Dad’s HiFi 1956 Phone Case

In the '50s, audio manufacturers employed the phrase high fidelity as a marketing term to describe records and equipment intended to provide faithful sound reproduction. Consumers found the difference in quality compared to the then-standard AM radios and 78-rpm records, and began migrating to high-fidelity phonographs and 33⅓ LPs. Audiophiles focused on technical characteristics and bought individual components, such as separate turntables, radio tuners, preamplifiers, power amplifiers and loudspeakers. Shops specializing in high fidelity sound began popping up, such as St. Paul, Minnesota's Dad’s HiFi. These shops not only stocked the latest equipment, but also sold the components that allowed enthusiasts to build and mod their systems.