The Gale's are one of the few things I sold that I regret.
Nice piece of engineering those speakers! the shape is weird, but amazing sound.
The first system you had that was "high end/audiophile", by you standards
I did have some others before, but the first system that hooked me on this passion/hobby and would still be pretty good today was:
Stacked Large Walnut Advents, with the top ones upside down so the tweeters were close together,
Yamaha CA-1000 integrated (usually run in the class A mode)
Yamaha top end direct drive turntable (YP-800?) with ADC XLM II cartridge
Yamaha CT-7000 tuner
Early Monster interconnects and speaker cables
Advent cassette deck
Teac reel to reel with 10" reels (model ?)
The first thing(s) that were replaced was the Large Advents that gave way to a pair of
Dahlquist DQ-10.
From that system I have gone on to several others that I have enjoyed, but I do remember that first one.
Stacked Large Walnut Advents, with the top ones upside down so the tweeters were close together,
Yamaha CA-1000 integrated (usually run in the class A mode)
Yamaha top end direct drive turntable (YP-800?) with ADC XLM II cartridge
Yamaha CT-7000 tuner
Early Monster interconnects and speaker cables
Advent cassette deck
Teac reel to reel with 10" reels (model ?)
The first thing(s) that were replaced was the Large Advents that gave way to a pair of
Dahlquist DQ-10.
From that system I have gone on to several others that I have enjoyed, but I do remember that first one.
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When Walkman’s came out I thought that was high end - I was blown away by their sound. ROTFLMAO believe it or not but one of the biggest boobs, er I mean respected, er I mean prolific posters on the site would have you believe his Walkman was the pinnacle of high end audio. Of course he also would have you believe he was a theoretical physicist and designer of interstellar propulsion systems..... you probably think I'm kidding. Ha! |
First High-End System (Early 90’s) . KEF Reference 102’s w/KUBE . NAD 7225 Stereo Receiver (later used as a Tuner/Preamplifier) . B&K ST-140 Power Amplifier (came later on) . Magnum-Dynalab FT-101 FM Tuner . Pioneer Elite PD-65 CD Player . Nakamichi BX-300 Cassette Deck . Cables & Interconnects Then became.... . Speakers remained as above, but driven with.... . Adcom GFA-545 MkII Power Amplifier . Adcom GFP-750 Preamplifier (Active/Passive) And Then Added.... . PS Audio GCPH Phono Preamplifier . Thorens TD-160/Jelco SA-750D Tone Arm/Sumiko BPS-EVO And Added.... . Technics SL-1210 M5G . Nagaoka MP-200 And when I’m on the go.... . Audio-Technica MSR7B Headphones (next to be upgraded) . Apple iPhone 12 PRO . iFi xCAN or iFi Hip-DAC --Charles-- |
It was 1968/69 and I was a freshman engineering student. I used some of my student loan money to buy a top of the line Fisher receiver, Wharfdale speakers with 12 inch woofers, and a Dual turntable with a Shure V15-Type 2 cartridge. I thought it sounded great but I’m sure it would have sounded much better with today’s cables. The system before that sounded terrible but was the best I could afford before I got the genius idea to use my student loan money on audio equipment instead of tuition. I made some bookshelf speakers using 6"x9" drivers from a car (I was really poor!), then I bought a used receiver out of some old console model that was sitting on a table at Olson Electronics (just a naked chassis) and built an enclosure for it. I then added a Gerrard turntable with a good cartridge. The system sounded truly awful, but primarily because of my homemade speakers. I made many modification to them before throwing them out. I kept the turntable and started the component upgrade path that I’ve been one ever since. |
Well here is real vintage 1963.Acoustech pre-amp.Power-amp? Maybe a Lafayette Radio model, but I can’t remember.. Goodman speakersVoice of Music changer. 1967: Changed the pre and power amps for McIntosh C-26 and MC-2505. Actually got a trade-in for this purchase.Kept the 15" Goodman woofer and installed Bozak mid, tweeter, and crossover in a custom speaker cabinet. My changer was a Benjamin Miracord with a Sure V15 diamond needle.I also added a McIntosh MR-71 tuner.I remember the sound quality increased megafold.The McIntosh equipment is still going strong. |
1973, just graduated from college. Almost bought Large Advents or EPI's at Tech HiFi (Ann Arbor), but then asked to hear the Walsh Ohm F's. Was blown away, couldn't not spend the money. Ohm F's Heath AR-1500 receiver AR XA turntable with Shure V15 Type Whatever it was in 1973. Those speakers were incredible. Soon after, my dad bought a pair himself. After a while, one of mine started to separate at the seam on the back, and I got it replaced under warranty -- and the replacement sounded WAY WORSE. Took the good one to the store and compared it to their demo, and the demo also sucked. Sold the F's and moved on. |
