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Your first stereo system

What was your first stereo or hi fi music system? What do you remember best about it? What were its strengths? Its weaknesses? What music provided you the most enjoyment from it? What did you trade in first and why? My first system was from Lafayette Radio Electronics. It consisted of a very small integrated amp, two small book shelf speakers, and a turntable I don't remember much about. I was thrilled to have the tiny amp, it provided much better sound than an a.m. radio, in such a small package. My system was in the basement of my parents home, with the speakers on opposite sides of my round water bed! The first "up grade" was to a cool looking Garrard turntable with a clear plastic hinged cover. My favorite music of the time was by Jim Morrison and the Doors. That system did its best to light my fire, and the memory of it still does.
richardmonk
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
1957/H.K.40 wt amp grundig fm tuner Norelco huge bass reflex enclosure 18in woofer.Gerrard tt.MONO. Looking back it was prob.crap;but nobody had anything better.1st stereo I heard required the tv and the fm radio.The left signal from one, the right from the other.This was a tv special.Then every Sun,12.00-3.00 pm two radio stations got together.One brodcast the left ;the other the right,so if you had 2 fm radios you had stereo.It was awesome.A year or so latter the 1st lp's in stereo.For many years you could by the mono or the stereo version of the same lp.First all in one;was one of those cabinet types.Those were the days;gas .19 a gallon.
jules
53 posts
 
a pioneer sx-626 which I still use in my basement a pioneer turntable one of the PL series a pioneer 8-track player recorder and these huge beautiful wood akai speakers that I bought sight unseen through a PX catalog while in Viet-Nam at the time I do not recall what I did with the other stuff probably trashed it after awhile then around 1977 or 78 I bought a decent stereo consisting of a pair of DQ-10'swith some obscure cable called kimber a Yamaha B-2 amp and a Yamaha C-2 pre amp a Kenwood KD-550 turnable a Denon 103c cartridge and a Sansui TU-717 tuner and then the madness set in I cannot tell you of all the different systems I have spent or wasted money on but I believe the system I may have enjoyed the most was the first before the stereo bug bit me.
danvetc
527 posts
 
1976. Infinity Qb speakers(MIT tweeters were so cool) with JVC amp and table using a Shure cartridge. Played only loud R & R. Oh yeah, forgot to mention my speaker stands....the cardboard box the speakers were packed in. Sound? ....I seem to remember there was a particular "atmosphere" in those days that seemed to help the sound. I guess that might be called a "room treatment." That was a long time ago.....excuse me as I need to take a shot of Geritol.
treyhoss
287 posts
 
Telex-Phonola. I still have it! It was a hand-me-down from my parents and is actually a piece of furniture, about the size of a coffee table, speakers at both ends (covered by cloth) with a drawer that pulls out revealing a turntable and tuner! I "upgraded" to a Craig receiver in the late 70's then to a Fisher rack system in the mid-80's with a CD player. I thought I was Cool with speakers the size of small refrigerators - 15" woofers and all! I saw the light when I moved to "the big city" and went in to my first "better" electronics store. I quickly bought some Yamaha gear in the late 80's and moved on from there! Present day - I no longer have any of the aforementioned products, except for that vintage Telex!
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Early 70's; Scott integrated tube amp; Dynaco A-25 speakers and Garrard turntable with Pickering cartridge (forget the model). And might I add that it was probably every bit as enjoyable as anything I've owned since and better than the Pioneer SS receiver route I took a few years later. But then again I didn't know then what I know now and music was the primary focus.
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