The New Shape of Sound

By J.D. Reed

A revolution is taking place in stereo listening, and it is not spinning on the turntable. It is the turntable. And the amplifier. And the loudspeakers. For a number of sound reasons, stereo gear is becoming more sensuous, simpler and a little more fun to have around the house. One smooth new rig hangs on the wall, and others sport faux-marble finishes. Says Klaus Bunge, who imports advanced West German equipment: "The Harley-Davidson look is over."

Stereo styling often has been left to the boys in the back room -- engineers who allowed function to outshout form. One disturbing result is that hi-fi stores are packed with black boxes that bristle with knobs, slides, switches and glowing lights. Even after consulting the thick manuals that come with such equipment, one wonders how to get Yo-Yo Ma or Milli Vanilli to come out and play. Some audiophiles call the look "Tokyo by night," because many of the rigs are made in Japan, where copious features are much in demand by consumers.

Now a chorus of small American and European firms is singing a different stylistic tune, hoping to woo a design-conscious generation. Rather than the modernist dictum of form follows function, these companies are banking on the theory that sales will follow form. That philosophy worked for Denmark's Bang & Olufsen, which became a Bauhaushold word after its sleek 1972 stereo outfit joined the Museum of Modern Art's design collection. U.S. firms are hiring ) innovative young industrial designers like Boston's Carol Catalano to give their equipment forward spin. Says Catalano, who designed loudspeakers for Acoustic Research: "Competitive aesthetics is an important element now." So far, most of the pleasing new styles are giving only high-end gear a more playful personality. It may be a while before the innovations scale down to the lower registers.

The most harmonious advance has been toward simplicity. Says Amar Bose, head of a Massachusetts stereo company: "Fine stereo should be like a refrigerator. Plug it in and it goes." To warm up the inherent high-tech coldness of components, designer Charles Rozier uses a minimum of controls. For Adcom, he shaped knobs like those on vintage gas stoves, and buttons that are reminiscent of 1950s audio equipment.

Such ideas, say the manufacturers, should please women, many of whom have resisted buying -- or dealing with -- complicated rigs. A prime goal for stereo's new shape is what insiders call the "wifeability" factor. Hi-fi remains mainly a male hobby, but when a man plunks down a 6-ft.-tall pair of $10,000 speakers in the living room, he is asking for static. Says Apogee Acoustics' Jason Bloom: "No married man is going to get this stuff into the house without the wife's acceptance." It's the only way for a couple to make beautiful music together.