1974/76 Paragon System E, preamp, Dyna ST70 &/or Audionics CC2, amp, big University triaxial speakers &/or Fried R4, Strathclyde TT with Luster 801 tonearm, dynavector 10?? &/or Grado Signature (middle of the 3 models). All bought used except for cartridgesLushious sound, that preamp had so much muscle, it loved the diet of Frank Zappa, Kraut Rock, Sun Ra, Prog Rock, Miles Davis, Roland Kirk, etc. |
I don't think it was ever thought to be state of the art, but the old Empire turntable was such a classic look. empire 598 iii troubadour turntable - Google Search |
Oooh, that intangible HIGH END… Even if it the setup was a tad uneven I’d say my first venture was back in 94 when I got my poor student mitts on a pair of Gradient Revolution dipole speakers I’d had my eyes on for a looong time. They were rather tatty after spending a fair bit of time at hi-FI shows and expos but the dealer gave me about 70% off and to me they truly were the bees knees. I remember my desire for them even outweighing the, then so iconic VR4s. I had to flip my beloved Audio Innovation 500 for a Thule IA150b just to somehow satisfy their thirst for power and ran them with a Quad CD67, Ace teacher ICs and TC8s. Few years later life took a turn and a looong period of moving, on account of education and later, jobs, between tiny apartments all over the world. Not ideal for the hobby…Still have the Gradients even if they don’t get much play time, Thule went bust and the amp died but the Quad still does service as transport. Just recently got back in to the hobby and an Italian little jewel seems dead set on sending me way deeper down the rabbit hole. The rather breathtaking little Grandinote Shinai landed in my home a few week ago. Truly an astonishing piece of kit that delivers both detail, harmonies and stomping musicality in a way I thought no integrated ever could. It’s Grandinotes entry leve amp but at €12000 I guess it actually qualifies as real “high end” even with today’s rather insane costs to stay on top of this here game. Next step, DAC, interesting and very much not so at the same time… |
Infinity Modulus 90 Sub sat system for music Krell KSA 100s music amp 2x custom ordered Adcom 545 Mark II amps with white face plates to match TV Fosgate Audionics Model III Surround preamp Adcom music preamp (forgot the model) Adcom 5 disc changer for my Hollywood parties Bang and Olufsen Beolab 8000 speakers for fronts (self powered) KEF Center channel Velodyne ULD 15” THX sub for HT Sony laser disc player California Audio Labs CD player for solo listening Bang & Olufsen white 27” TV with built in Faroudja line doubler Matching B&O S-VHS VCR in white Motorized B&O TV and VCR stand B&O RL 65 rear panel speakers in white Blue Straight Wire ICs Monster M series 1.5 speaker cables 2x Standesign 5 tier black matte crinkle PC stands with built-in wire management and level adjusting shelves w/ spiked feet This was my starter system. The TV and VCR started the ball rolling and the Christmas bonus paid in Sound Advice gift cards came in real handy and I had everything else in short order. I set it all up in the loft at work above my boss’ office and broke it in with a Pink Floyd The Wall and T2 laser. Shortly after, I moved into a split level 3,550 SQF lakefront house and turned the second largest bedroom into a dedicated room that also house my Pedulla MVP Signature bass and SWR Redhead. My all black ‘58 Chevy sat close by in the covered circular driveway with its competition sound system on standby and at the ready. All my material needs were covered, although I soon lusted after the Levinson 38S, I think it was? That cover shot and review in Stereophile had me hook line and sinker. I’m sure you can relate if you were around. |
In early days don't recall an entire system I'd call high end/audiophile. I always had pieces of a high end system, early on had AR 3A, then Dahlquist DQ10, never had top of line amplification or source equipment to use with them. Only when I rediscovered tube amplification in form of Conrad Johnson MV55 did I really move into what I considered high end territory. |
@tomic601: I discovered the high end in 1971 (Infinity Servo-Static’s, ESS TranStatics, SAE electronics, then ARC), and commenced visiting every HE shop in the Bay Area. One was The Audio Clinic in Berkeley, which I visited to hear the Dayton Wright ESL’s. The proprietor was David Fletcher, who later was one of the principles of both Sumiko and SOTA. David’s shop was a mess, as was his personal appearance ;-) . In speaking with him, I instantly realized this was no ordinary hi-fi salesman, or even human being. The current status of the shop made an audition of the ESL’s impossible, David asking if I could check back with him in a while. Before that could happen I visited Audio Arts in Livermore, where Bill Johnson just happened to be setting up a complete ARC/Magneplanar Tympani system. Sorry David, I’m going in THIS direction instead. ;-) |
