Seven Steps To Better Listening
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Album Summary
Back in 1964, CBS Laboratories — the research and development arm of the Columbia Broadcasting System — put together something that wasn't meant to set your soul on fire, but was meant to set your living room right. 'Seven Steps To Better Listening' was a technical calibration record, pressed and released by CBS Labs as a tool for audiophiles, hi-fi enthusiasts, and audio engineers who wanted to dial in their stereo systems with precision. This was the era when stereo was still a relatively fresh miracle in the American household, and CBS Labs, with all the scientific authority that name carried, stepped in to help folks squeeze every last drop of fidelity out of their equipment. The record walked listeners through practical diagnostic exercises — checking speaker phasing, balancing channels, eliminating buzzes and rattles, and verifying both lateral and vertical tracking on their turntables — giving home listeners the same kind of serious setup methodology that broadcast engineers relied on every day.
Reception
- As a technical utility release rather than a commercial recording, 'Seven Steps To Better Listening' was never positioned for the pop charts — its audience was the dedicated audiophile community and audio professionals seeking a reliable in-home calibration resource.
- Within hi-fi and audio enthusiast circles of the mid-1960s, CBS Laboratories carried enormous credibility, and releases like this one were regarded as authoritative references rather than consumer novelties.
- The record received attention through hi-fi hobbyist publications and audio trade channels rather than mainstream music press, cementing its place as a trusted resource in a niche but passionate community.
Significance
- This record stands as a fascinating artifact of the early stereo era, a time when the industry felt a genuine responsibility to educate consumers on how to properly experience the new two-channel sound that was transforming home listening.
- CBS Laboratories brought the same institutional gravitas to this release that it applied to broadcast standards, making 'Seven Steps To Better Listening' one of the more credible and methodical home calibration tools available to the public in its day.
- The album's track-by-track approach — moving from Left-Right Identification through Buzz And Rattle Elimination all the way to Vertical Tracking Test — reflected a growing cultural seriousness around high-fidelity audio as both a science and a domestic art form in mid-century America.
Tracklist
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A1 Left-Right Identification —
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A2 Phasing Test —
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A3 Loudspeaker Balance —
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A4 Tone Control Setting —
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A5 Alternate Phasing Test —
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B1 Tone Control Setting —
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B2 Buzz And Rattle Elimination —
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B3 Lateral Tracking Test —
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B4 Vertical Tracking Test —
Artist Details
CBS Laboratories was the research and development arm of the Columbia Broadcasting System, responsible for some of the most innovative sonic experimentation to grace the airwaves and recording studios of the 1960s. These cats were deep in the lab, cooking up groundbreaking audio effects, test tones, and atmospheric sound design that would find their way into the crates of the most discerning DJs and producers for decades to come. Their work laid down a foundation of pure sonic science that helped shape the very texture of recorded sound itself, and baby, you can still feel that electricity humming through the grooves today.