Sound reproduction
Two new books look at the history of Swiss audio equipment and the art of radio.
For over a century, Swiss know-how in audio equipment has enjoyed international recognition, thanks as much to its capacity for innovation as to its high manufacturing standards, often forced to strive for excellence in order to differentiate itself from less expensive foreign competition. In a volume of the Swiss Knowledgepublished by the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Joseph Tarradellas mentions the construction of the first phonograph in 1877 by Edison's Appenzell-born collaborator Johann Krüsi, and recalls the historical importance of the town of Sainte-Croix, birthplace of the pioneering Paillard and Thorens brands, recalls the revolutionary nature of Stefan Kudelski's Nagra portable tape recorder, which opened up new horizons for journalists and sound recordists alike, evokes Lenco's popular record players, still much sought-after on the second-hand market today, or the high-end devices developed by Willi Studer under his own name or under the ReVox name. Linking this story to the appearance of various technological developments, such as the advent of LPs, high fidelity, mini-cassettes and digital technology, or to the return to favor of the vinyl record among audiophiles, this pocket-sized book ends with a brief presentation of each of the Swiss workshops and firms active today in the field of sound reproduction, as well as an assessment of the current situation and recent problems (hifi customers still predominantly male, or devices that consume too much energy).
Paul Deharme's pioneering essay on a similar theme, supplemented by two other short texts, was published by Allia. In 1929, at a time when radio receivers were rare, he described an experimental form of radio art, using the evocative power of sound to appeal to listeners' unconscious. The profound influence of Freudian psychoanalysis can be felt in his descriptions of the potential of radio drama ("radio-film"), for which he prefers music to over-realistic sound effects.
Joseph Tarradellas: Swiss sound. Une excellence mondiale, 176 p., Fr. 17.50, EPFL Press, Lausanne 2021, ISBN 9782889154364
Paul Deharme: Pour un art radiophonique, 112 p., € 12.00, Editions Allia, Paris 2022, ISBN 979-10-304-1480-6
