What did your first "real" system consist of?


In highschool (1975) I purchased my first nice system and broke away from the family Lloyds 8 track/turntable/tuner combo. I purchased on sale the Radio Shack STA76 (12 WPC) on sale for $159.00 ($259), Miracord 45 turntable on sale for $259.00, and Sansui SP2000 speakers at $150.00 used. I had about 500 albums and later the next year transitioned from 8 tracks to cassette.

My first sepatrates came in 1988? I bought a Hafler 110 pramp $200.00 used, Dynaco 150 w/ meters $150.00 used, Thorens/SME3009 turntable $150.00 used, Panasonic MASH CD player $125.00 new, Energy Pro22 speakers $500.00 new, Monster Cable M1000 I/C @ $50.00 per set, and AQ Midnight Speaker cable cheap.

What did your first system look like or maybe your first steps into high end?
128x128jothompson
Early 70's I had a Mac 2105, C26, MR 73 with JBL bookshelves, dual turntable and a Tandberg 3000 something deck. Upgraged to Heil HMT something, Revox A77 and Thorens TD 125. Run across pictures the models on eBay... brings back memories of Crosby Stills Nash, Airplane, Cold Blood, Poco... and learning about jazz on Creed Taylor produced albums.
In college I bought a pair of Ohm Walsh 2's driven by an Onkyo 504 amp w/ Adcom passive pre and a Kenwood cd changer. I have since spent ungodly sums of money, yet I rarely connect with the music like I used to. Maybe my memories have become romanticized, but I swear that old system was damn near as good as my reference today.
In the early eighties I had a yamaha integrated, dual turntable, can't remember the model numbers. Speakers were genesis (handmade somewhere in new england the salesman claimed). Don't have a clue if that was the same company we know today. great system though for everything from neil young to clash! then i lost track of everything when i went down the rabbit hole!
Wellmy first system wasn't until about 1998, I was 28, and consisted of a Rega Planet cd player, a Bryston B-60 integrated amp, and Definitive Technology floorstanding speakers, I forget the model but they were not bi-polar. Shortly after putting this system together I added a Rega Planar 3 with an AT 440ml cartridge. The turntabe is the only surviving part of that first system.
Early nineties. Audiolab 8000A, Arcam Alpha 5, B&W DM610's. They are collecting dust in the basement until the arcam gets replaced or repaired.