Soviet acoustic systems: models, characteristics, manufacturers, reviews

The process of standardization began long ago, at a time when Soviet acoustic systems were represented only by medium- and long-wave radio broadcasters, that is, before electric pickups and tape recorders appeared in the broad strata of the population. The process went quickly. The event of standardization is unprecedented in the consumer market of domestic electronics. The most interesting thing is that the process has not stopped until now.

Start

January 1951 was marked by the first State All-Union Standard (GOST 5651-51) on radio broadcast receivers, to which Soviet acoustic systems received the most general requirements for the quality of sound reproduction. Naturally, with modern capabilities this quality was in no way comparable, but at that time it was the real satisfaction of the most picky listeners. The first Soviet acoustic systems received certain frequency characteristics (at first, this only concerned radio receivers): the curve of fidelity, that is, the frequency response of the entire path of the receiver with respect to sound pressure, should ensure the reproduction of the band on those already listed. The receiver of the first class, for example (desktop), - from 60 to 6500 Hz.

The frequency bands listed by the GOST should be reproduced unevenly, but not more than five times 14 dB (all bands), except for frequencies below 250 kHz, there is a possibility of unevenness up to eight times - 18 dB. The electric frequency response by GOST was not normalized at all, since the sound of the receiver is ultimately determined by its particular characteristics of sound pressure. The receiver of the first class up to 100 Hz with a harmonics factor of 12%, at frequencies up to 400 Hz - 7%, and over 400 - 5%. Contemporaries will remember with nostalgia, and the younger generation will be amazed: did their fathers and grandfathers understand at least something about the sound characteristics. Nevertheless, Soviet acoustic systems not only existed, but also enjoyed great demand. Yes, and today, real experts are laying out for such a "retro" quite a lot of money.

Technologies

Soviet acoustic systems, the review of which is presented in this article, impressed with the originality of the applied technologies always, even significantly up to the fifties of the last century. Here, for example, consider an ordinary loudspeaker, the one around which crowds gathered to listen to messages from the Informbureau in the war years. The loudspeaker was biased. Up to the end of the 50's there were no permanent powerful magnets, and therefore high-quality speakers were equipped with solid wire coils - electromagnets, which simultaneously served as filter chokes of the lamp power supply.

Alternating current gave the background, he had to constantly fight and not less than constantly win. By the way, exactly the same loudspeaker contained the first Soviet acoustic systems manufactured in the USSR, built into small and not even acoustically designed receiver enclosures. Sounded nice and convincing. To explain such a phenomenon, even our contemporaries find it difficult. Accordingly, this GOST and all its subsequent modifications produced a lot of hand-assembled receivers, which faithfully served many generations of owners, and if they were obtained from summer cottages, they are still workable today.

"Symphony"

The first exhibit of our review, as it would now be called this domestic tube stereo radio, is the "music center", as it consisted of a radio receiver and a record player, which is now universally called vinyl. For a long time it was the standard of high quality of sound reproduction, and even now they are decorated with the rarest and most expensive Soviet acoustic systems. For better sound quality at low frequencies , a closed system with a series of volumetric resonators was used there. Soviet acoustic speakers "Symphony" had four loudspeakers: ZGD-15 high-frequency, two 2GD-28 mid-frequency and one 5GD-3 low-frequency. To separate the frequencies, the filters were used directly in the columns themselves.

Such engineering solutions for their ingenious simplicity are quite rare today, especially for volumetric resonators: for example, a two-frequency notch filter with a Helmholtz resonator is a separate space at the bottom of the case with two openings of a horizontal partition - 31 and 23 millimeters. The frequencies were tuned to 100 and 50 Hz, and the filter suppressed the first and second harmonics of the frequency of the network of the amplifying path, eliminating the inevitable "hump" at 60-80 Hz, which is very typical for the speakers that used to be in those days. Vintage equipment is in great demand today, although its sensitivity, as well as power, are insignificant, and distortions are great.

