YOUR AUDIOPHILE JOURNEY WHEN DID IT START AND HOW DID YOU GET TO YOUR DREAM SYSTEM?

I had to repost this because we had a troll destroy our discussion. Please share. Would love to hear you stories. 

Perhaps as at the age of ~12 in 1964 at night holding my ear up to the old tubed counsel radio in my bedroom with the volume turned down to a whisper so my parents could not hear me in the next room.

Irresponsible purchase of a Marantz 2040 integrated when I got to college in 1972. My first bank loan in 1979 when I first started working for a Pass - Threshold s500 ($5K, $20K in todays dollars).

Continuous pursuit through my home system, headphone system (Traveling first for 10 years as a geologist, then as traveling executive, work system (Headphone), Portable when I lived in hotels.

And finally the two last upgrades, before retirement and after retirement.

@ghdprentice love this story.  Music is an escape. But it to is an amazing journey. I have owned def tech, classe, bowers and Wilkins. Ayon, sonus faber, revel, Vienna acoustics , Resonessence, Bryston, KR AUDIO, SOLUTION and Now my final system with Infigo Audio electronics , gato speakers and rel subwoofers. 

@ghdprentice All that effort building a state of the art system, only to abandon using the whole phono front end, and your thousands of records. 

When I started playing guitar and making my own DYI electronics. This gave me better understanding of sound, distortions, tubes vs transistors. Later, with masters in digital signal processing - better understanding of DACs and network operations.

Started with a Crystal Radio and an ear plug.  About 10 years old.  Could pull in stations from Detroit on a good night.  At least that is my memory.  

@bigtwin @mikhailark great  stories. Audio is life. 

I had to repost this because we had a troll destroy our discussion.

A troll?? No way! Not here! I don’t believe it!

Anyway, I do not own my "dream system" but it is better than it was 30 years ago when I got started. The way I started was I got one of those monstrous TVs that came out before the flat screens (not the original large screens) and I hooked my two channel rack system up to it and I thought I had surround sound. One of the home theater guys at work was happy to tell me that I did not have "surround sound" and that got me in to the Dolby Prologic scene and the integrated prologic unit I bought had a sub out jack, so one of the home theater guys at work told me that i HAD to get a sub, so I bought an M&K subwoofer for what seemed to me to be an xorbitant amount of $. I was talking to a guy at the gym who I knew was into sound about my HT, and he came over to watch the Rodger Waters doing The Wall live in Berlin. He started telling me about vacuum tube stuff and my HT evolved in to 2 channel only and three amps and 3 preamps and three digital front ends and numerous other expenditures here and there later, I am where I am. Three pairs of speakers as well, but I am having second thoughts about the last pair I recently bought and am wondering if I ought to go another way. I also need a new sub.

Anyhow, that’s the short version.

I was working for my parents when I was about 12, in their TV store.  They also sold a limited number of console “hi-f”i units and a Zenith stereo record player.  I saved my money from working at the business, delivering newspapers, and collecting walnuts (&1/bag for Black Walnuts, $10/bag for English walnuts).  The. Zenith unit had a record player, a radio tuner (AM & FM, if I recall correctly), a built-in amplifier, and two round speakers on the front,  both maybe 5 & 1/4” units—the speakers’ centers were only about 11” apart, so stereo separation was not the best.  My first records were George Szell and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra playing Beethoven’s 5th and 7th Symphonies, a Glenn Miller record, and a Tommy Dorsey/Frank Sinatra record.

i was hooked! 

I played trumpet and French Horn in a Concert Band in High School.  When stationed in Germany—first of three tours in Germany, 1973 to 1978, we attended many concerts, especially in West Berlin, the greatest being Karl Böhm conducting in Berlin, a performance of Beethoven’ “Pastorale,” 7th Symphony.  The Berliners went wild with their applause and foot-stomping, which went on for over 40 minutes.  On about 1973, we saw a fairly young Kyung Wha Chung play Max Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasy” with the Munich Orchestra … also superb!

 Still am hooked!

I started with a portable box record player with a tall spindle for both 45s and albums. I made cassette tapes to take outdoors by putting a mic in front of the speaker in the front of the box connected to a portable tape deck.  Then moved on to 8-track and finally CDs. I’ve had multiple systems over the years. Some I still use, some in storage and some I gave to friends and family. I finally moved to separate components when I went back to a music focused system after years with home theater setups. The system I have now is the best I’ve ever had but for me enjoying the music I love over the years is living the dream. This hobby is a journey not a destination IMO. As Hans says, enjoy the music.

