User:Lennice Werth/sandbox

Audiomart 1975-1999 buy/sell/trade publication for quality audio equipment

Audiomart was first published in Connecticut for a few years before ceasing publication and then revived by Walter Bender in Crewe,Virginia. Walter was a dedicated audio hobbyist & technician. In the late 70s, he took ownership of the then fledgling Audiomart Magazine. A precursor to the ubiquitous internet forum and online auctions; admission was by fellow subscriber reference only. Quickly printed in house as a bi-weekly, sometimes monthly booklet. At it's peak serving as the world's largest, international classifieds publication for Hi-End and vintage audio gear. Thousands of 'former members fondly recall the golden era of good deals and safe trading it provided. In 1988-89 for Absolute Sound Magazine, Walt and wife Lennice penned several articles about postwar HiFi. A coup to bargain hunters, the multi-issue review project chronicled the "best of the best" forgotten vintage USA hi-fi. These articles re-introduced classic tube products by Marantz, McIntosh, Scott, Fisher, and Pilot to name a few. Even sleepers like the Lafayette KT-600 awoke to younger US audiophiles of the 90's. Over the years Walt pioneered and nurtured native US interest in low power prewar design SE tube amps and high efficiency full range drivers. They have consulted or supplied parts & info to almost everyone in the audio business at one time or another. As internet sources for resale came into being such as eBay, Audiomart lost viability as a publication and was sold in 19999.It was never published again. The same family now does business as HiFiTown. This history is told on their website here: http://www.hifitown.com/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=3 .