HH Scott Info From their Maynard, Massachusetts, research facilities, audio pioneers Hermon Hosmer Scott and Chief Research Engineer, Daniel R. von Recklinghausen made their mark on the Golden Age of the High-Fidelity landscape. We cordially invite you to view their legendary Scott Stereomaster (vacuum tube) consumer electronic components including: FM Wide-band tuners, integrated amplifiers, preamplifiers, power amps, receivers, turntables and speakers. Over 100 vacuum tube products were introduced in a twenty-year span. This site promotes sharing of information, understanding and historic appreciation of vintage H.H. Scott (vacuum tube) consumer high fidelity audio products produced from 1946 through 1966. For a chronological photo-tour of all products with index of available manuals and schematics, be sure and browse the recently added VHHScott InstaBase. Sorry, but if you are looking for any information of later Scott electronic (solid-state) consumer products, may we suggest you look here. Please enjoy your visit. There's a lot of information presented on over 200 pages within this site. If you are looking for restoration or collector advice, please visit the best "self-help," moderated, online community dedicated to helping collectors of Vintage H.H. Scott (vacuum tube) products. Contribute your .022 ľF's worth in the Vintage H.H. Scott Hi-Fi Web Forum or join the E-List and exchange ideas with other "filament heads." (use the links at the bottom of every page). We're always looking for ways to make this site more responsive to your needs. If you would like to contribute comments, links, photos, specs, please contact me. I trust you'll find this site entertaining, informative and useful. Lee K. Shuster Lee K. Shuster 04-Nov-2004 Vintage HHScott Hi-Fi Stereo Archive Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Note: This site is not affiliated or sponsored by H.H. SCOTT, Inc. Be sure and visit the H.H. Scott Electronics, Division of Emerson Radio Corp. web site to view their latest offerings. Home Archives Join Scott Forum Join Scott E-List Link Guide Search this site powered by FreeFind Copyright Š 1998-2003 HHSCOTT.COM. All rights reserved. Terms of Use Web Designed & Managed by Lee K. Shuster Hermon Hosmer Scott, Audio Pioneer, 1909 - 1975 Hermon Hosmer Scott 1909 - 1975 Hermon Hosmer Scott was born, March 28, 1909, in Somerville, Massachusetts. He received B.S.(1930) and M.S. (1931) degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mr. Scott later earned his doctorate from Lowell Technological Institute. In the early 1960's, Mr. Scott served as a special Lecturer at the Tuck School of Business Administration, at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. Mr. Scott invented the RC Oscillator, the selectively tuned RC circuit, various RC filters and the modern sweep circuit. He is perhaps best known for inventing the Dynaural Noise Suppressor, and held more than 100 patents (U.S. and foreign) for original research in the field of electronics. On January 6, 2000, at 2000 International CES in Las Vegas, The Consumer Electronics Association, inducted the first fifty pioneers that made a "significant contribution to the world," and among them was Hermon Hosmer Scott. Scott was honored along with other significant luminaries like: Armstrong, Edison, Farnsworth, Fisher, Harman, Kloss, Lansing, Marantz, and Sarnoff; to mention but a few. Please view the complete site of the charter inductees to the Consumer Electronic Hall of Fame, for more information. Early in his career, Mr. Scott worked on sound motion pictures and high-quality broadcast systems from 1929 to 1931 at Bell Telephone Laboratories, in New York, NY. Mr. Scott worked for the General Radio Company, in Cambridge, MA from 1931 to 1946, serving first as Sales Engineer/Development Engineer and later as Executive Engineer in charge of Audio, Acoustic, Broadcast and related developments. The Technology Instrument Corporation, of Waltham, MA was founded by Mr. Scott, in 1946. I.T.C.'s first product was the Type 910-A; a 13-tube, 19-inch, rack-mounted, Dynamic Noise Suppressor marketed to commercial broadcasters and permitted stations to greatly reduce their dependence on live performances. With Scott's new technology, stations were now able to air much more recorded content using older 78 rpm phonographic recordings. I.T.C was also successful in sub-licensing the patented DNS technology to other manufacturers including Electric and Musical Industries, Ltd., (a.k.a. EMI -- of Beatles & Parlaphone fame) and ironically, to E.H. Scott Radio, of Chicago, IL (note: H.H. and E.H. were not related), and also to Avery Fisher's Fisher Radio Corporation, of New York, NY. On the initial success of I.T.C., H.H. Scott, Inc., was formed in 1947, humbly situated in a rustic old shoe factory located in Cambridge, MA. The new company expanded to build the first integrated, high fidelity, phono amplifier (210-A) incorporating a simplified (3-tube) DNS intended for the emerging post-war consumer market, while continuing to offer commercial "laboratory-grade" instruments. A decade and several successful products later (in late 1957); the company built and moved into a new state-of-the-art manufacturing and research facility, at Powder Mill Road, in Maynard, MA. H.H. Scott, the name by which he and his firm were so widely known became one of the top two respected names in consumer high fidelity (and later stereo), the other also bearing its founder's name, Fisher Radio. The company remained independent until 1973, when it was acquired by Electro Audio Dynamics of Europe. US operations were later relocated to Woburn, MA, offices. In 1985, the famous hi-fi brand was purchased and today operates as a division of Emerson Electronics. Hermon Hosmer Scott's technological leadership was recognized by election to Fellow in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Acoustical Society of America, and Audio Engineering Society, where he served as president in 1962, as well as a member of the AES Board of Governors. Scott was one of the first to be presented the John H. Potts Memorial Award by the Audio Engineering Society "for outstanding achievements in the field of audio engineering." Active in civic affairs, Mr. Scott was a trustee of the Boston Opera and the Boston Ballet. Mr. Scott received numerous awards and accolades for his accomplishments including the Distinguished Service Award from President Kennedy's Committee on the Employment of the Physically Handicapped. Hermon Hosmer Scott, died April 13,1975, in Lincoln, Massachusetts, after a long illness at the age of 66. Reprinted from circa, "1959 - 1960": They Shall Have Music By John M. Conly The Scott Hypothesis Boston is bordered on the west by electronics. Belting the city, across the route once ridden by Paul Revere and his daring companions, is a string of bright new buildings, mostly single-storied and imaginatively tinted. They represent the Yankee challenge in modern industry and reflect the research constantly in progress at Harvard, M.I.T., and other great New England schools, together with the incomparable skilled labor this has brought into being. Not least impressive of the buildings is a structure identified, with admirable simplicity, as H.H. Scott, which house, during work hours, more than three hundred people, and its product is reproduced sound, pure as it can be. Hermon Hosmer Scott is a soft-spoken, middle-sized man, with a down-East accent to which he is