After World War II, many of the best physicists I started the project by purchasing a chassis that
and mathematicians in the world could be found was similar in size to the one specified in the parts
at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Prince- list. Although I was unable to obtain the original
ton, N.J. In 1949, a young engineer named Jack transformers, I found suitable substitutes and
Rosenberg was part of a team building one of the positioned them on the chassis. I then laid out the
world’s first digital computers. Having knowledge positions of the tubes and tried to arrange all of the
of electronics, a keen ear, and an interest in classical parts (switches, jacks, pilot light, etc.) according to
music, Rosenberg’s home-built hi-fi was far superior function, so that high voltages would be isolated
to commercially available audio systems, and before from the signal path whenever possible. I printed
long, his system was widely talked about at the IAS. templates to mark the positions of all holes, drilled
Erwin Panofsky, an art historian and close friend the chassis, installed the hardware, and began laying
of Albert Einstein’s, heard about Rosenberg’s amaz- out the amplifier’s internal components. Resistors
ing hi-fi and asked him if he would build a system for and capacitors were connected directly to tube
“The Professor” as a 70th birthday gift from every- sockets, switches, and jacks wherever possible. The
one at the IAS. Rosenberg agreed, and on March 14 remaining components were soldered to terminal
he and J. Robert Oppenheimer personally delivered strips, which were then connected according to
the system to Einstein at his home. the schematic. Friends at CDI Signs in Bellingham,
Last summer, I found myself speaking with George Wash. made the beautiful faceplate for me.
Dyson, who had spent time during his youth at the Visually, my version is not identical to the original, IAS. He told me that he had recently interviewed and I’ve had to substitute some parts that were no Rosenberg about the hi-fi. He offered a copy of the longer available, but I’m confident that this amplifier original hand-drawn schematic of the amplifier por- sounds nearly the same as Einstein’s, which is a tion of Einstein’s hi-fi system and encouraged me wonderful thing. to attempt a recreation of it. I immediately began figuring out how I was going to build the amplifier. Tyler Rourke has a penchant for electronics and good food.
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