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Memories........What made you catch the Audio Bug?

I remember back in high school, my ''industrial arts'' teacher was an avid audiophile and music lover. We are going back to '73 now. I remember one day being very different from any other. Upon entering class for our usual 40 minutes of the usual wood-cutting and bird-cage building routine,(some of us were luckier, getting ,'design' classes instead) we found our teacher,Ed, busy at setting up an LP on a Thorens turntable. Alongside, some strange, industrial-looking brown and orange boxes (QUAD) and a cloth-wrapped box with the initals B&W on them. He informed us that, today, we would discover something new, ''high-Fidelity'' as he called it.

We all sat in awe as our teacher put the SGT Peppers Lonely Hearts on full blast, to the amazement of everyone in the room. Wow! What was THAT? The equipment, the sound, the MUSIC was unlike anything most of us had ever seen or heard. I remember thinking to myself, now this is how the Beatles really sound like? I just could not beleive it.

I remember that we had no quality music equipement in our home back then, as with most other kids.

It was just amazing. Word got around that 'something special was happening, in industrial art's class. Turned out the topic of the week was 'high-fidelity' discovery I guess, as every other class in turn got the same treatment all week long.

The Following year, our teacher somehow managed to get the school board to approve a special ''equipement'' expenditure, officially probably a vacuum system, or new circular saw, or band saw, whatever. The class built a special wooden closet complete with locks, to accept the new ''equipement''. When it finally arrived, holy smokes, a McIntosh amplifier and preamp, with Thorens turntable !

We ended up ''founding'' an audiophile club at school, and would have students spend their lunch hour seating in a closed room in complete darkness, listening to a complete album...against a 10 cent fee that we would keep to buy records !

If you are reading this ED, these 30 years old memories are as fresh in my mind as yesterday. Thank you so very much for sharing your passion with us, and opening our eyes to so many horizons, music being just one of them.

Just wondering how others in this forum got the audio bug also?
sonicbeauty
gunbei
2,327 posts
 
Wow Duke! Your story started out like a deranged older guy/younger boy sexual awakening tale and transformed into an awesome musical experience!

If I had the room, I'd like to arrange my equipment on a long bureau like "Jack's" rather than using a vertical structure like the racks most of us have.

Cool story!
viggen
838 posts
 
lol dean, I was thinking the same thing.
jayctoy's avatar
jayctoy
4,021 posts
 
Duke your experience, wants me to go inside the music
too,Iam glad your your spirit did not leave you, Thats
heavy.
slappy
903 posts
 
Theduke, great story! :)
chryslers_rule
32 posts
 

My first memory was the long evening basement parties my parents threw. All would end up in bed except my father cranking a portable 3M reel-reel player listening to "The Happy Harmonica" until the wee hours of the morning, or until he was sent to bed by mom.

Years later, I received my first Zenith portable 45/78 player and dug into mom's 50's singles collection and started spinning some classic 78's. Every few months went by and I would have to tape another penny on top of the phono arm to get the needle to play but vowed to someday get into real stereo.

I finally landed a job in my teens and made my first purchase into high-end with a Pioneer SX-880 receiver. At the store, the salesman heard me remarking about McIntosh gear and subsequently dragged me into a back listening room full of McIntosh gear. I left the store with tears in my eyes vowing to avenge my fathers poor reel-reel with all out McIntosh.

Many years went by, having to sell off my stereo collection twice to go back to college which was painful. Finally, in the prime of my life and still in college, I decided life is too short and I would beg, borrow, and steal to assemble the dream system. Two years later I am in heaven, along with significant debt, but looking back wouldn't have changed a thing. My father has long since passed but I am sure he is here listening with me on those long imbibing evenings when I crank his favorite "Ink Spots" CD.

I should close by stating that I grew up 3 hours from the McIntosh factory, hence the attraction and devotion. Finally, if there are any reel-reel buffs out there who are familiar with "The Happy Harmonica" and can transfer to digital medium I would forever be in your debt.
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