Some additional candidates for greatest hifi product of all time. I’m restricting myself to stuff that’s still being made decades later.
1. Klipschorn loudspeaker: now on its 8th decade, the Klipschorn is the longest continually produced loudspeaker on the planet. Even today, the principles that governed its design are so forward looking that they stand out as a monument of brilliant design. These include high efficiency for low distortion; corner placement that allows placing them in smaller rooms; and an elegant finish that unlike most of the hideous monstrosities that pass for loudspeakers these days makes them far more attractive. Paul Klipsch, along with U.K.’s Peter Walker, remains the most creative American genius of loudspeaker design in my book.
2. Denon 103 moving coil cartridge: the Denon is the world’s longest continually produced moving coil cartridge and still revered by many six decades on. At a time when moving coil cartridges are climbing into the mid five figures, the Denon remains a bargain at less than $400. It’s no nonsense design coupled with a response profile that’s far more neutral than many of the obscenely priced cartridges with a rising top end makes the Denon a contender.
3. The Linn Sondek LP-12: Surely the greatest turntable of all time, continually produced now for five decades, the LP-12 remains a testament to simplicity and elegance. At a time when turntables are being produced that weigh in the thousands of pounds and need a forklift to move around, the LP-12 is based on the principle that high mass is not only unnecessary for making a good turntable, but can actually impede the sound. The LP-12 defined PRAT — pace, rhythm and timing — as the fundamental essence of good vinyl sound.