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Your first component that was "special"

I got into hifi 40 years ago. I had a Pioneer receiver, Kenwood table, various entry level cartridges (ADC, Stanton, