2. best-of
  3. 1094491882

Your First System

This should be good!!! Most of us have been in this expensive hobby for years now and have worked our way up to components we only dreamed of. I want to know what was your first system of separate components going back as far as you can remember. My first consisted of a Pioneer SX-680 receiver, a Technics SLD-1 turntable (I think that's the right model #), a Sharp tapedeck, and KLH floorstanding speakers. I was 16 at the time and thought I was the biggest badass on the block. Now, 20+ years later I have a ML 334, Meridian 507 CD, CJ PV10A, Canton Ergo 900 speakers, and a Transparent Power Isolator 4. I'm in the process of upgrading to a ML 390. It goes without saying the IC's and speaker cables are top notch as well. I know my system is WAAAYYYYY down the foodchain compared to what I've seen here but It would be interesting to see what everyone started out with.
pcook15
w9tr
7 posts
 
Circa 1965.
My first system was a Knight Kit KM-15 tube amplifier driving an 8" "full range" paper cone speaker, also from Allied Radio in Chicago. Speaker was in a homemade plywood box with no back. Phono source was a "Dynamic" cartridge (Stanton, I think) on a turntable of uncertain origin. Added another KM-15 amp and another speaker a year later for stereo. Beatles Rubber Soul, Revolver (Mono) were in heavy rotation, and Sgt. Peppers (stereo) was a revelation. Added a Pentron 1/4 tape machine and a Knight Kit tuner later.

My peers all had Silvertone or Wards pull down portables, at best.

Sometimes I wonder if it hasn't taken me 40 years to get back to the sound of that system.
david12
1,454 posts
 
Rogers Cadet integrated
Leak Mini sandwhich speakers
Basic Garrard deck
It was so long ago, they had only just invented electricity, it sounded great and I thought I had a Hi-Fi system, no I had a Hi-Fi system.
accorddude
45 posts
 
My dad bought me a Sony ES 5.1 Theater system in 1999 for Christmas it was my first real entry into audiophiledom. Before that I had an Awia cdp and some cheap speakers to go with it.
tvcurin2b5f
1 posts
 
i still have my harmon kardon arv 10, which has recently been put in a second room. my new stereo is a marantz, which lacks to fun of my earier much loved harmon kardon.
gonglee3
304 posts
 
Sony str receiver
Technics Turntable
Bose 301

I wasn't really happy with the sound - but didn't know why, so I kept listening to it all through my college years. After all, it was B o s e - how can it not sound good?

Sony and Technics are b i g companies too, so I thought they must sound good - perhaps it was just the condition of my records or something.

I neither had the money nor the knowledge to see through the marketing hype... I could have had a much nicer system even for that money...

It wasn't about one year ago I started this audio-quest, thanks to internet and all the guys in sights like this. I spent as much as a brand new car on this hobby, only to listen to a kenwood exec system I got for $159.

I am still lost - but I am having fun.
More to discover