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How did you contract "Audiophilia"

I remember it well. The year was 1973 the place was Austin Texas. I was stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base and befriended a guy in my squadron who had just returned from a tour in Japan. He invited me over to listen to music at his house. He played a lot of good records. The Rascals, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, etc. Then he put on Dark Side of the Moon and turned up the volume to what at first seemed like ridiculous levels. But, as I listened, the music pulled me in. I heard details in that album I had never experienced in recorded music before. The record took me on a journey. When the silence at the end of the second side brought me out of my dream, I was hooked. His simple system consisted of a turntable (I can't remember the brand), connected to a Phase Linear amplifier and driving a pair of JBL Athena 99 loudspeakers. I've never been totally satisfied when my playback equipment since then, always searching for better sound. What was your first foray into hifi?
danoroo
tostadosunidos's avatar
tostadosunidos
1,198 posts
 
Danoroo, you're thinking of Audio Concepts--it was in Dobie Mall at 21st and Guadalupe. As Sfar pointed out, HiFinc was on Lavaca, around the 1700 block I think. Later they opened another store on Anderson near MoPac and eventually closed the Lavaca store. Now both HiFi INC stores are long gone. As is Audio Concepts. But we've still got some brick and mortar stores with some fine equipment to offer.
martykl
3,578 posts
 
I was a big music fan in high school in northern NJ and record listening sessions with friends were a weekly event. Eventually, that included a friend who had a high-end system. Five minutes into my first listening session with that system and I was stricken.

It only got worse as I began to explore local high-end shops. There was a dealer in Englewood (10 miles from my home) that had the original Wilson WAMM on display (with Crown amplification). One afternoon, I stopped in and they were kind enough to provide a listen (even tho I had no prayer of affording such a system at the time). It was probably the late '70s, but I remember the song:

"Under the Moon and Over The Sky" - by Angela Bofill.

Any chance of recovery died that day.
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa
4,867 posts
 
Martykl ...

Those listening sessions with friends in Jr. High School were great. It was the early 50's and we'd be all sitting around listening to a one-box hifi record player spinning Gerry Mulligan and Dave Brubeck albums. Some Joe Houston, Earl Bostic and Big Jay McNeely too. As they say ... "them's were the days." And now ... we are still having record listening sessions with our friends. Some things never change.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,111 posts
 
My ex brother in law came back home during the Viet Nam war with some great audio gear he got at the PX. It was so neat. I was just 1 1/2 years younger and though not looking forward to having to enlist, having a PX to shop at was something I was eager to see. Six months later the war was over but my interest in audio was cemented. After that, it was all the audio shops I could go to and all the magazines I could read.

All the best,
Nonoise
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