On transistors

Lamp radios are a small-series product, they were rather expensive, but in almost every house in the 60s and 70s such a radio was present and enjoyed the immense love of the whole family: from older opera lovers to young ardent Beatles, because it met the needs of each age . Holidays were arranged with her, she "helped to live and build". Then came stereophonic tape recorders on transistors, even more expensive and even more in demand. They developed much more output power, and they needed a different, more sophisticated acoustics. And she appeared.

From the most popular 10MAS-1M speakers to the Amphiton column, where a long-range low-frequency loudspeaker with a diffuser suspension was used. Modified they were not until the end, skillful owners brought the assembly to the mind. For example, the air escaped from the slits of the column "Amphiton" with great force, so that it was able to extinguish a burning match. Therefore, first of all, all the cracks were filled with epoxy resin. It was in the 1970s that Soviet designers of radio engineering came to the conclusion that copying Western models would significantly improve the quality of domestic products.

"Radio engineering"

S90 came to the people from the Baltic countries in 1978 with the famous acoustics of 35AC-1, which gave rise to this series. Riga Production Association "Radio Engineering", and in particular KB "Orbita", was the designer of new systems of Soviet acoustics. The speakers installed on this series of "Radiotechnika S90" will not be surprised and the most advanced amateurs, but the similar case of speakers anywhere in the world has no analogue. Wood fiber boards (Fibers) were not used there.

They replaced the real aircraft plywood on the front wall and thick and heavy boards of valuable wood on all the other panels. Twenty-three kilograms weighed only such a box. Nevertheless, this acoustics has become a favorite with the consumer. At that time, the electronics of the Riga factory for music lovers meant roughly the same as the Kalashnikov assault rifle during the war. It is a living legend of the domestic column construction. And to this day many hundreds of such systems serve music lovers who gradually update this acoustics.

What is inside

It is worthwhile to turn out two dozen screws fixing the case, remove the steel plate from the top of the front panel, and then carefully remove the low-frequency loudspeaker, a picture worthy of interest of the naturalist will open. First of all, it's gauze and cotton wool, from which made a five-meter mattress, glued to the conscience. The internal surface of the case seems to be unrecoverable, in addition, the mattress covers the tube of the bass reflex, its lumen is almost half closed. Nevertheless, you can get to the rear wall. There, on the steel base, the crossover is strengthened, and from its contact pad conduct wires to the switches to attenuate the MF and HF levels, in principle, completely unnecessary.

They are located next to the same loudspeakers. Nevertheless, you can be sure that, even despite the most obvious flaws in the assembly, the S90 series was so good that it was a breakthrough in true Hi-Fi. There are opinions that 6АС 2 "Radio engineering" did not in the least worse. These are small acoustic systems for the acquisition of electrophones of the first group ("Melody-101, 102, 103, 105 Stereo," for example). After appropriate completion, these columns give a completely qualitative sound. In total, the Soviet industry produced more than fifty models of domestic-purpose acoustic systems, the most diverse. This is not counting the rare, purely variety sets and small-series samples.

Leningrad

Acoustic systems 75AC 001 - the latest development of VNIIRPA named after Popov, introduced into the series. This "swan song" of the domestic column construction is remarkable in that, when creating the project, mathematical modeling was used, and the parameters of the components were optimized with the help of computers (heads and crossover). In this system there are many advantages: effective loudspeakers of new generation (10ГДВ-4, 30ГДС-1, 100ГДН-3), from which a record sensitivity for household systems of the eighties - 91 dBm. The frequency range was more widely provided with a small unevenness and a small level of distortion.

Two factories produced almost identical acoustic systems: "Corvette" ("Oceanpribor", Leningrad) and "Cleaver" ("Red Ray", Taganrog). The sets of loudspeakers, designs and circuits in the models were the same, but in Taganrog, speaker sets were also made. There is practically no investment in electronics. The Baltic countries switched to cheap models according to the Western pattern, accepted without the slightest enthusiasm. And in Russia they traditionally do not trust the quality of domestic electronics, because the production practically died. On the market there are Novosibirsk (Noema) and Gagarin (Smolensk region, OJSC Dynamics), which retained a fairly wide range of domestic speaker systems.

