Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s is a playful survey | Wallpaper*

A vintage headphones ad, illustration of woman in headphones, from Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s — An advert from headphone innovators Koss, a Milwaukee-based brand

(Image credit: Fuel Publishing)

Following on from the publisher’s earlier Auto Erotica, Jonny Trunk and FUEL have now delved into the heady world of hi-fi advertising and brochure design. Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s is an alphabetical stroll through the best examples of the genre, exploring obscure brands (and some survivors) and the ways in which design and art direction was used to emphasise performance and sonic excellence.

Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s — A landscape of Philips products, c1970

These were heady days for home entertainment. The pre-digital age was often driven by innovation and gimmicks, with the promise of portability and power often cutting straight to clichéd images of swinging lovers and seductive listening situations. At the same time, the book also delves into the po-faced world of ultra-high fidelity, where presentation methods tend to be way more sober.

The kitsch and the retro triumph in Audio Erotica

Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s — A 1973 advert from the Southwest Technical Products Corporation

As Trunk notes in his introduction, the book also charts the evolution of home listening, as hi-fi evolved to become less of an engineering challenge for the dedicated hobbyist and more of a consumer product. With devices shrinking due to transistorisation, designers had more space to play with colour and form. Speakers, on the other hand, were to equate scale with quality for many years – the ultra-compact speaker is a very modern invention – hence the presence of so many furniture-sized objects in the book.

Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s — A 1970 advert for the German brand Dual

As always, it’s the kitsch and the retro that triumph, whether it’s the slightly inappropriate adverts, the monumental scale of certain pieces of kit, or the memory-jogging sight of dead brands and failed mediums. It also helps that, to modern eyes, much of the featured equipment remains highly desirable, in spite of (or perhaps because of) its age and style.

Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s — The genre-defining Sony Walkman

The big brands get plenty of space to revisit their wares, from Bang & Olufsen’s always on-trend minimalism to Philips’ pop graphical approach and Sony’s fashion-forward styles. With recent trends pointing to an ongoing analogue revival – be it record players and vinyl storage, cassette players, CD players, or even the stylings of the products themselves – Audio Erotica is a richly idiosyncratic journey through the changing shapes of sound.

Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s

Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s, by Jonny Trunk, FUEL Publishing, £26.95, Fuel-design.com, @Fuelpublishing

Also available from Amazon

Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s — Left, Akai goes robotic in the 70s. Right, an advert for Massachusetts-based Scott

Audio Erotica: Hi-Fi Brochures 1950s-1980s — The British audio brand Bush

Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.