entitled. One of his forebears was a adjunct to a militia detachment which made itself famous at Concord on April 19, 1775. He still lives in the neighborhood, near Maynard, with his wife Eleanor, and two daughters, Priscilla and Jane. It would be downright silly to introduce H.H. Scott to veteran record listeners. We have been gratefully aware of him since 1947. He is the man who took the grit out of Grieg and the scratch out of Scriabin, in inventing, back then, the Dynaural Noise Supressor, the only device of its kind that ever actually worked, so far as I know. It killed irrelevant noise, without detracting from the music. It really did and still does. If you use an HHS/DNS, a 78 sounds as clean as an LP, and an LP sounds as clean as live FM. The Supressor even now is incorporated in some Scott amplifiers, because record fanciers want it, and Scott, a loyal record fancier himself, supplies it. Scott has received many engineering citations, some for truly basic work in electronics measurement; and his scholastic record at M.I.T., is still spoken of with awe. Yet he is honored and heeded most by his friends on the grounds of ethics and aesthetics. This is important and is reflected in the clear reliability of his products. A walk through the plant makes plain that H.H. Scott employees never, never (as the song says) will be slaves. My guide was Victor Pomper, Scott’s vice president, and inseparable companion. All the pleasant ladies with their soldering irons called him Vic, and he knew their first names, too. What that means, most importantly, is that living-room listeners do not get H.H. Scott FM tuners or preamplifiers with fractured cold-solder joints. The things work, and keep on working, because they were made with devotion, and I think with pride. "No one’s afraid of anyone else here," Pomper remarked. "They’ll all fight like lions if they think they’re right, and we’ve never lost a good top-level man in the history of the company." Pomper designs the exteriors of Scott high fidelity equipment, though he has no formal training in such matters (he is an engineer, too), and this is why most of it comes forth in brushed gold. Pomper is partial to brushed gold; it is so elegant. An example is the new 399 stereo tuner-amplifier, a glistening device obviously made by perfectionists for perfectionists. It will perform any stereo function, with easy power, and its frontal escutcheon is not only elegant but self-explanatory. Scott’s own insistent ideas lie behind the designs. He is terribly irritated by imperfections of any kind. As an opera lover he abominates sopranos who look like barrage balloons. As a manufacturer he grieves over audio instruments that suggest something filched from a battleship’s innards. He does not see why an amplifier or a tone arm should be ugly, any more than a cello is. To this we owe a revolution, since it was Scott who, in 1953, gave us the Model 99 amplifier, which did not need to be hidden. It could be laid laid on a bookshelf, where in its gold and leatherette sheathing, it looked quite as worthy as a de-luxe edition of Columbia Encyclopedia. Everyone now follows this precedent, but it was Scott who established it, and the Scott musical gear still looks best of any. In Scott there is a survival of Yankee aesthetic, which gave us once a countryside of beautiful architecture, fully useful, and equipped it with furniture to match. It is good to have someone like him around, still confident in the tradition. Special "Thanks" to: Kevin W. McDonald for submitting this original H.H. Scott Reprint ______________________________________________ H.H. Scott H.H. SCOTT WAS FOUNDED in 1947 by Hermon Hosmer Scott. The prefix H.H. was to differentiate his fledgling company from E. H. Scott, the Scott Radio Company of Chicago, makers of "The Rolls Royce" of AM radios. Although H.H. is different from E.H., they are similar enough to make one wonder it perhaps Scott, always the shrewd businessman, hoped that some of E.H. Scott’s reputation for quality might, by association, rub off. H.H. Scott's first product was the Dynaural Noise Suppressor. This product, aimed primarily at the professional broadcast market, made it possible, for the first time, to play records over the radio. Prior to its introduction, 78 rpm records were considered too full of pops and ticks to warrant airplay. Scott's first product, while a technical step forward, changed the face of American radio in a way that, in retrospect, cannot be considered positive. Overnight, all those wonderful live programs were replaced with recorded music. Chalk up another victory for technology over live music. Scott continued making a Dynaural Noise Suppressor through 1956, when the model 114A was finally discontinued. (editor's note: DNS was featured on such high-end Scott Types such as the: 121-C, 122, 272, and 296, well into the sixties. In fact, twenty-five years after Scott introduced DNS, SAE, introduced a conceptually similar processor in the mid-seventies called the SAE 5000 Impulse Noise Reduction System.) When the Dynaural Noise Suppressor was first introduced, Scott licensed the device to several companies for inclusion in their products, among them, the Fisher Radio Company (editor's note: oddly enough H.H. Scott, first licensed its DNS circuit design to the prestigious E.H. Scott, in the late forties.) This alliance was short-lived, as Scott soon began to market its own Amplifiers and Control Centers, utilizing its Dynaural Noise Suppressor circuitry. From the beginning, Fisher saw Scott as trouble, and the two companies were competitors through the mid-Sixties. Even today when people think of Scott, they also think of Fisher. These two companies became the Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum of American audio. From the very start, Scott used a model numbering system that was rococo in its complexity. Scott’s use of letters to differentiate up-dated versions of products is still employed by many contemporary High End manufacturers, and still wreaks havoc or hapless consumers. Like most overly complex systems, Scott’s model numbering system was designed to be simple. The system was set up as follows: 100 - Preamps and control centers 200 - Power amplifiers and integrated amps 300 - RF devices like tuners 400 - Sound measuring devices 700 - Pro sound products 800 - Acoustic measuring devices THE SYSTEM worked rather well until 1952 when the model 99A integrated amplifier was released. This unit was the first to mount tubes horizontally, pioneering "slim-line" styling that is common in current audio components. The marketing folks at Scott felt that since their product was priced at "only" $99, what better way to get their point across than call the unit model 99? It should have been christened the 299 to adhere to the system, and in 1960 Scott did introduce a model 299 integrated amp. The model 99 went through several incarnations and remained in the Scott tine well into the stereo era. The model 99-D was finally dropped from the product line in the September 1964 price list. Although Scott's first product, the Dynaural Noise Suppressor, was important as the Dolby or dbx of its day, Scott’s primary contribution to Audio was its FM tuners. If there is a single antique Scott product worth owning in 1987, it is one of the tuners. While no one person is ever responsible for a major new technology, Daniel von Recklinghausen, Scott's chief engineer, was certainly a major force in the development and popularization