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Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment.

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Old 3rd Apr 2016, 10:27 am   #1
Edward Huggins
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Default Period High Fidelity

I've always found it interesting that 2 companies making similarly specified so-called "hi fi" units in reproduction styled cabinets, co-existed in Maidenhead. Were these totally independent or did one grow from out from the other? Edward
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Old 3rd Apr 2016, 11:59 am   #2
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Default Re: Period high fidelity

Edward,
What were the two companies, Dynatron and Hacker? If so there is a definite connection.
http://www.dynatronmuseum.org.uk/History.htm
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Old 3rd Apr 2016, 12:11 pm   #3
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: Period high fidelity

Many thanks. Yes, I know about the interesting story behind the evolution of Hacker and Dynatron.
No, I am talking about PERIOD HIGH FIDELITY, a sort of Dynatron look-a-like company based in Maidenhead and with a London sales office.
Having had the chance to compare build quality, and considering all those poorly "thrown together" chassis from the later Dynatrons - especially those from Cambridge, PERIOD units look far better built. Edward
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Old 3rd Apr 2016, 3:47 pm   #4
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

Not heard of the company Period High Fidelity. Always learn something everyday.

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Old 3rd Apr 2016, 4:22 pm   #5
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

Period High Fidelity turned out products almost identical to Dynatron in the 1970's, I have encountered both over the years and IMHO there is very little difference between the two on the quality front.

These 'Period' cabinet systems were very popular, my father had a Dynatron system with a Goldring single play turntable. It did sound pretty good, but I let the house clearance guys have it when he passed away.

There seem to be a few of these systems on Ebay, but they don't fetch much money.

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Old 17th Feb 2019, 7:07 pm   #6
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Default Period High Fidelity company?

OK I have a question, does anyone know anything about the "Period High Fidelity" company?

From what I can find so far, they specialised in making reproduction antique furniture with stereo equipment hidden inside. I've spotted a music centre in a local auction that looks reasonable, although I can't bid it's piqued my interest & was wondering whether anyone here knows about them and what sort of quality the kit was.

From what I can tell, the item I have seen is in a cabinet emulating a dressing table, using a higher end Garrard single play TT & has speaker cabinets designed to look like the stool for the table but apart from that I know nothing of them.

Edit-: Seems somebody liked what they saw, hammer was £90!
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Old 17th Feb 2019, 7:15 pm   #7
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

I serviced one last year, it seemed to have a Thorn Chassis in it,
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Old 17th Feb 2019, 7:39 pm   #8
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

That would explain a lot, I always seem to find myself inexplicably drawn to Thorn/EMI kit haha! Wouldn't have dropped £90 on it though, the cabinets looked tatty.

Edit- Oh I see my post has been amalgamated with another referring to the company. I did a quick forum search for the name prior to my post but it brought up nothing?

Last edited by ekjdm14; 17th Feb 2019 at 7:44 pm.
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Old 17th Feb 2019, 8:29 pm   #9
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

Van Der Molen also made these period units that looked like desks or a chest of drawers almost identical to the Dynatron units .Inside were the same electronics that went into their other stuff. theres one on Ebay right now
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Old 17th Feb 2019, 8:52 pm   #10
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

I think that this firm and others in the 50’s/60’s were often retailers/suppliers of ‘furniture’ in which they fitted hi-fi equipment as requested by the customer. They expanded by making ‘readymade’ items for immediate delivery and the ability to supply through other dealers. Back in those days it was common to buy your own gear and a cabinet to fit it in if you wanted something better than a radiogram.
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Old 17th Feb 2019, 9:28 pm   #11
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

Van Der Molen, forgotten about those, we sold a few, seem to remember they were cheaper than Dynatron for similar looking units. Nothing special inside but they were purchased for the cabinet style more than performance.
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Old 8th Mar 2019, 9:00 pm   #12
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

Period High Fidelity was started by W G 'Bill' Harrison after he left as MD of Dynatron and set up down the road. The chassis was a crib of the contemporary Dynatron chassis (SRX29/30) and was made by a company called Impulse Audio, which was probably part of, or very closely allied to, PHF. He bought in cassette decks from Toshiba, I think, and had very elaborate cabinets made by local cabinet makers.
I can't remember how long the company lasted, but they seemed to produce quite a few units in that time.
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Old 8th Mar 2019, 10:11 pm   #13
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

I've noticed a couple on Ebay recently, in period cabinets using the 'range topping' Ferguson Studio 50D music centre. Must be late 70's/early 80's.
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Old 9th Mar 2019, 12:35 am   #14
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

That's interesting. I'm not aware that he ever sourced anything from Thorn - perhaps it was retro-fitted by an owner in place of the PHF gear. The cabinets certainly lent themselves to such modification.
If the Thorn chassis was an original fit, it may have been towards the end of PHF's life if the Impulse Audio chassis was no longer available for some reason.
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Old 9th Mar 2019, 12:37 am   #15
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

Just noticed that audiomagpie said there were two on Ebay with Thorn chassis, so maybe the latter case was true.
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Old 9th Mar 2019, 10:33 am   #16
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

Dynatron tended to use basic, mass produced, Goodmans drive units in their enclosures whereas I believe Period High Fidelity used Danish (Peerless?) drivers which were better made.
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Old 9th Mar 2019, 11:44 am   #17
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

I've come across three of these Period High Fidelity set-ups in the past couple of years, and in all three cases the foam surrounds to the speakers had rotted away.
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Old 11th Mar 2019, 10:43 pm   #18
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

Dynatron didn't use 'mass-produced' speaker drive units from anyone - nearly all were produced to Dynatron's specification. They used Danish made Peerless drive units from about 1967 for the Audio Separates units such as LS1428, LS1018, etc and some of the more expensive radiogramophones, with rubber roll surrounds, which don't rot. I think they may have used some foam-edged Indian made Peerless units towards the end of production in cheaper units. By the sound of it, PHF used the cheaper Indian Peerless drive units.
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Old 12th Mar 2019, 9:16 am   #19
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

I used to sell this stuff in Windows in the Central Arcade in Newcastle in the early 70's. I had a Saturday and school holiday job there.

I was honestly much more interested in selling Quad, Thorens, SME, B&O etc. Dynatron stuff was regular mid/low fi stuff in a wooden cabinet for those who's priority was something that looked like furniture.

Sorry - my hifi and TV prejudices coming out to play! Even from age 16.

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Old 12th Mar 2019, 9:22 am   #20
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Default Re: Period High Fidelity

Of course one of the best TV's around at the time was the Sony Trinitron. A guy and his wife came in one day to buy a TV, and I extolled the virtues of the Sony. "Where does this come from, laddie?" "Japan"

Turned out the guy was a POW in Japan in WWII. I got chapter and verse.

I sold him a Dynatron.
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