Good hi-fi speakers were HUGE

Before Acoustic Research developed the acoustic (or air) suspension loudspeaker system in 1954, good bass reproduction required large cone or horn woofers, resulting in large systems like the Klipschorn, shown on the left (52" high).  Acoustic Research's AR-3, introduced in 1957 and shown on the right, was bookshelf-sized (25" x 14" x 11"), and helped make home stereo systems practical.  Interestingly, as of March 2014, the Klipschorn is still in production.