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On the subject of HQD, working at a store I was able to cobble together a poor mans version… stacked ESL in wood frames, Decca Ribbons, 10” Infinity/ Watkins woofers in a tapered quasi transmission line, and running it all 3 x CJ MV-45A1… CJ Premier 3, SOTA Sapphire, Sumiko FT3, Audioquest AQ404… Monster Cable… Hauled it all to parents house, Dad felt his Bozaks superior….damm kids….. |
Circa 1974 Bloomington, In. Pioneer SA-9100 receiver Advent speakers PE turntable Harmon Kardon tuner I burnt the crossovers in the Advents, which were replaced by the dealer. The Hardon Karman was the best performer of the bunch. I was in south-central In. and rocked to stations 60 miles away. Old school streaming! FM stereo, no charge. |
@daledee1- Back in the '70s, we were all pretty much in the same boat as far as wire was concerned. You could find bigger gauge for speaker wire, and perhaps put together some home made interconnects, but it was Fulton, followed by the mass marketing of Noel Lee that got the whole cable thing going. Some of my early systems used molded plugs and zip cord. |
Circa back in my university dorm days (1974) ….. around the same era as General George Washington was hunkered down with the Colonial troops in Valley Forge… MARANTZ 2270 receiver JBL L-100 studio monitor speakers with their characteristic “California sound” and orange foam cube grills, ELAC MIRACORD turntable with a SHURE V-15 cartridge. It was considered top-end rig back in the Jurassic era of hi-fi, but this “vintage” gear gets completely smoked by even modest components today. |
@mijostyn- prices of Marantz 7 tube preamps are through the roof- I’d love to have one that was clean. Do you now regret selling it? (I thought the "C" denoted "with cabinet," which was extra $, so I distinguish the 7 from its later transistorized counterpart by too many words-- the 7C designation was commonly used at one point to refer to the tube version of the preamp). The original Phase Linear 700 (not the B with the rack handles and lit up face plate) was a statement piece- sort of industrial looking, but the 400 (I was slinging hi-fi as a kid) sounded better in my estimation. One of the first true high end systems I heard was double KLH 9s with all tube Marantz gear. This was back before I had the money for any of this stuff- I was a kid. My "mini-HQD" system with a single pair of Quads, the Decca ribbons and a small-ish powered sub (those were not as commonly available in the ’70s and early ’80s as they eventually became owing, I think, to the home theatre boom in the ’90s) was sweet sounding, but the coherence of the Quad was lost in the mixture of different types of drivers that were added top and bottom. I’d love to set up a full on HQD system but it would have to go in the main listening area- that set up is just too big for the front parlor where the Quads now reside. |
@whart , I sold the 7C years ago. The pots had become scratchy and the switches needed to be replaced. They were beyond cleaning. I never thought it would be worth much even though it was a great sounding preamp. Imagine that driving two Model 9's and K Horns or KLH Model 3's. (you could not get both volume and finesse in the day) That was ultimate back then. The Phase Linear 700 really got an unfair reputation. It was a much better sounding amp then the Crown D150 and driving a 4 to 8 ohm load it was perfectly reliable. With the 7C providing the tube character and the 700 the power it really was not bad at all. Back then I had no idea what real imaging was. Everything was 2 dimensional. I did not know about the third dimension until I heard it in 1979 in a high school teacher's system. It was about that time that I started working with Sound Components and became immersed in the audiophile world. I vividly remember my first exposure to the HQD system. Peter McGrath, the fellow who does those amazing recordings was the owner of Sound Components at the time. He put on this audiophile organ recording to get the Hartleys going and the top Quad on the left side blew. He got a step stool and yanked the blown Quad out of the wooden stand and jammed a new one in there in minutes, obviously very experienced at this. He lit it up again and the Decca ribbon tweeter on the left blew. Took him a few more minutes to replace the ribbon. Between these huge speakers was a matching wooden stand with 6 of John Curl's 25 watt Class A amps in two stacks. Very impressive. The sound was impressive, when it was working. In reality I do not think it was all that great impressive as it was. The Quads and Decca tweeters were not near capable of the volume the Harleys were. |
My first system was a College graduation present from my parents in the mid 60s. It wasn't state of the art even then but it was at least A-/A. Dynaco PAS 2 preamp Dynaco Stereo 70 amp Acoustic Research AR2a speakers Acoustic Research XA turntable ADC Point 4E cartridge 14 gauge lamp cord speaker wire(this was pre wire days and normal speaker wire was 16 gauge lamp cord) |
