Yorkshire regiment Looking back at the early days of hi-fi manufacturing in Britain, starting with 'God's own county', Steve Harris wonders whether there are lessons to be learned from designs now lost to history

摘要

It's hardly noticeable now, but there was a time when British hi-fi came with a strong regional heritage. In the 1970s, a patriotic Yorkshireman could put together a complete system built entirely in 'God's own county'. Your turntable, arm and cartridge would be from Connoisseur, the brand of A R Sugden & Co. In fact, in the hi-fi boom years, Connoisseur provided the cheapest possible separate turntable or 'motor unit'. It was called the BD1. Countless young hopefuls bought and assembled the BD1 kit, putting up with its rather small 10in platter, the rubber bands that suspended the motor, and the on-off switch knob that had a little lug attached to give the platter a mechanical starting nudge as you turned it.