Einblick in den Imhofs Hifi Katalog von 1962
Es ist etwas Besonderes, einen so gut erhaltenen Hifi-Katalog aus dem England von 1962 zu bekommen. Wir haben die Seiten so geschickt wie möglich aufgeteilt, sonst würde eine einzelne Seite zu lang werden. Blättern Sie oben in der weißen Leiste von Seite zu Seite.
Im Jahr 2011 habe ich ein wenig (nach-) recherchiert über IMHOFs Hifi Studio und Plattenbar in London-Museum.
Doch es ist nichts mehr zu finden. Auf den Google Maps ist weder das Haus noch die Hausnummer noch zu finden. An der Ecke steht ein großer Büroblock. Es sind ja auch fast 50 Jahre und die Welt verändert sich. Von unserem damaligen edlen Wiesbadener Braun Hifi-Studio "Hifi am Kureck" ist auch nichts mehr übrig geblieben.
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this is a family business established in 1845
- 1845 Daniel Imhof founded the business in New Oxford Street to sell musical instruments, including pianos and mechanical song-birds. Among his own inventions was the Orchestrion, a large clockwork instrument playing orchestral music with astonishing fidelity.
- 1851 Imhofs improved Orchestrion received the Premier Award at the first World Exhibition, held in Hyde Park.
- 1864 Imhofs instituted their contract tuning service, forerunner of the modern maintenance service; clients all over Europe had their instruments tuned regularly for a fixed annual fee.
- 1896 Imhofs became the first shop in Britain to sell a gramophone and the first dealers to be appointed HMV agents.
- 1897 Imhofs received the Royal Warrant to supply automatic organs to Her Majesty, Queen Victoria.
- 1902 An advance in the fidelity of gramophone performance came with Imhofs manufacture of the first seamless, one-piece metal horn. These were supplied to His Master's Voice under contract.
- 1903 Imhofs held the country's first public gramophone recital; this was given in Holborn before an audience of several hundreds.
- 1910 Imhofs made the first non-metallic needles, from bamboo, reducing the serious problem of record wear resulting from the heavy sound-boxes of the period.
- 1916 Imhofs introduced for the first time a public address type of gramophone, the Stentophone; this was driven by compressed air.
- 1924 Imhofs began supplying, installing and maintaining radio receivers.
- 1925 The first home electrical record-reproducer, the Panatrope, was introduced in Britain by Imhofs. This was the immediate forerunner of the radiogram.
- 1927 Imhofs were appointed suppliers to His Most Catholic Majesty, the King of Spain.
- 1930 Mrs. Kathleen Imhof gave the first gramophone recital ever held at the Queen's Hall. This led to a series of monthly recitals at Imhofs showrooms, which has now developed into regular Hi-Fi recitals.
- 1936 Imhofs became the first retailers ever to offer a complete television service.
- 1937 Imhofs began making IM Long-Playing thorn needles.
- 1938 Imhofs had sold and installed more television receivers than any other retail house in the world.
- 1946 The first Trolley Control Cabinet was designed and built for Godfrey Imhofs personal use; this was the first of many exclusive Hi-Fi cabinets.
- 1951 Imhofs initiated their five-year maintenance scheme with same-day service.
- 1953 Imhofs opened the Service Centre at Islington to give unified servicing over a large area. The Melody Bar, opened at New Oxford Street, was the prototype for the modern self-service record shop in England.
- 1955 Imhofs Hi-Fi cabinets were displayed at Halsingborg by the Council of Industrial Design.
- 1956 Imhofs Hi-Fi cabinets were displayed by the Council of Industrial Design at London, Stockholm and Gothenburg. Imflex unit cabinets were accepted for 'Design Review'.
- 1958 Imhofs Hi-Fi cabinets were shown at exhibitions of good design in New York and Frankfurt. Two new stereo listening rooms opened at New Oxford Street showrooms.
- 1959 Melody Bar enlarged and modernised, giving a total of 20 individual listening rooms.
- 1960 Imhofs designed and built special Stereo, High-Fidelity, Stereophonic Tape and Disc Sound Reproduction System for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to present to their Majesties the King and Queen of Nepal on the occasion of their state visit to London. Imhofs designed and supplied Hi-Fi system for Red Carpet room of the Liner Oriana. Imhofs introduced the Stereo Comparator.
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This Imhof advertisement of 1897
shows the first clockwork gramophone to use disc records.
Its design is familiar the world over for it was later incorporated in the famous His Master's Voice trade mark.
Imhofs were the first shop in Britain to sell this instrument.
The Orchestrion was one of the earliest Imhof products. The first models were made in 1845 and this astonishing instrument rapidly gained an immense reputation and was installed in every royal house in Europe.
A pioneer of high fidelity, the Orchestrion gave remarkably authentic results because it was a means of mechanically playing an entire orchestra, rather than a method of reproducing sound.
It is a reminder that we were selling hi-fi instruments before the electron had been discovered.
Das war also die Einleitung zur Geschichte von IMHOFs
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