Reviews

Users noted the acoustic system 25AC-033 "Electronics", which was pleasantly surprised by the fact that in 1988 there was such an excellent factory production quality. This plan acoustics usually costs on retro-markets within fifteen to twenty thousand rubles, which, in principle, is not cheap. The body is hermetically sealed, the frame of the bass is metallic. Veneer of wonderful quality, no blunders. All parts are perfectly attached to their seats. The quality of acoustics 25AC-033 "Electronics" is quite comparable with "Estonia-21" or created in 1980 by the "Olympic" 35AC-1. In any case, the columns "Amphitron" do not go to any comparison. For thirty years, even the foam rubber suspension, still factory, did not come into disrepair. The Leningrad plant in this product showed its real height.

In other reviews, it is simply expressed with delight from the Amphitron acoustic system, which is considered a rarity and pride of home appliances, despite being more than thirty years old. The speakers work fine, the sound is soft, uniquely voluminous. Technical characteristics do not differ from the declared ones. With fairly small dimensions and power output per column of 25 watts, this is surprising. Users claim that the peak power of this speaker system is also 90 watts. It is interesting that there is a real "chip" of Soviet industry - there are high-frequency isodynamic radiators, which helps to achieve good performance at high frequencies. Naturally, this acoustic system is complemented by the availability of playback equipment and amplifiers.

Amplifiers

The device for increasing the amperage with the help of special devices - vacuum tubes or transistors - is an electronic amplifier. Thus, the electrical conductivity changes through a control signal, the amplifiers act as if disconnecting or including the current, passing it through. Even with a weak control signal, a current of sufficient power is obtained to trigger the detector or play the sound. Amplifier "Electronics 50U-017S-1" since 1985 was produced at the Kazan NGO "Elekon", where in connection with the conversion, personal computers and high-end stereo players were produced.

In the amplifier 50U-017 there is a system of relay protection against overloads, it makes it possible to work with two pairs of speakers, and any one can be turned off. There is an output power indicator - two-level. Also, the "Electronics" amplifier contains a detachable loudness compensation and a switchable tone block. There are filters for infra-low frequencies and high-frequency noise. Pretty good and long served music lovers in a variety of VIA throughout the country, reviews mostly favorable.

"Romance"

Since 1986, at the Shevchenko plant in Kharkov, acoustic systems 25АС 121 "Romantics" and 50АС-105 were made, almost the same, except for the front panel. These columns can serve both as floorboards and as shelves (which is more problematic). Tremendous and heavy, despite this, power and sensitivity are not at altitude. Often there were problems at low frequencies, if you take more volume.

It's just that it's not recommended to put it on the floor or on a stand - it's buzzing and bubbling, special rubber bands are needed for the speakers, then these unpleasant moments end. "Romantics" is distinguished by the year of manufacture: in 1989 - the first, still plywood, sounded worthy, but after 1991 they became much worse. The rear wall is removable, the chipboard body is 16 millimeters thick, and the front panel is plywood, 18 millimeters. The speakers are located along the central axis, in front of the entire speaker system is protected by a plastic lining, and the loudspeakers with a metal mesh under the lining.

For auto

Motorists who consider themselves "gourmet" sound, oddly enough, are very interested in acquiring exactly the old Soviet radio engineering. Soviet acoustic systems are increasingly being sought on ad sites and bought. It is worth it, by the way, is not so cheap, and not at all the price is at the head of the corner. It has many attractive qualities, primarily purity and power. In Soviet acoustic systems, the signal source and amplifiers are made qualitatively, and when replaced by other, even imported models, the losses are clearly felt. Not a bad option - the Soviet dynamics 35 GDN, a sample, we can say, Gothic, and even with the Chinese radio electronics of wide consumption, even near did not lie.

In addition to the sound that I dreamed of, they miraculously fit into the interior of absolutely any car. When using any speaker - Soviet or Chinese - a box is needed. Of course, Soviet speakers have large size in the rear, in the trunk, under the shelf, only the phase-aligners need to be brought out. The Soviet speaker for the car is not intended, and therefore will have to perform some refinement. This is depending on the case. It may be necessary to install additional pshchalok or high frequency.