of FM radio. Recklinghausen, unlike his contemporaries, still has designs that are in the forefront of current state-of-the-art audio technology. The EMlT tweeter, which can be found in some of the finest systems in the world (including the one at Sea Cliff), was designed by Recklinghausen. KLH first marketed it as the DVR tweeter (you are all such quick studies that I need not tell you what DVR stands for). Recklinghausen was, and is, a rare breed of audio engineer -one who uses his ears and has an open mind. A quote from a Boston Audio Society meeting best illustrates his philosophy: "If it measures good and sounds bad, -- it is bad. If it sounds good and measures bad, -- you've measured the wrong thing." Listening was an integral part of the design process at Scott. The Audio Hall of Fame article on H. H. Scott contains the story that once Scott came to work one morning with a black eye, the result of a scuffle with an angry neighbor who objected to Scott's night-time listening and testing sessions. This is the kind of dedication to sound quality that is only found today among High End manufacturers. At Scott the sound of music was the reference. An article in the December 1954 issue of Radio and Television News co-written by Recklinghausen, Casey, and Pomper introduced the public to the first commercial wide-band FM-only tuner, the 310A. Scott was so confident of its lead in the market that the article even included a schematic of the new unit. This six-month lead in FM technology continued through the multiplex stereo era. Not only did Scott bring to market the first FM multiplex adapter and the first FM multiplex tuner, but it designed and built the first multiplex broadcasting and test equipment. Scott took some very calculated risks in the development of the FM multiplex adapter. No one knew which of four systems tested would be accepted by the FCC as the standard, so Recklinghausen and his staff had to design multiplex adapters for each of the four systems, utilizing as many of the same parts in each design as possible. On April 19, 1961, when the FCC finally announced the new multiplex standard, Scott was ready with enough parts and materials in stock to immediately manufacture 1000 multiplex adapters and begin shipping them to radio stations across the country. During Scott’s first 15 years, from 1947 to 1962, it was more of a High End manufacturer than a mid-fi , or consumer electronics company. Products were added not because it was a new year and marketing demanded new products, but when sufficiently substantial improvements were made in a design to warrant a new product. During the Sixties, the definition of "substantial improvement" became increasingly abused as marketing became more influential in decision-making. In the early days, Scott products were not cheap. In 1956 its Model 280 -- an 80-watt mono power amp -- sold for $199.95; its 310-B tuner for $159.95. In 1987 dollars, the 280 would cost $860, the 310-B about $690. Scott remained independent until 1973, when it was sold to its European distributor, Electro Audio Dynamics. This began the final chapter in a gradual decline that began in the mid-1960s. The transistor age, and the entry of foreign products into the American audio marketplace, was the beginning of the end for Scott, Fisher, and most of the American manufacturers. Rather than aim for the smaller up-scale market, as McIntosh did, Scott tried to beat the Japanese at their own game. Scott lost. While its early products are important and much sought after by collectors, "The Antique Collector" will concentrate on components made between 1956 and 1964. 1956 on the bottom side because most electronics that are more than 30 years old need substantial restoration and modification for reliable everyday use, and earlier pieces are priced to reflect their rarity and collect ability rather than their sonic virtues. After 1964, Scott products took a nose-dive in quality and sonic excellence. -Steven Stone Editor's Note: This text first appeared in TAS, Volume 12, Issue 50, pg. 83-85, The (Golden Age) Antique Collector: part 1. Reprinted with the permission of the Editor-in-Chief of The Absolute Sound, the (only) High End journal about music and sound. ______________________________________________ "Scott . . . where innovation is a tradition." "H.H. Scott has been a leading manufacturer of superb high fidelity components since 1946. During this period Scott has been responsible for the introduction of many new concepts in both the engineering and design of components." "H.H. Scott produced the first high fidelity amplifier (in the modern sense of the term). Later, Scott eliminated unsightly wires and tubes by designing the first "flat" amplifier.....bringing high fidelity components from the workshop to the living room. Scott was the first manufacturer to introduce a successful Wide-Band FM tuner, and Scott was first to deliver multiplex adapters and tuners which met the requirements of today's FCC-approved (Zenith/GE) stereo transmission system. And Scott was the first to produce modular tuner-amplifier combinations." Important Scott industry "Firsts" . . . . .From a Scott brochure -circa, 1961 Also see the tribute to Daniel R. von Recklinghausen, Chief Research Engineer. First high fidelity AM/FM tuner using wide-band AM design First high fidelity tuner manufacturer to incorporate an all-silver plated front-end First commercially successful use of wide-band circuitry in high fidelity FM tuners First usable (wide-band) multiplex output on FM tuner First Dynaural (signal/noise ratio actuated) inter-station noise muting First to market an FM multiplex stereo tuner and multiplex adaptor employing FCC-approved (Zenith/GE) stereo transmission system, including commercial FM multiplex signal generator First integrated high fidelity amplifier First low, flat (slim-line design) high fidelity amplifier First supersonic cutoff filter for tape recording First stereo balancing circuitry First to provide center channel outputs on stereo amplifiers First wide-range consoles without acoustic feedback ___________________________________________ from H.H. Scott brochure........circa, 1962, "EXCLUSIVE H.H. SCOTT LABORATORY STANDARD GUARANTEE ASSURES EXCELLENCE" Seal (34499 bytes)"Every H.H. Scott component is furnished with a bonded guarantee to assure you that it meets or exceeds the technical specifications claimed for it. This guarantee is made possible by the stringent quality control tests given each H.H. Scott component before it leaves the factory." "Component high fidelity reaches far beyond an ordinary phonograph in performance and complexity. When we purchase stereo components, most of us do not have enough technical knowledge to gauge the quality of engineering. Therefore we must rely on the opinions of others in making our decision. We must examine the background and reputation of the company. Let's examine H. H. Scott in light of this: Scott engineers analyze problems in fresh ways, solve them through sound engineering techniques. Until Scott, in 1952, solved the engineering problems involved in designing a "flat" amplifier covered with a handsomely styled case, high fidelity components were ugly and bulky . . . a maze of tubes and wires. This Scott innovation was immediately adopted throughout the industry. Scott protects you against obsolescence. In 1954, Scott engineers developed a new kind of circuitry using Wide-Band design. Today, with FM stereo multiplex a