History
09/06/1982
Founding of the company hifisound Lautsprechervertrieb Saerbeck & Morava OHG at Jüdefelderstr. 35 in 4400 Münster
1983
Start of mail-order sales via classified ads in trade magazines such as Funkschau, Elektor, and others.
1984
Publication of the LOUDSPEAKER BOOK by Michael Gaedtke and Raimund Saerbeck, first edition
1984
First direct import of the loudspeaker brands HARBETH ACOUSTICS with the LF 5 and LF 8 models, and E.J. JORDAN 50 mm modules
1985
The hifisound team already had 8 employees: back row: Jörg Hoffmann, Raimund Saerbeck, Dipl.-Ing. Karl-Heinz Hofacker, Hans-Jürgen Schelllewald; front row: Thomas Schütte, Thomas Kühn, Axel Gersdorff, Heiko Schettler
1985
Publication of the LOUDSPEAKER YEARBOOK 1985
1985
Further direct-import products added from: CORAL, Japan — loudspeakers with compression-horn tweeters and midrange drivers, full-range and woofer units. STRATHEARN AUDIO – Stratec SLCIII ribbon mid/tweeter from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1986
Purchase of all production equipment and rights from STRATHEARN AUDIO, Northern Ireland, Mr. Dowling, for the manufacture of push-pull ribbon mid/tweeters, from now on called Pure Ribbon PRD.
1986
Business expansion at Jüdefelderstrasse 52 with a big opening celebration, attended among others by: Michael Brieden, Manfred Zoller, Karl-Heinz Fink, Adrian Bankewitz, Wilfried Stahl, Michael Ryzimbowski, Mr. Geukes of Dynaudio, H.-D. Pizonka, Uwe Flügel, Michael Arndt — the founding idea for the trade magazine Klang + Ton came from Michael Brieden
1986
Spectacular trade-fair appearance in Essen presenting the brands STRATHEARN AUDIO, HARBETH ACOUSTICS, E.J. JORDAN, and CORAL.
1986
Publication of the Loudspeaker Yearbook 1986 with a personal introduction and dedication by the author, Michael Gaedtke
1987
Trip to the USA with Ulrich Ranke of ETON Germany. Visit to Focal importer Kimon Bellas in Los Angeles/Beverly Hills, trade-show visit in Chicago, and a visit to Ed Dell, publisher of the magazines Speaker Builder and Audio Amateur.
1988
Direct import of the English brand APOLLO, which at the time was market-leading with an extensive range of speaker stands and a modular ARIA hi-fi rack.
1989
Publication of the tried-and-tested, popular LOUDSPEAKER YEARBOOK 1989
1989
All-black bus advertising — something that hadn't existed until then: hifisound, the hi-fi specialist, makes it possible!
1990-91
Strathearn Audio GERMAN TOUR with Jürgen Heinzerling (former editor of Klang + Ton). Presentation of new products at 12 well-known specialist retailers throughout Germany
1992
Acquisition of the business shares of partner Hüsnü Morava. The company now trades as hifisound Lautsprechervertrieb Raimund Saerbeck e.K.
1992
Publication of the final issue of the LOUDSPEAKER YEARBOOK, Issue 7
1996
Meeting with Ted Jordan of E.J. JORDAN at the High End show at the Hotel Kempinski, Gravenbroich
1997
We are now online at www.hifisound.de — our first web presence, with a rapidly growing number of pages. Webmaster: Reinhard Wachowiak, Berlin (formerly owner of Audiolabar)
1997
Renovation of the store at Jüdefelderstr. 52, expanding the range with hi-fi stereo and Dolby Surround components as well as finished loudspeakers from well-known manufacturers
1997
Integration of an ordering routine into the webshop for convenient online ordering
2003
Release of a CD-ROM containing all the information we had available online on the www.hifisound.de website, including a convenient Linux-based ordering program.
2005
New, modern webshop with over 3,500 items, search functions, a shopping-cart feature, VISA/MC credit-card integration, and convenient navigation!
2006
Integration of the PayPal payment system into the webshop — over half a million visitors a year, with more than 6 million page views.
2007
New service module for warranty returns implemented in the "Customer Area" for easier handling, including a DHL return label!
2010
Integration of secure payment systems with VISA Verified, Mastercard SecureCode, and Sofortüberweisung.
Number of items exceeds 5,000.
The HARWOOD ACOUSTICS MONITOR AM 13 kit was featured in the trade magazine HOBBY HIFI 2-2010
2012
The HARWOOD ACOUSTICS MONITOR AM 23 kit was featured in the trade magazine HOBBY HIFI 6-2012
2014
The HARWOOD ACOUSTICS REFERENZ kit was featured in the trade magazine HOBBY HIFI 2-2014
Completely revamped webshop, built by the company Free-Commerce, Münster, together with a new corporate identity developed by designer Thomas Schauder, Münster.
2015
Import of the ESS AMT1 Air Motion transformer tweeter from ESS Laboratories, USA, along with 10" and 12" woofers and passive radiators
Quality assurance for the webshop through Trusted Shops
2016
Payment by invoice or in installments via Klarna
Introduction of a newsletter for our regular customers
Payment with Amazon Pay now possible without registration
2017
35th anniversary: online pioneer hifisound featured in LowBeats: Read the article
2019
ESS AMT1 – rebuilding a hi-fi classic from the 1970s – featured in LowBeats: Read the article
2020
HARWOOD ACOUSTICS LS3/5A BBC monitor developed by H.D. Harwood as a replica from the 1970s
2021
Interview in KLANG+TON with Raimund Saerbeck, issue 06-2021: Read the interview
2022
Publication of the HARWOOD ACOUSTICS LS3/5A review in Hifi Test – also available online here: Harwood Acoustics LS3/5A – Stereo Loudspeaker Test – Very Good
hifisound's 40th anniversary – feature in LowBeats here: Raimund Saerbeck: hifisound Münster celebrates its 40th anniversary
2023
Loudspeaker kit in Hobby Hifi: "Stand Up" – test here: Harwood Acoustics Stand Up – Loudspeaker Kits Tested
2024
HARWOOD ACOUSTICS LS 5/9 review in Hifi Test – also available online here: Harwood Acoustics LS 5/9 – Stereo Loudspeaker Test – Very Good
2024
Opening of a new VINTAGE Studio in Münster, Buldernweg 42, for the brands: Braun, ESS, Garrard, Leak, Quad, Thorens, Telefunken, and many more. View the flyer
2026
2026 –HARWOOD ACOUSTICS MONITOR 1 – test online here: Harwood Acoustics Monitor 1 40th Anniversary
2026
Loudspeaker kit in Hobby Hifi: "Stand Up" – test here: Harwood Acoustics Stand Up – Loudspeaker Kits Tested
40 years of Klang & Ton: Read the article
2026
44 years of hifisound Lautsprechervertrieb
44 years in the same city: Münster
44 years of fast and reliable service
44 years with the same phone number 0251-47828
44 years at the same address: Jüdefelderstr. 52
44 years with the same owner: Raimund Saerbeck
Trademarks:
Patents:
Harwood Acoustics (active)
Strathearn Audio (expired)
Press:
hifisound in the local press 2006 + 2007
hifisound in the trade press 1986–2022, ongoing (see above)