Lansing and Klipsch, Thiele and Small – the world of hi-fi has an established Hall of Fame that brings together the pioneers and heroes who, through ground-breaking developments or discoveries, have helped to shape the world of audio reproduction as we know it. While the names mentioned above and countless others are rightly celebrated and revered, others have never been given the spotlight they deserve.
A prime example of such a forgotten hero is Herb Horowitz. A grievance, as Jonathan Newhouse found, and therefore teamed up with Jonathan Scull to give his father-in-law, whom he never got to meet, his rightful place in the history books of music reproduction with the private passion project that is Master of Sound – Herb Horowitz and the Dawn of Audio.
In a handy 50 pages, the book takes the reader into the fascinating world of early audio technology. It is a tribute to a pioneer whose name is unknown to most outside audiophile circles, but whose influence on the modern world of sound can hardly be overstated. The authors not only shed light on Horowitz’s technical innovations, but also present Horowitz as a loving family man who not only knew how to recognize his children’s potential, but also how to nurture it thanks to his brilliant mind and broad range of interests.
Herb Horowitz, the “Master of Sound”, as he is affectionately known, is always at the center of this biography. From his youth in New York to his later successes as an engineer and entrepreneur, the book traces the path of a man whose passion for sound and technology led him to the top of the then still budding audio industry. Horowitz did pioneering work at industry heavyweights such as Harman International, Acoustic Research and Rotel of America and laid the foundations for much of what we take for granted in hi-fi today. Above all, Horowitz was driven by the desire to make high-quality music reproduction accessible to the general public. While the book changes focus from chapter to chapter, portraying Horowitz as a private person, a developer, a genius, an entrepreneur, the middle of the book contains a collection of newspaper articles, magazine covers and other contemporary documents, set off both visually and haptically by the choice of paper, which takes the reader on a journey back in time to the era in which Horowitz was active. With Master of Sound – Herb Horowitz and the Dawn of Audio, Jonathan Scull and Jonathan Newhouse present a captivating tribute to one of the most important players in the history of audio technology.
Master of Sound – Herb Horowitz and the Dawn of Audio
By Jonathan Scull with Jonathan Newhouse | Greenleaf Book Group Press, 50 pages | Available to order free of charge at www.scullcommunications.com – while stocks last.