reality, Wide-Band design is essential. Scott's pioneering Wide-Band tuner design of eight years ago has become a necessity in good stereo reception Scott is equally conservative in advertising claims. Scott insists that every unit off dealers' shelves should exceed advertised specifications . . . these figures should not apply to just a selected engineering master sample. As a result, engineering tests by leading high fidelity publications consistently show ratings better than claimed by Scott. Every Scott component receives more than 50 separate quality tests before it leaves the factory. Our test engineers insist on rigid test procedures to assure long trouble-free operating life. Scott feels that its service to the customer begins with his purchase . . . that your problems are our problems. We have many letters from satisfied Scott owners well pleased with our service. Scott has grown over the years because enthusiastic owners recommend Scott to their friends and acquaintances. Before you decide on your high fidelity system, we suggest that you ask the man who owns Scott." ________________________________________________ Antique Radio's Touch of Perfection from an article by J. W. F. Puett (Editor's Note: Also check out the E.H.Scott Radio Collectors Guide) Like that proverbial old violin at the auction, worthless until the old master picked it up and played, so would be the field of classic radio without the touch of perfection it received from Earnest Humphrey Scott. From 1924 to 1945, E. H. Scott designed and built the world's fine radios, many of which, although nearly half a century old, are still treasured by their original owners. What sort of man was responsible for manufacturing radios which inspire this kind of devotion? - Scott was not a man who enjoyed being second to anyone. He was, by temperament, a perfectionist, an engineer, whose all consuming desire was to be first - to produce radios which were guaranteed to "outperform any other radio or sound reproduction system in either a tone or long distance reception test." This was no idle boast. In the August, 1935, Scott News, he wrote, "During the past ten years, I have repeatedly challenged the whole world of radio to any kind of competitive test, but during this period, not a single manufacturer has been willing to accept this challenge. " E. H. Scott was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, on June 1, 1887. He spent his early years in Australia. His father was killed in a railroad accident when he was only five. When he was fourteen, his mother died suddenly, leaving him an orphan. Confronted with the necessity of self-support, he became a messenger boy, but soon progressed to the position of salesman. With the advent of World War I, he enlisted in the Australian New Zealand Army Corps and served in France. During this time he invented a simple little gadget, the Telecator, for locating troubles in automotive engines. The United States government purchased the rights for his invention which eventually amounted to a total of $46,000.00. Telecators were provided as standard equipment in army machine shops, and were installed on tanks and tractors. Scott made many American friends while stationed in France. When he was discharged in London at the end of the war, he decided to come to the United States, making Chicago his home. During his first two years in America, he wrote a column entitled "The Care of an Automobile," which was syndicated in fifty newspapers in the United States and Canada. In this time period, Scott became "intensely interested in radio." In addition to his automotive column, he soon found himself supplying weekly articles on the construction of radio sets. In 1922, he originated the pictorial wiring diagram which "helped thousands of non-technical radio enthusiasts to build their first radio sets." During the years he wrote radio articles, Scott maintained a well equipped laboratory where he tested hundreds of different circuits. This was necessary, since he was supplying radio articles to 112 different newspapers. After four years in America, Scott decided to visit his native New Zealand again. He was determined to take with him a radio capable of receiving U.S. broadcast stations in New Zealand. Before leaving Chicago, he arranged for stations WGN and WQJ (now WMAQ) to send him special programs when he reached New Zealand. These programs began at 1:00 a.m. and lasted until 4:00 a.m. The distance from Tasman, New Zealand to Chicago is about 8,300 miles. In 1924, very few receivers were capable of tuning in broadcast band signals from that great a distance. Scott tuned in both special broadcasts, logging them for over an hour. The morning after each program was broadcast, he cabled program details to the stations and sent them his logs by registered mail. During his thirteen week stay in New Zealand, Scott logged 117 programs from 19 different stations, all 6,000 miles or more distant, establishing four world's records for the consistent night after night reception of stations 6,000 miles or more away. This was 1924. To prove that he did not have a "freak set," Scott cabled Chicago for a duplicate set of parts and built a second receiver there in New Zealand. The second set performed as well as the first, and Scott named this receiver the World Record 9. The second set set was left in New Zealand when Scott returned to America. Upon his return to the U.S., Scott checked his logs personally with the managers of Los Angeles stations KHJ, KFI, and KNX. The station manager of KNX could hardly believe that it was possible to pick up his 500-watt station almost every night 6,000 miles away. To prove this kind of reception was possible, a test program was arranged with station KNX. A cable was sent to the man in New Zealand who purchased the second World Re- cord 9, asking him to pick up the program and report it by cable. The following morning, a cable arrived from New Zealand giving program details and several weeks later, the log arrived by mail. When Scott arrived in Chicago, he received hundreds of requests from radio fans in all parts of the country asking for construction details on the World Record 9. He published and sold hundreds of copies of a booklet which contained all technical data on this set. Many who constructed this receiver had difficulty aligning the circuits and came to Scott for assistance. In that time, very few laboratories had the necessary equipment to "properly match" IF transformers. Mr. Scott was thus "forced to go into the radio business," and began supplying matched sets of IF transformers. He opened his first laboratory, The Scott Transformer Company, in 1924. It consisted of two rooms, each about fifteen feet square, one an office and the other the laboratory. In the September, 1933, Scott News, he wrote, "Right from the start, my only interest and ambition has been to design and build the very finest radio receiver possible. " The growth of the company was rapid in spite oi the depression, a tribute to the business genius of Scott. In 1933 he doubled the size of the laboratory. Expansion continued, and by 1935 the company was housed in a large modern three-story building with 97 employees Unfounded claims of fantastic sensitivity, selectivity and fidelity made by other manufacturers annoyed Scott. Upon reading an advertisement that a certain receiver "would give reception on the broadcast band of stations up to 5 000 miles in broad daylight, ' Scott offered to wager $1,000.00 