In the late 70's my start was a Marantz 2265B reciever Teak cassette player and Cerwin Vegas speakers 

For myself: Beethoven’s Pastorale is his 6th Symphony, not the 7th.  That’s what comes from late night— or early morning—writing when you are tired but cannot get back to sleep.  
 

to continue, I am in the final stages of building my dream system, with only a DAC upgrade and a new streamer to wrap up my system; for the latter, I am looking at the Innuous Zen MK3 and the Aurender ACS10.  We have a smaller living room, so the speakers are smaller than I would like— oh, for my old Infinity RSIIbs that were destroyed in an Army move.

Fellas we can go back to my other post. They allowed us to put it back up. There is a long story about Zuesman that I will share with you guys. He has changed name 7 or 8 times. He has been kicked off the forums 7 times for his behavior. Very internet dangerous. Seriously. Will do a long post soon about being careful with guy that post on audio forums. 

When I was in my 20s I bought an inexpensive amp and speakers that really sounded great together but I didn't know it because I thought all systems sounded that good. Later when I decided to get something newer, I couldn't find anything that sounded even close to what I had. I couldn't believe how hard it was to get something that sounded nice. Later in life I stopped by an audio store that sold some high end speakers and then there it was.... B&W speakers that sounded even better that my original speaker system so I bought them. I always enjoyed music and from there out I was hooked.

As a very young kiddo in the 50s, I listened to my aunt's tabletop record player and, later, as a young teen, to my parents' Grundig console.  However, I would say the audiophile bug bit me in 1971, after listening to a high school friend's 2 channel system (i.e.  Sansui integrated + Throrens TT + can't remember the speakers).  After that experience, my amplifier with built-in 8 track player and small bookshelf speakers just didn't cut it!  So, I bought what I considered to be my first "audiophile" level 2 channel system in 1972 at Tech HiFi in Cambridge (i.e.  Sansui 2000X + Phillips 212 TT + Studiocraft speakers).  That, too, was an irresponsible purchase.  That money should have gone to college expenses.  Quickly thereafter, I upgraded the speakers to Ohm C and the rest, as they say, is history.

I wouldn't say what I have now is my dream system, per se, but it is more than adequate for my 23' X 14' living room.  My dream sound system would involve building or buying a home with a dedicated sound room and filling it with new toys.

I started with a Knight Kit amp that I built at age 13 in 1962. I had some Radio Shack speakers and a turntable which I do not recall who built. I eventually over time bought a McIntosh system in the 80's and went through some Nakamichi stuff. My dream system came about when I retired and could afford  what I wanted and it is again McIntosh. 

It, literally, started for me at age 5. My dad was showing off his new Admiral dual chassis, 12" 4-way system and was conducting an experiment. How many houses away can we get and still hear the stereo? I believe the correct answer was "4."

It became "real" to me at 15, when my brother, while serving in Vietnam, bought a Pioneer/Sansui/Akai system at the PX and shipped it back over here with the purpose of flipping it, making a little money and buying an even better system. I got the system assembled and was immediately pulled into high(er) fidelity than my dad’s system -- and this "new" concept called "components." I sold my first stereo at age 15 (which unknowingly at the time contributed to a life-long career).

My first encounter with legitimate high fidelity was in the early 70’s when I received a personal demo of a new speaker -- AMT1s, connected to a Mac stack at David Beatty Stereo in Kansas City, MO. I didn’t have the "ears", nor the vocabulary at the time, but was blown with the clarity and detail, and sonic impact of the system.

Entering college, I became interested in playing guitar to go along with my keyboard (we called it organ back then). I also took a course in music appreciation. Being a mediocre keyboard player, and even worse guitar player created a profound admiration of talented musicians, and the equipment required to reproduce their sound(s) accurately at home. An appreciation course in classical music helped me become a better listener, and more appreciative of other genres. It also shaped my preferences in "progressive rock". I leaned more towards music that was unique in texture, tempo, sudden and unexpected chord changes, etc.

