Did it Really Exist

[Fast Forward]

Or was it to much 70s,
Now that we have our fair share of members from Europe I can ask this question,,I seem to remember an Audio company (German) I Think that marketed an audio system that needed no wires to connect it ,,instead of RCA in/outs the units had connectors built into the cases and as you stacked them they simply connected to each other ,,I know it,s feasable to do this but wonder if any body remmembers seeing or hearing anything like this

[nestbox]

Yes, I do recall the equipment, but there is absolutely nothing more that I can remember. It struck me as neat at the time, so long as you want to rack your system, and not have it in a line on a shelf, but would expect that it allowed for connectors in that situation. I think I only saw the stuff a couple of times, and it may have been the (early?) 1980s. If you get narked for answers on this then you may track the maker down through the patent? It'd be under something like Click-block, (a suggestion only; my invention!) or a similar name. Curious how, on THs, I constantly come across post that throw me back to some inconsequential item from decades ago and makes me go 'Oh yeah, -blimey, I remember that!'. It then starts to become an obsessive hunt to know just what it was all about, and, in this instance, why a good idea didn't stick. However, -why am I under the impression that an item of this design was featured on equipment later on? May be I'm rong, but in any case, I'd like to know. Mark.

[Fast Forward]

God,,I,m Not Crazy,,I seem to remember seeing a picture in an Audiofile Mag of the Day,,we need to find a dude with a large collection of vintage Magazines If my memory serves me It was under a New Product Blurb of some kind,,FF

[Warped Bezel]

Yes, I do recall the equipment, but there is absolutely nothing more that I can remember. It struck me as neat at the time, so long as you want to rack your system, and not have it in a line on a shelf, but would expect that it allowed for connectors in that situation. I think I only saw the stuff a couple of times, and it may have been the (early?) 1980s. If you get narked for answers on this then you may track the maker down through the patent? It'd be under something like Click-block, (a suggestion only; my invention!) or a similar name. Curious how, on THs, I constantly come across post that throw me back to some inconsequential item from decades ago and makes me go 'Oh yeah, -blimey, I remember that!'. It then starts to become an obsessive hunt to know just what it was all about, and, in this instance, why a good idea didn't stick. However, -why am I under the impression that an item of this design was featured on equipment later on? May be I'm rong, but in any case, I'd like to know. Mark.

Why does this sound like something Bang and Olufsen would do?

Like a Beosystem or something.

[Fast Forward]

Definitly not a Beo-System,,it would gotton more play

[nestbox]

A month or two back someone mentioned something vague here, and my brain went rolling like the icons on a fruit machine, looking for a combination of thoughts from the dim and distant past. In that instance I was trying to recall a German (?) manufacturer, Blaupunkt, and a novel/expensive remote control that they produced in the 1970s for in-car use. It was mounted on a flexible stem, and set into the floor near the gearstick or some such arrangement. I don't think that I did get the gadget answered to my satisfaction when I asked about it. This interesting query regarding choc-block connectors definately existed. I have been chewing it over all day and recall that the equipment snapped together at the back, and at that location where the various connections married. This had the desired effect of promoting the quality commonly associated with separate units, without the entrails spewing out, cluttering up the view, especially that one seen from the front profile, where cables / wires are visible through the various gaps. It really was nice to look at without the spagetti. And so, who the bloomin' 'eck made it?! *fit*

[Web Police]

I Think that marketed an audio system that needed no wires to connect it ,,instead of RCA in/outs the units had connectors built into the cases and as you stacked them they simply connected to each other

I seem to remember reading about it, but have no idea what brand it was. *scratchchin*

[Warped Bezel]

A month or two back someone mentioned something vague here, and my brain went rolling like the icons on a fruit machine, looking for a combination of thoughts from the dim and distant past. In that instance I was trying to recall a German (?) manufacturer, Blaupunkt, and a novel/expensive remote control that they produced in the 1970s for in-car use. It was mounted on a flexible stem, and set into the floor near the gearstick or some such arrangement. I don't think that I did get the gadget answered to my satisfaction when I asked about it. This interesting query regarding choc-block connectors definately existed. I have been chewing it over all day and recall that the equipment snapped together at the back, and at that location where the various connections married. This had the desired effect of promoting the quality commonly associated with separate units, without the entrails spewing out, cluttering up the view, especially that one seen from the front profile, where cables / wires are visible through the various gaps. It really was nice to look at without the spagetti. And so, who the bloomin' 'eck made it?! *fit*

Removable car units have been around since Alley Oop cruised Belgium in a Talbot. By that I mean tubed set, speaker and all and you could set it near the picnic blanket and romance Mrs. Alley Oop.