that it could not be done. His wager was refused. When a manufacturer offered "an open challenge to any and all reception records," Scott accepted by registered letter, offering a side by side public reception test. The letter was never answered. Scott concluded, "Bluff is all right until someone calls it." Scott's designs and innovations were often copied by other manufacturers. When another company offered four consoles which were "copies" of Scott console designs, he retorted by quoting Kipling: "And they asked me how I did it, And I gave 'em the scripture text; 'You keep your light so shining a little ahead of the next.' They copied all they could follow, But they couldn't copy my mind, And I left them sweating and stealing a year and a half behind." Scott guaranteed his receivers for five years, with only the tubes excluded. Holding to his belief that "the fine things are always hand made," he never considered mass production. Scott radios probably still hold more verified long-distance broadcast station reception records than the sets produced by all other manufacturers combined. The following records were established in 1924: (1) Greatest number of broadcast band stations and programs 6,000 miles or more distant: (a) 19 stations 6,000 to 8,000 miles distant. (b) 19 programs from stations 8,000 miles or more distant. (c) 19 programs from stations 7,000 miles or more distant. (d) 79 programs from stations 6,000 miles or more distant. (2) greatest distance over which voice and music had been heard, 8,375 miles. As an advertising promotion and demonstration of the performance of the new All-Wave De Luxe, Scott offered an all expenses paid trip around the world. The contest was limited to Scott All-Wave owners and spanned the first six months of 1932. During the first four months, Scott owners sent in verified reception reports covering 231 different foreign stations and 13,280 foreign station programs, which were heard from 41 different countries. In 1932 a Scott All-Wave receiver in the United States established a record for the most consistent foreign station short wave reception very broadcast from station VK2ME in Sidney, Australia for twelve consecutive months - distance 9,500 miles. E. H. Scott installed an All Wave De Luxe receiver aboard the S. S. Manganni on which he sailed to New Zealand in February of 1933. He was able to pick up station WBBM in Chicago all the way to the amazement of passengers and crew alike. He furnished music direct from Chicago for the passengers to dance to each night of the voyage. Scott commented, "There seems to be no other way to definitely establish our right to make the claims we do and to overcome what I know are exaggerations by some of the manufacturers who claim to compete with us to the confusion of some of our prospective customers." "Once more we will have proven beyond fear of contradiction the supremacy of our receiver." Radio station WBBM read cablegrams received daily from E. H. Scott during his voyage and announced his reception reports. The chief Radio Operator of the S. S. Manganni issued this statement, "In all my radio experience, I have never heard such reception of broadcast stations on board ship as that accomplished by the Scott receiver." On this 1933 trip to New Zealand, Scott visited the man who purchased the second World Record 9 receiver from him in 1924. Although this set had been in continuous use on an average of three hours a day, it was still bringing in stations from all parts of the world. It took a great deal of persuasion, but Scott was finally instrumental in trading a new All Wave De Luxe for the World Record 9, which was later placed on exhibit at the E. H. Scott Radio Laboratories in Chicago. Scott did not change the appearance of his sets each year as some manufacturers do for sales purposes. New innovations were constantly incorporated into existing receiver designs, but the models remained essentially the same in appearance. Only when significant developments could not be utilized without drastic changes, was a new model introduced. Scott not only stayed abreast with the state of the art, he often surged far ahead of his time. A few of the "firsts" attributed to his designs are listed herein: (1) First to successfully use more than one tuned RF stage. (2) First all-wave receiver offered to the general public (l928). (3) First to successfully utilize the screen grid tube. (4) First 15 - 500 meter superhetrodyne set without plug-in coils. (5) First to utilize triple-grid " super control" type 57 and type 58 tubes. (6) First minimum usable sensitivity of .025 uv per meter at 600 KHz and a maximum sensitivity of .006 uv per meter at 1400 KHz. (7) First to provide 10 KHz selectivity at a field strength of 600 to 1. (8) First true high fidelity radio capable of reproducing the entire audio range (30 Hz to 15 KHz). (9) first to provide variable selectivity: control of both RF and IF stages. (10) First accurately calibrated dial - within .1% on the broadcast band and within 3% on all short wave bands. E. H. Scott was probably the first radio manufacturer to employ modern reliability testing devices. He designed and utilized electric rotators to test moving parts, electro mechanical shaking tables to test the permanence of all adjustments, and a special refrigeration cabinet to simulate humid conditions encountered in a tropical climate. At the Century of Progress, 1933 Chicago World's Fair, a Scott All Wave De Luxe in a Napier console was placed in operation in the control room at the top of the elevator of the observation Tower at the Sky Ride. Each day, eight to twelve thousand people visited the control room. They heard music and news coming from the radio without the slightest trace of electrical interference, yet the set was situated in the center of a mass of motors, dynamos, and control contractors. This unusual demonstration "proved the perfection of shielding in the Scott All Wave De Luxe." In 1935, Scott ads heralded the 23-tube full range High Fidelity Receiver, also known as the All Wave Imperial. Four of Chicago's largest theaters were slated to use "two well known receivers" to pick up the Joe Louis vs. Max Baer fight. This program material was to be connected from the receivers to the theater $20,000.00 sound systems. It was found that neither of the receivers was capable of bringing a sufficiently clear signal into the theaters. The theater owner asked E. H. Scott if he thought his new 23 tube All Wave might do the job. Scott replied, "It is not only capable of bringing in the signal, but of delivering the volume required without feeding it into the theater sound systems!" The next morning, an All Wave Imperial in a Napier console was installed in the Drake Theater. To the owner's amazement, it brought in the desired station without even a crackle from the ambient downtown electrical interference and " filled every corner of the theater with the volume turned only one-third on." With a standing room only audience, the volume was turned one half on. The supremacy of Scott receivers was now legendary, and their elegance increased as time marched on. There was the $2,500.00, forty-tube, Quaranta, a special version of the AII Wave Imperial with a very elaborate audio system, and finally, perhaps the greatest of all classics, the Philharmonic. There were countless custom built installations, some with remote control systems for both tuning and volume. Some affluent customers even had their large yachts [equipped with Scott receivers for entertainment purposes. Famous people in all walks of life owned Scott receivers. In the world of music, many well known concert masters such as Arturo Toscanini, Eugene Goosens and John Barbirolli treasured the quality sound reproduction that only a Scott could bring. The list goes on and on, Frank Lloyd Wright, Guy Lombardo, Deems Taylor, Walter Winchell, and countless other connoisseurs of the very best. The period from 1935 to the end of World War II represents Scott's grandest years. His long time feud with McMurdo Silver ended in 1938 when Silver succumbed to bankruptcy and Scott purchased the company assets. Scott commented, "I did this rather than let the tradition for custom built radio pass to someone who might tear down the high standards of quality a custom built product represents." In 1939, radio station WCFL in Chicago broadcast The Scott Music Lover's Program from 10:30 to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. E. H. Scott loved fine music and even included "The Scott Record Review" for SCOTT NEWS readers in 1940. Scott's mind was always full of improved designs. In 1940, he developed an elaborate 26 tube communications receiver which was produced in very limited quantities. Known as the Scott Special, this set was perhaps the last and greatest of his ingenious designs. The circuitry bore some similarity to the Philharmonic. There were seven short wave bands (1.7 to 64MHz) and two other ranges from 140 to 395 KHz and 520 to 1710 KHz. This set utilized two separate tuners on the same chassis, one for the short wave bands and the other for the broadcast and low frequency bands. The performance of the Scott Special High Fidelity Communications Receiver was not equaled until years after World War II. E. H. Scott spent many happy hours with his own Scott Special, which his wife "would not allow in the living room." Gladys Scott much preferred the Philharmonic in a Chippendale Grand console for living room listening. Scott maintained a special listening station in his upstairs den where he kept the Scott Special which was connected to an elaborate outside antenna system. Scott had two other interests. The first was flying. As a passenger, he logged over half a million miles in his later years. His second hobby was photography, especially making movies. He made many movies on travel in foreign countries and also wrote books on that subject. Like many others who excel in their field, Scott was eccentric, demanding, a strict disciplinarian, and at times even hotheaded. From the privacy of his rooftop office, he often checked on his salesmen's talks with prospective customers by means of microphones hidden behind pictures in the Chicago sales salon. He once dozed off while driving his car and crashed into a Chicago bungalow. As a reminder that sleep can be dangerous, he had an artist paint a picture of the wreck which he hung in his office. On the other hand, Scott was a man of depth and feeling and a generous employer. Perhaps the greatest testimony to his generosity could be obtained from hundreds of Australian and New Zealand service men who trained in Canada during World War II. Scott financed and operated a club for these men in Chicago. They were treated royally, taken to ball games and on sight seeing tours. Scott made pictures of each man and if one was killed or wounded in the war, he wrote a personal letter to their families. If Scott ever received any recognition for this humanitarian endeavor, it is not known, although others who probably did less received special awards. Mr. Scott's reward was the personal satisfaction he received from helping others in need. At the outset of World War II, German submarines used direction finders to locate ships at sea up to 100 miles away by tuning in on the minute signal from the local oscillator in any superhetrodyne receiver aboard ship. In only 36 days, Scott designed and developed a receiver which produced no detectable radiation beyond 25 feet. The company immediately began to manufacture these low radiation receivers which were used both for communication and crew entertainment aboard Navy and Merchant Marine vessels. The firm received the Navy E, the Maritime M, and the Treasury T awards for their part in the war effort. By the end of the second World War, the last Philharmonic had long since been assembled, tested and shipped to some lucky customer, and the great days were waning for E. H. Scott. In 1943, the company was doing a $2,800,000.00 business with the U.S. Navy, but when Mr. Scott totaled the profits, he found with renegotiation and taxes that he had only $90,000.00 Ieft. Discouraged by previous deficits, and dubious about the immediate postwar future of radio, Scott sold his interest in the company for $260,000.00, remaining in the capacity of president and still in charge of all company business. From 1943 to 1945 the relationship between Scott and other company officials declined sharply. Returning from a trip to New Zealand in June of 1945, Scott found that the company capitalization had increased from 6,000 shares to 251,000 shares on the strength of war time sales. Almost 225,000 shares had already been sold to the public for $703,125.00 . Scott further found that he had been demoted from president to advertising and sales manager. He turned down the job in a 3,500 word letter. Purchasing large ads in two leading Chicago newspapers, he publicly announced his resignation and disclaimed any responsibility for the stock sale. Without Scott's leadership, the company gradually faded away in the 50's. Retired, E. H. Scott moved to the municipality of Saanich near Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. His home still stands near the top of the southern slope of Mt. Tolmie, a rocky isolated hill. This location provides a beautiful view of the city and surrounding country including the Olympic Mountain Range in the State of Washington about twenty miles across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. E. H. Scott passed away in 1951, leaving a legacy of quality and perfection which may never be equaled in the world of radio. The instruments he manufactured were truly "The Stradivarius of radio receivers" and in spite of his eccentricities, Mr. Scott will be remembered as the old master whose magic touch made them play. The author (J. W. F. Puett) extends special thanks to Mr. Jack Rhodes for contributing invaluable information used in this article. Our thanks also to John Caperton, Anthony Ciardi, Brent Dingman, Earl England, Bob Fabris, John Field, Joe Halser, Walt Jackson, Robert Lynd, Russ Mappin, George Sartor, Buford Smith and John Tishopp. October 1974, article by J. W. F. Puett. ________________________________________________ Excerpts from the article: “Nothing New Under the AM Sun” by Michael N. Stosich Originally published in the January, 1977, issue of Audio magazine. “...The trend towards modern component hi-fi, actually began during the 1930s, and E.H. Scott was the foremost manufacturer of custom high-fidelity component systems, being the Crown or McIntosh of his time. Custom is not an idle word either; Scott aligned tuners to work better for different geographical locations and added or subtracted controls to suit the purchaser. Scott was born in New Zealand in 1887, orphaned at 14, and while in the Australian Army Corps, invented an automobile trouble shooting device which eventually brought him $46,000. After World War I, he migrated to Chicago