1) 1975 - Janzen's with electrostatic tweeters (6-month loan from a friend of my parents, no way could I afford something like this, but the bug bit me hard!)
2) 1977 - Pioneer R-700. Big, impressive looking midrange horn and a tweeter that never seemed to produce any output...I swear it was just for looks! These were my "college freshman" speakers....hot stuff for a dorm room in those days, especially driven by a Phase Linear 4000 preamp and a Marantz amp with cool blue meters!
3) 1978 - Phake Linears. Home built knock-off of the original Phase Linear loudspeaker, built by a friend of mine. Very dynamic, and surprisingly good imaging. My sophomore speakers the hit of my fraternity house!
4) 1979- Magnaplaner MG-1. Got these my junior year. Awesome imaging. You never forget your first Maggies!
5) 1980 - Dahlquist DQ-10. My first step into a serious high-end speaker. Did the mirror-image mod, of course. They lasted until 1986, when I bought
6) 1985 - Apogee Calipers. Oh, that ribbon sound! Very transparent and quick, and one heck of a conversation piece for non-audiophiles whod never seen speakers anything like them! Kept the Apogees for the next 12 years.
7) 1997 - Thiel 1.5. When the high-end bug bit again, it was time to downsize a little in preparation for a move to Europe. The 1.5s (I still own them, though they are on loan to a friend) were a perfect fit
.small footprint with an incredibly well focused image and very tight bass.
8) 2001 - Thiel 2.3 When I returned from Europe, it was time to move up a notch to the 2.3s
same characteristic Thiel sound, but with a more solid foundation on the low end.
Its been an interesting trip
and its not over yet!