Google really isn't your friend, but it's easy to fool like Sgt. Schultz (Colonel HOGAN!).

[jdurbin1]

The Blaupunkt piece was the second-generation Berlin, which had a removable control head on the metal gooseneck arm. It had a DIN connector at the base and a threaded plastic locking collar.

Can't help you on the question of this stacking home system w/built-in connectors though. Would expect to find that used somewhere in a stacking microsystem like the Harman Kardon Festival 500 (just an example; that one used ribbon cables on the rear panels).

John

A month or two back someone mentioned something vague here, and my brain went rolling like the icons on a fruit machine, looking for a combination of thoughts from the dim and distant past. In that instance I was trying to recall a German (?) manufacturer, Blaupunkt, and a novel/expensive remote control that they produced in the 1970s for in-car use. It was mounted on a flexible stem, and set into the floor near the gearstick or some such arrangement. I don't think that I did get the gadget answered to my satisfaction when I asked about it. This interesting query regarding choc-block connectors definately existed. I have been chewing it over all day and recall that the equipment snapped together at the back, and at that location where the various connections married. This had the desired effect of promoting the quality commonly associated with separate units, without the entrails spewing out, cluttering up the view, especially that one seen from the front profile, where cables / wires are visible through the various gaps. It really was nice to look at without the spagetti. And so, who the bloomin' 'eck made it?! *fit*

[Naknut]

I'll need to verify but I think one of these two may have...ADS or Proton. I'll be hunting though my back issues of SR and Audio to check. Maybe our new member Braun Man will know?

[Warped Bezel]

Braun Man.

Yeah, Braun was sorta there and not sure about coming out...that IS something you could expect possibly of a Braun.

[wilburchubs]

Technics made a midi sized sytem like this-got one somewhere.....the tape deck was a single well,auto reverse with dbx,track search etc......about 1983??

[Warped Bezel]

Technics made a midi sized sytem like this-got one somewhere.....the tape deck was a single well,auto reverse with dbx,track search etc......about 1983??

Top turntable or a stackable drawered one? I may have had only the turntable and it puzzled me.

[Kirunavaara]

The German manufacturer was Schneider. I found their brochures on the web:

http://wegavision.pytalhost.com/schneider.html

1981 was the first year the DCS ('Direct Contact System') was mentioned. For those who don't want to browse the catalogues:

http://wegavision.pytalhost.com/schneider81/schneider04.jpg
http://wegavision.pytalhost.com/schneider81/schneider05.jpg

Schneider manufactured or at least developed and assembled most of their hi-fi equipment and tv-sets in Germany, but has always been a low cost brand with rather bad reputation among more serious hi-fi enthusiasts.

My sister owned the quite simple all-in-one hi-fi set "Team 31". Regardless the finish was rather cheap plastic, it featured a good tuner, a turntable with adjustable weights that didn't destroy records, and a tape deck you could make decent recordings with. (Much more decent recordings than the flashy and expensive Pioneer power pack with double deck and double cd player could do that she bought by the end of the 80's. The Pioneer was lacking such essential things as manual recording level adjustment...)

From the mid-80's, some of Schneider's video and tv equipment looked suspiciously similar to Fisher and Sanyo.

/Martin

[Nakdoc]

Aiwa did it as well in a mini system. I can research the numbers if anyone is interested.

[nestbox]

Aiwa made it...? things are becoming less misty. I was/am an avid Aiwa fan, especially for their cassette decks, and perhaps because they used to make a number for Sony before that brand bought and burned them out (seems like Sony wanted to kill off a bit of the competition, but I could be rong). Aiwa and click-stack sounds a likely innovation/marriage. Numbers please!!! M

[Warped Bezel]

Aiwa did it as well in a mini system. I can research the numbers if anyone is interested.

That would be nice to see. I appreciate the amount of research that has gone into this subject.

[Fast Forward]

That would be nice to see. I appreciate the amount of research that has gone into this subject.Just think ,,a Glance at an Audio magazine 30+ years ago brought all this reaserch and responses thanks for the great work,,it,s also nice to know I wasn,t imagining things