where he wrote auto maintenance articles syndicated in 50 U.S. and Canadian newspapers. His interest soon gravitated to radio, and he began to write articles on that subject too. On a holiday in New Zealand in 1924, he took with him a set specially constructed for the occasion to receive U.S. broadcasts while there. The feat of having received 117 programs from 19 stations, all at least 9,000 miles distant, with his World Record 9 receiver eventually put him into the radio manufacturing business. His high fidelity receivers were bought the world over by those famous in musical circles. Scott owners included Sir John Barbirolli, Eugene Goosens, Tullio Serafin, Lauritz Melchior, Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Deems Taylor, Guy Lombardo, Rudy Vallee and Arturo Toscanini. These names attest to the authenticity of the sound produced for that period. Other owners included Prince Otto von Bismarck, the Baron de Rothschild, and the Chicago Tribune’s Colonel McCormick. The Hearst press used Scott receivers to monitor world news events. A Scott tuner was used to receive one of the earliest experimental television broadcast demonstrations during the 30s in Chicago. From his earliest receivers on, Scott emphasized good tone, realistic sound, and the custom look. There were always several different super-crafted console cabinets available for both the receivers and the speaker systems. All but the very first were sold directly from the factory to the customer. Each set was built to order by an individual technician, and all sets were “burned in” before final testing. The Scott look lasted until the late 50s, that is, lots of chrome and massive construction. As the chassis and all coil and tube shields were heavily chrome plated, many owners bought only the basic component equipment, the tuner, power amplifier, and speakers. They would then, as now, proudly display their component equipment on shelves or table tops with the speakers mounted in the walls or in speaker enclosures, either custom built or made by Scott. This, by the way, was in the early 1930s. But, what of the technical quality of the Scott receivers? How does this obviously archaic equipment compare with modern components? Well, first of all, Scott was initially bound to AM for radio reception, and he was forced to develop AM receivers to the technical limits of the period. His tuners, unlike most modern tuners, had an audio bandwidth that permitted the reception of everything being transmitted. For instance, my last $300 tuner had an AM response of a mere 1,500 Hz. My new $400 tuner with a new IC AM circuit has an audio response of 4,000 Hz. However, my 1930 Scott Air-Wave 12 had a response of 4,000 Hz. I should add that the list price of the Scott was $600, during the depression years to boot. The early sets had a fixed, flat-topped IF. response, and consequently fixed wide-band audio response, just like the modern solid state super tuners. The use of a broad IF. is fine for local stations which transmit wide-band information, but distant stations or limited bandwidth stations require progressively narrower IF. bands. Soon Scott introduced a stepped IF. bandwidth and later a continuously variable IF. control. This allowed the user to adjust the IF. to suit both the station and the atmospheric conditions. “...The year 1937 saw the introduction of one of the best high-fidelity AM receivers ever built and, I imagine, to this day unexcelled. To approximate it today you might purchase the following: a McKay-Dymek AM tuner, a DBX-119, a Burwen 1201 Noise Reduction unit and an Audio Research tube amp. The 1937 Scott 30-tube Philharmonic receiver came standard with features many of us are now seeing newly reintroduced and rediscovered. This set had two tuned RF. stages and four audio IF. stages. The audio IF. response was continuously variable and flat topped at all points but the narrowest, from between 4 kHz and 32 kHz wide, which permitted 16 kHz audio. Sensitivity was advertised as 0.5 microvolts. Just as with the latest Luxman $900 tuner, this set had effective AM muting, only it was continuously variable. The IF. was front-panel adjusted by a control mechanically linked to each stage and trimmed each transformer primary and secondary, to accomplish stagger tuning. The Philharmonic employed both IF. AGC and delayed RF. AGC. Each AGC voltage was separately derived by an extra tuned gain stage and rectifier. It could almost be said there were three IF's in the set, one for audio, one for RF. AGC, and one for IF. AGC. The use of tuned AGC amplifiers reduced the effects of modulation on the AGC voltage. That is, you don’t hear the station breathe at you as the AGC voltage follows a broadcaster’s voice. “...Quite a bit of audio processing was employed in the Scott Philharmonic. Besides the usual bass and treble controls and loudness compensated volume control, there was also a dynamic range expander and an automatic noise reduction system. The +-20 dB bass control, by the way, had a ganged 60 Hz notch filter to correspondingly minimize hum with the bass boost. The dynamic volume range expander utilized a “Magic Eye” tube to indicate the degree of expansion, somewhat as its solid-state counterpart does on a DBX unit. It also had a continuously variable expansion control as does the DBX. The Scott noise reduction system is usually ascribed to H.H. Scott and is said to have been invented by him in 1946. This is not true. H.H. Scott (no relation) described in his 1947 Electronics article how he improved the time constants of the earlier 1937 E.H. Scott Radio Laboratory Automatic Needle Scratch Suppressor in developing his DNS. It has been suggested in AES literature that Burwen used the H.H. Scott DNS for inspiration in developing his now famous product. This, of course, was a standard feature of the Philharmonic. Other audio features of the Philharmonic were a 10-kHz audio notch filter, a40-watt class-A power amp employing push-pull output devices, and a two-way speaker system employing a 15-in. woofer and two five-in. tweeters. The set was constructed on two welded, heavy gauge, chrome-plated chassis, one for the tuner and control section and a second for the power amplifier/supply section. Later versions included a third chassis, which contained an LC crossover network. Dial calibration was advertised as 0.2 per cent. The 1937 Scott Philharmonic, then, was quite advanced even for 1977! However, it was missing one important feature which Scott had in limited production in 1936 (and Sony and Crown in 1976)tri-amplification. One channel was used for each of the following ranges, 30-125 Hz, 100-600 Hz, and 3-16 kHz. This set was the 40-tube, later 48-tube, and still later a 57-tube; Quaranta. Besides employing an 18 in. woofer, two 12-in. midranges and three tweeters, some Quarantas came equipped with a disc-cutting lathe and ribbon microphone. At up to $5,000 in cost, its production must have been very limited. E.H. Scott had several competitors. The most significant among them was a dashing young genius named McMurdo Silver. Silver was a continuous contributor to technical articles to Radio News magazine (the predecessor of Popular Electronics) throughout the 1930's. He was a polo player, gun collector, and is said to have been quite a bon vivant. Formerly the president of Silver-Marshall, Inc., he set up the McMurdo Silver Corp. and began building custom high-fidelity receivers in competition with Scott. While good, his receivers