Melbourne Audio Club

More than 40 years ago, Graham Cobb thought he was the only man in Melbourne with a passion for audio. One day in 1974 he saw an advertisement in The Age that had been placed by Alex Encel (Encel Hi-Fi) for people interested in Hartley speakers and audio in general. His shop was unexpectedly filled ham to hock with hi-fi buffs. It inspired Alex to form the popular Melbourne Audio Club, which was officially convened on March 8, 1974 at Encel Hi-Fi’s showroom in Richmond.

The inaugural general meeting of the new hi-fi club was held at Camberwell Civic Centre, in Melbourne, and when Graham threw open the doors of the centre to see one hundred like-minded people who shared his passion for audio, he paused for a moment and stood alone in the doorway surveying the scene, almost bemused. ‘I was stunned to see there were so many people like me who loved audio… who wanted to reproduce music in their homes as realistically as possible, just like me.’

These were people who didn’t know each other—people from different walks of life—who somehow bonded through their shared commitment, many of whom remain close friends to this day. They still meet in their homes in special interest groups (SIGs) and at the monthly general meetings.

Anyone interested in joining the Melbourne Audio Club can contact the club at marydee1@bigpond.com or check out the website at www. melbourneaudioclub.org.au Prospective members are also cordially invited to attend the general meeting that is held on every third Wednesday of the month in the ‘Willis Room’ at the City of Whitehorse Offices, Canterbury Road, Nunawading.

Everyone is welcome.