I also had a strong desire to build my own speakers. So, when the next college semester came around, I expressed this desire with my academic advisor. I was told that, yes, I can take wood shop, but I am required to build from a specific list of authorized projects. I wouldn’t be able to have an unlimited project until much later in the process, which would also require that I change majors. Hum. Okay, then., I asked the advisor if metal shop has such restrictions. He said "no," I signed up, and built my first speakers out of sheet metal. Yes, they did sound "a little tinny." (No pun intended)

After my career path as an "architect in training" came to an abrupt end in 1972-1973 due to inflation and collapse of building projects, I remembered that I was pretty good at selling by brother’s stereo. And, it was fun. So, I fell back (temporarily?), got a job at a big appliance/TV store, and quickly became known as "the stereo guy." I trained other salespeople and assisted in difficult sales situations where more knowledge and/or confidence was required. After spending the next 6 months trying to reenter the architectural career path, I finally gave up and spent the next 50+ involved in the audio industry in some way (including the present). Those sheet metal speakers were eventually replaced by a speaker system of my own design, which earned me a patent in 1990. I still work 1 day a week trying to keep good audio equipment from ending up in a dumpster. It is my "involuntary not-of-profit organization". I don’t make any money, but it can be quite rewarding in other ways. Being involved in this forum is a previledge that I never take for granted.

@frankmc195 looks like  you had early synergy. Then found it again 

@oldaudiophile well I understand. The music was more important than the tuition. Yup we get drawn in. 

@waytoomuchstuff interesting. I’m a lawyer by trade. But I’m working in audio on the side.  I’m not doing it for the money. I just enjoy it all helping, learning and listening. Reading your story you’ve had quite the  journey. 

@fbgbill yes as we get older and slow down the money becomes available and the systems we can get allows us to get what we really want.  

@mike4597 nice choices looks like you are almost done. 

@jrwaudio cerwin Vega. Blast from the past. 

@immatthewj when you start down the audio hole. It goes deeper and deeper.  But it puts you in happy places. 

@immatthewj I want to long version! (But you knew that)

My hifi journey is closely tied with my story of building the opportunity of and moving to the US. It could not have happened without being into audio. Funny how things are all related.

@calvinj 

Glad you're reaching out and helping others.  Good for you (and, them)!

Knowing there are lawyers on this post, I tried my best not to perjure myself (too badly).  I intentionally left out my days of assembling and installing sound systems for discos, and those years of building competition car stereo.  130+ db sound levels wasn't friendly to my ears. 

I started buying used gear when I was 14, with money earned from singing in a choir. An older brother of a friend sold me his Yamaha receiver, Ohm 2-way bookshelves, and an odd belt-drive turntable with an orange felt mat for slip-cuing. I dj’d for parties with this bedroom setup to avoid dancing, having built a control station for a small portable lighting system. Didn’t turn a profit, as the money went right back into making it better. Had a Sherwood power amp from this era in a home office system until a few years ago, when my cat shorted it out puking on it after a nap . . . Maybe that’s why I never put the cover on my Rogue Atlas that currently drives my living room system!

@calvinj  You know you're old when the stereo equipment you bought new is now vintage I wish I could remember how the Cerwin Vegas speakers sounded like? I do remember load!!! Hey my friend wants to trade me his reconditioned Marantz 2325 reciever for my Magnepan 7's with Magnarisers stands and fuse/jumper upgrade Something I should consider?

My journey started in high school of course,  I heard my boss stereo in his office . He had a Marantz and Teac cassette deck and cant remember the speakers he had. He told me to go out and buy whatever I wanted but remember his setup because it had cables and you could always hook up what you bought in the future if you bought separate components. I did just that and got a used Teac cassette deck, sounded good then until I heard an early Nakamichi machine in the tech shop and was blown away. I got it used of course and that started it all. I have had so many Nakamichi decks I lost count. It is a special sound if they are calibrated correctly . I did work in a hi-fi store in a mall in Florida in 1982 and that had a huge affect on me.  Our line was Yamaha, ADS , Perroux, and some other great brands. I remember the mobile fidelity records we played to demo the gear , it worked. After this I moved to south Florida to attend college and went into a high fi shop and heard the ADS speakers compared to the other lines they had there. That did it. I could not believe the sound ! I had to have them. It took a long time to get a real pair of floor standing model that I could hold onto  and afford. I did not want book shelf models anymore because they could be preplaced. I still have two pairs of floor standing model ADS speakers. One pair were bought mint never used a guy he had stored in his closet. They are the MK1290 model, and  I have my L1590 model speakers which were restored by the tech in Arizona who used to work at the factory for ADS. 

One year ago and 4 systems later. Because I’m a nut and strive for the best. We’ll see what next year has in store but i like where im

at with everything. 