were never quite the equal of Scott’s. One of Silver’s most famous owners was Dr. Lee DeForest, inventor of the vacuum tube. DeForest owned a Silver Masterpiece V and praised it in the final chapters of his autobiography. Throughout the 1930s, Scott’s and Silver’s advertisements would do battle trying to “one up” the other’s in technical achievement. Features were stolen and lawsuits initiated. Finally, Scott won the battle and bought out the failing Silver in 1940. Scott then introduced a new, bottom-of-the-line receiver and designated it as the Scott Masterpiece. I do not know if the gesture was meant as a tribute to his archenemy or to rub salt in the wounds. Silver eventually committed suicide in 1947. Later, Scott high-fidelity receivers came with 40 MHz FM, 100 MHz modern band FM, and push button, motor-driven remote-control tuning. By 1947, the last great Scott receiver was built -- the AM/FM model 800B, but the company was in advanced decline. Because of Scott being eased out of his company and the advent of post-World War II TV, Scott Radio Labs died in the early 50s.” ________________________________________________ "Will I dig the same things that turned me on as a kid?" from: "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) by: Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys Circa: 1965 Those famous lyrics no doubt are the secret anthem of more contemporary adults than we might suspect. Here I am (written in 1999), at forty-eight, and I still get a kid-like kick every time I hear, see, touch, and yes, smell my 40-year old H.H. Scott tube gear reproduce my favorite musical selections. Strange? Maybe. For an entertaining, yet informative perspective, see: Ric Manning's syndicated column: The Gizmo Page: "Tube Gear from the 60's Still in Demand." Like many Eisenhower/Kennedy-era baby boomers, I cut my teeth on my father's H.H. Scott's, EICO's, Garrard's, Tandberg's, Electro-Voice's, and JBL's (.......and Ford's -- he never owned any Oldsmobiles). These manufacturers (and many others) designed and built world-class products that can last a lifetime with a little tender loving care and maintenance. When compared against contemporary "high-end" tube audio designs; vintage H.H. Scott products represent a true audio bargain! The following pages are designed to help you find, acquire, restore, maintain, and enjoy the many fine vintage H.H. Scott tube Hi-Fi components that are still out there waiting to be rediscovered. ________________________________________________ Unfortunately, H.H. Scott has not built tube gear since 1967. While a lot of this gear has survived (a testament to its timeless design and excellent build quality); finding the right gear can be challenging at times. Enjoying this pastime requires patience, creativity, networking, and information. You might try the following: Flea Markets, Yard and Garage Sales Pawn and Junk Shops Dumpster Diving Estate Auctions Friends, Relatives, and Neighbors Electronic, Online Auctions, such as e-Bay, and other newsgroups, such as rec.audio.tubes Specialized Audio Stores that focus on Used Tube Equipment Post a free Want-to-Buy (WTB) ad on the Vintage HHScott Web Forum ________________________________________________ There once was a time (in the fifties) when every corner drug store in America, had a tube tester stocked with tubes. Consumer electronic devices where simple enough that even your mother could fix a TV set or table radio. Unfortunately, the inner workings of today's modern consumer electronics are literally designed by rocket scientists. Such products have a short technological lifespan in today's fast-paced world. When they wear out or break, we usually toss them. Most often they are made obsolete by YABBB (Yet Another Boring Black Box), that the marketing powers have decided you and I need. Luckily, tubes use simple, proven, some would even say "ancient" technology that is easy and fun to restore or modify. Learning how to appreciate and safely get the most from these treasures is the goal of the next web sections. So, "return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear...........when even your mother could return from the corner drug store with a bag full of new tubes! ______________________________________________ RESTORATION To make your vintage H.H. Scott amp, preamp, tuner, or receiver perform as it was originally designed to, avoid modifications unless they are absolutely required to replace an obsolete and unavailable part. Resist adding additional switches, controls, or indicators that will devalue the originality of the vintage H.H. Scott designs. Usually, modifications by "so-called" experts can be costly and seriously de-value vintage hi-fi equipment. Personally, I believe in using this equipment on a daily basis. A lot of the vintage H.H. Scott gear was originally sold without cabinets, for custom installation. The factory-original (optional) cabinets came in two types: "leatherette"-covered metal and genuine wood. One modification, that will enhance your equipment is the addition of a custom wood cabinet. Generally, speaking vintage H. H. Scott products were conservatively designed and use quality sub-components, but any product that is 40+ years old can and will have certain sub-components that are extremely likely to fail or degrade. Use the following pages as a handy guide to your restoration. The ideas and procedures outlined in this guide have been gathered and shared in the Vintage H.H. Scott Hi-FI Web Forum, by other vintage H.H. Scott enthusiasts, so they are not simply the editor's opinions. !WARN!NG! All vacuum tube devices contain lethal voltages; certain components can store lethal electrical charges for days. Before you attempt to look around inside any amp, tuner, or receiver; read this! A lot of the information this publication has an equal potential for good and evil. Poking around inside high-voltage amps or tuners can be dangerous, fun, corrective, damaging, rewarding, creative, and life-threatening. The material within this publication is offered only as a guide. In time, and with practice your troubleshooting and restoration skills will develop. In the meantime, heed the advice of an old carpenter: "Measure twice and cut once." You should not be afraid to try something, but always understand what it means to cut a hole or wield a soldering iron. If you are "newbie" or an experienced "filament-head" just wanting a refresher on sound troubleshooting techniques, may we suggest you read Samuel M. Goldwasser's excellent guide: Troubleshooting and Repair of Consumer Electronic Equipment The restoration and troubleshooting of vintage H.H. Scott gear can be a time-consuming, slow process. If you can't solve a problem, take a break or post a message on the Vintage H.H. Scott Hi-FI Listserv. Chances are someone else has seen the same symptom and can offer their solutions. If you do not feel at ease performing your own restoration or maintenance, the information here will at the very least make you a more informed and educated consumer. Is it worth it? If you are still skeptical, may we suggest you view: "The Cool Sound of Tubes," By Eric Barbour, as published in the IEEE Spectrum, August 1998 edition. Vintage hi-fi is not for everyone, but you owe it to yourself to at least give vintage tubes a critical listen. There's something very satisfying about restoring, preserving, and listening to a quality piece of vintage hi-fi history. ________________________________________________