] who lived in Erie, PA. Wouldn't it be ironic if the original owner is an AKer?:yes:
 
I ran the Cramer Electronic college rep program that existed for a few years until Olson bought them out. It was fun and I met a good number of people. I especially enjoyed dealing with the Hofstra crowd who competed against Crazy Eddie.
 
Midwest Hi Fi was where my First rec camer from. A Harman Kardon 930 with dual power supplies. Listen to it at Tech Hi-Fi in Southgate Mi. with Double Advents, bought it from Midwest.
Then ended up working at the same Tech Hi-Fi store and later managed it.
I hated when people would shop me and buy it mail order.

Hifijoe
 
In the late 60's thru the mid-70's, I bought from Allied Radio (later Radio Shack), Lafayette, Burstein-Applebee (Kansas City, MO) and Heathkit. We had a few local electronic supply houses that sold gear too. My brother and I put together a system using a Heath integrated amp, a Garrard TT from B-A and a pair of two-way Utah's purchased locally. The system served us well for many years.
 
My grandmother bought her Thorens TD-124 shipped from the Harvey Radio Company, NYC. I assume in the early '60s. In her file cabinet I found a hand written note on company letter head saying that the tonearm/mounting board were shipped separately. "Carefully unpack the arm and place it in position on TD-124 and fasten with the three mounting screws. If there are any problems please call me. Signed Anton Schmitt"


I now have the TT and Harvey Audio/Home Theater is in bankruptcy.
 
I used to buy my Maxell UDXL II cassette tapes from Illinois Audio. I also bought some equipment from them including an Akai GX4000D Reel to reel which I still own. I even bought some items from DAK too.
 
Wow!! memories of mail order Hi-Fi

I purchased items from Dixie Hi-Fi. I don't recall where where they where located. I still have the Koss Pro4aa headphones that UPS delivered to my doorstep on a below zero temp day. The liquid filled ear-surrounds were frozen solid. Those where the days!
 
mhardy6647 said:
Gordon Miller Music in Baltimore -- did they sell mail order? They had a catalog...

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That SAE 31B was my first seperate power amp. Very dependable, had it for decades!

Russellc
 
I always wondered who was 'behind' Wisconsin Discount Stereo. I seem to remember them being based in Madison, WI...which makes me think it was a mail order branch of "Crazy TV Lenny's" American stores.

I ordered from Illinois Audio...til one day, they weren't anymore. I still can see their green paper price sheets, with characatures of "Ed", "Sonny" and some other guy..."Rich"? on the upper corner.
 
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