Douglas Hi-Fi Melbourne?

[AvSat44]

I bought an Akai reel to reel deck from their store in my 20's. Cost me a fortune. It was a GX-646. I still have it and it still works. It only gets cranked up maybe twice a year. I originally had it running into a Luxman SQ77T/II (which I also still have) with Wharfedale speakers. The other source was a Goldring G99 turntable with a grace arm and Lux cartridge. The amplifier and turntable were purchased from the MAN himself, Alec Encel, at his original Bridge Road, Richmond store (closer to the Yarra) where he also sold whitegoods. The Wharfy's came from the uncle of a friend who worked for Astor Records in Centre Road, South Oakleigh. The uncle used to supply us with new release 45's at the time.

I'm also pretty sure that after the Douglas HiFi store in Bourke Street closed, they re-opened in Whitehorse Road, Mitcham. Someone please tell me I'm not dreaming.

[Lysander]

On 15/01/2024 at 2:19 PM, BLAH BLAH said:

My eyes are drawn to the right...the curb...classy old cars! And their colours! And no parking meters! 

Obviously a Saddy Arvo...Melbourne has shut down for the weekend...you can tell by the clean street...no macdonald wrappers, coke cans/buckets...cigarette butts!

Plane tree recently planted...five year old?!?

Down the footpath...way ahead...obviously tourists...oblivious to the closed shops!

AHhhhh them were the days...one pm saddy arvo and you had the whole town to yourself...except for the pair of coppers walking their shift from Russell street!

Same here when I first found this image, straight to the right. Considering how sick the world has became and it's about to get a hell of a lot sicker. I would love to use a time machine head back there and stay. In my early days studying photography I would wonder around the whole city all day on Sunday with a bag full of gear plus tripod taking photos unhindered, this was the late eighties to early nineties. On a Sunday the city would be like that in the image. I really miss those days.

Edited January 31, 2024 by Lysander

[AUDIOMAN2]

Just getting back to Douglas HiFi, I was flicking through on old (very old) copy of the Melbourne Herald broadsheet newspaper dated Wednesday, July 2, 1980 (as you do on a Saturday morning) and on page 7, I discovered this advertisement. Douglas used to sell a lot of these stacks which always incorporated some of their "home" brand gear as is the case here with the Linear Design turntable and speakers. I was in my late 20's and while I only ever purchased one item for myself at Douglas, an Akai R to R, I always considered the LD brand to be excellent value for people getting into the hobby. By the way, the selling price for the newspaper was 15 cents!

[Assisi]

28 minutes ago, AUDIOMAN2 said:

By the way, the selling price for the newspaper was 15 cents!

I remember when it cost One shilling and even further back 4 pence.  Now I am showing my age

John

[BLAH BLAH]

57 minutes ago, Assisi said:

I remember when it cost One shilling and even further back 4 pence.  Now I am showing my age

John

...I remember when...

A shiny threepence piece would buy either the Herald or the Sun...and no change!

Same amount for the pink Sporting Globe on a late Saddy Arvo...to hopefully get the final footy scores/racing results and then the local Newsagent would finally close shop for the night!

I remember when they were used as sole wrapping paper for fish and chips at our local chippy! As you unwrapped and were eating your chippies...topped with marty sauce...one could re-read/catch-up with the news you had missed out reading during the previous weeks...so very convenient!

Course if you got 'The Truth' as chippy wrapping...one's chippies ended up cold for some strange reason...talk about engrossed reading...spesh if one was lucky enough to score the Heart Balme and/or ***** Willow newspaper sections!

I also remember when they were used in the outhouse...large square pieces of newspaper, 6 inches by 6 inches...nailed to the wall...news not fit to be imprinted on...

As for 'Age' I think it was threepence too...

Edited May 25, 2024 by BLAH BLAH

[Assisi]

19 minutes ago, BLAH BLAH said:

...I remember when...

You are also showing your age.  I remember when my father delivered with his truck the Sporting Globe to the Newsagents on the Saturday.  My grandmother used the old telephone book in the toilet hanging up on the door with string.  I remember early in the morning the slow clip clop of the horse with the milk man's cart.  Ah the good memories of things no longer . 

 

Off topic.  I will stop now.

John

[BLAH BLAH]

3 minutes ago, Assisi said:

You are also showing your age.  I remember when my father delivered with his truck the Sporting Globe to the Newsagents on the Saturday.  My grandmother used the old telephone book in the toilet hanging up on the door with string.  I remember early in the morning the slow clip clop of the horse with the milk man's cart.  Ah the good memories of things no longer . 

 

Off topic.  I will stop now.

John

I canna stop now...I remember...the milk man's horse and cart...I also remember the wooden horse that held the hessian bag packed with newspapers that fitted on top of the bar between the bike handles, and bicycle seat used by the news paperboy to deliver morning newspapers!

I also remember the briquette man's truck/wheel barrow load of briquettes...and the ice man's water leaking truck...

[evil c]

3 hours ago, Assisi said:

I remember when it cost One shilling and even further back 4 pence.  Now I am showing my age

John

I honestly didn't realise how far back it was John -  shortly after the war l imagine (?)

It has piqued my distant early childhood memories, also remember the clip clop of the Milko's horse and cart and the wood pit for the briquettes!

 

My first stereo system in the early days, was a Hanimex Cassette deck my parents gave me .

l raided two old radiograms,

( Kriesler?), and removed their valve amplifiers and ran them with some kit Phillips tweeter, mids and woofers speakers l bought from Beland Electronics in Cheltenham.

Initially mounted on a baffle board until I built cabinets for them.

 

I was around 14 at the time, wonderful period in my life - hard to believe still a passion !,

On Douglas hifi ,remember going there regularly late 70's - Aladdin's cave of stuff back then to me !

 

Edited May 25, 2024 by evil c

[audiofeline]

4 hours ago, BLAH BLAH said:

...Course if you got 'The Truth' as chippy wrapping...one's chippies ended up cold for some strange reason...talk about engrossed reading...spesh if one was lucky enough to score the Heart Balme and/or ***** Willow newspaper sections!...

"The Awful Truth - My adventures with Australia's most notorious tabloid" is an interesting and enjoyable read.  Adrian Tame, one of their leading "journo's", writes about his time with The Truth newspaper.  Some funny anecdotes, and given what occurred behind the scenes I'm surprised they managed to get some editions to the printers!

[Assisi]

Rather than derail this thread it may be an opportunity for the start of an thread.  A title I suggest "Ah The Memories"

 

@Marc Could you set up the thread wherever it belongs and move some of the Posts from this thread to a new one? 

I am sure it would be an interesting exercise for us all to try and out do each other with humour both recent and no so recent of our memories ephemeral and audio related.  @BLAH BLAH and I have exchange PMs re the night cart man and the cans that fell off the shoulder of the collector and the consequences.  What a job.

Before  broadcasts in stereo happened I remember about 60 years ago listening to an ABC experiment listening to two different stations with two different radios coordinated with the music playback to create a quasi stereo image with a mono recording.  There was a different announcer talking from each station.  

What about having to ask ones parents to use the phone.  Turn the handle on the phone to connect to the exchange, tell the telephonist the number you wanted and the connection was made.  Some people were on party lines and they could and did eaves drop listen to each others calls when they shouldn't  I could go on.

John

[davm]

I bought a pair of Gale 401c loudspeakers from Douglas HiFi.  I remember doing a side-by-side comparison between them and a pair of Yamaha NS1000 monitors, so they definitely had some good speakers for sale.