Whatever Happened To SAE?

Cal Stereo, I remember that place? I forgot where it was located though.

I grew up in the South Bay and remember when Licorice Pizza, the Wherehouse flagship store and a great little stereo shop were all on the corner of Sepulveda and Hawthorne Blvd.

I'll never forget one Saturday in the late 1970s walking around that area and I heard Star Wars blasting from that stereo shop from across the street. I went inside and a bispectacled young salesman had the Star Wars theme blaring from a single Altec speaker with a horn tweeter and a 24" woofer. I remember him smiling and yelling, "doesn't it sound great?!!!!" Yes, it did.

Cassandra Peterson [Elvira] and Shadoe Stevens [FredRated] were both on KROQ, Frasier Smith was on KLOS and Jeff Gonzer was on KMET. Ahh, the days.

Roger Sound Labs had their own line of oak audio stands. Twenty five to thirty years ago I thought it was the coolest, classiest stuff I'd ever seen.

Remember Paris Audio in Torrance and West LA? I used to go in there all the time and stare at the stuff I couldn't afford. Perreaux MF2150, KEF 104.2s, and that Carver Cool Cube.

Old Towne Mall?! Dimensions in Stereo? I remember that place! Old Towne used to be such a happnin' place thirty plus years ago when I was in high school.

There are still two places in Redondo Beach right next to each other. Systems Design Group and Definition Audio. It cracks me up that they've been duking it out in the same little strip mall all these years.

I remember going to an audio show about 25-30 years ago in LA. All I remember was the Dahlquist room and the Penthouse Pet sitting in a bar stool signing her pictures.

That James Bongiorno interview is hilarious! I always admired those SAE and Sumo chassis. And he always used the same square extended font on the faceplates for both. But for the life of me, I can't think of that typeface.