I was 15 when I purchased my first stereo system at the end of 1976. They were no-name brand components that I can’t recall. but the thrill of having my first system was immense. In 1980 while in college, I saved money from a part time Summer job and upgraded to my first decent system (Sansui receiver, Infinity speakers, Technics turntable with Ortofon cartridge). For the next several decades, it was a slow but steady upgrade of components (Sony, Denon, M&K, Acurus, Marantz, Rotel, Linn, Music Hall, Velodyne, Elac, Audiolab, McIntosh). 48 years after this all began, I feel that I finally achieved my "End Game" system. The only constant in this journey, is the importance and joy music has had in my life.

https://www.audiogon.com/systems/11787

Teenage years

Nikko stereo receiver

Yamaha speakers

After that 20's

Nad 3020 integrated

Kenwood tuner

Luxman turntable which I still have but not used in 25 years

Demon bookshelf speakers

40's

YBA  1 stereo amp still using to this day

Baetis streamer/TotalDAC D1 DAC

Various bookshelf and floor standing speakers

Bought my 1st record when I was 8-10 yr5s old. That was 1959-61. Got $2 allowance and bought 2 45's every week. I've loved music all my life. I had a turntable console of some sort. I have never been without a music playing system since then. I had a lot of low fi but the music has always been the important part to me. Got my 1st good system in 1978 while in Charlotte NC. A new Harmon Kardon HK 730 receiver, Big Advents and a Tecchnics TT. later I added a Teac 3 head cassette player. I made many cassette tapes from LP to listen in the car.It was a great starter system. Then I tried a Luxman R115 receiver. I hated it. It had nothing but THUMP for a bass line. Sold it and got the HK running again along with Infinity RS 5 speakers. Add a Maggot box cdb 650 along the wayand I was happy until about 2000. Thats when I decided to reach higher.

I found audiogon & audio asylum and learned a lot. I learned that audiophiles mostly listen to funny music. Well...at least its funny to me. I never knew anyone who listened to female vocals & jazz. I tried jazz & just don't get it. but what I do get is NOS music. My new systems have opened the door to music UI never was interested in before. I was a hard rock/metal guy. But softer stuff like Billy Joel, Supertramp, Elton john, etc sound pretty darn good on a good system. Acoustic music in general sounds good. So I have a lot of NOS music to listen to now. This is stuff I heard on the radio but would never have thought about buying before. Its been a great learning experience. The audiophiles I met early on were very helpful in teaching me. My system was far inferior to others but they never made me feel bad about my system. The early internet experience was quite a bit different that today. I had a good experience and will never forget those who helped me along the way.

@jrwaudio i don’t know about the trade. But I appreciate the sharing.  There are a lot of factors in that trade. 

@brandan i understand I got lucky early. I got try without buying a lot of stuff early. It helped me.  Me and my friends went on a 12 year equipment and cable run that saw us spending and trying a lotn I’m at the top of where I wanna be. I’m done. Just listening to music now. 

@artemus_5 your story goes way back and runs deep.  Us audiophiles are different. 

@mksun. Nice set up. Looks enjoyable. 

@noromance

Subject... not using my vinyl rig.

Well, I have not sold my vinyl or analog front end. I am toying with the ideal of upgrading to great cartridge I heard on an Audiogoner’s system, a Esturo Gold cartridge. I am sure with its amazing detail it would get my vinyl to pull ahead just enough to encourage me to play vinyl once in a while.

Thanks @calvinj, I’m listening to it as I’m typing this. Also thanks for this post. It’s been fascinating to read about fellow audiophile’s musical journeys.

As I started getting into music I bought DTSOM and Kansas, Leftoverture before I had a TT. I lived in the Chicago suburbs near Victors Stereo and Audio Consultants. Both stores were great about letting early teenagers hang out and listen to their systems. Bought a NAD 3020, Dual CS 505 and Cerwin Vega 12 in 3 way speakers with money I earned working at a pizza joint. The CVs were quickly replaced with a pair of Maggie SMGa. I acquired a Crown DC 300A amp at a garage sale and used the NAD as a preamp through college. I bought a HK 5600 bit perfect CD player that I really miss and a Rega Planar 2 along the way.

After I started my first real job I moved to ProAc Studio 100 speakers. The store I bought them from had a rare pair of ProAc Studio 3 speakers (that I still use) and let me trade back my Studio 100 and stands in plus a few hundred for the Studio 3s.

My system has evolved since and I have brought back some Maggies magic back as well.

My taste in music has broadened dramatically since my journey began. Seeing Return to Forever live right after Romantic Warrior was produced was the catalyst that enriched my music appreciation beyond progressive rock forever.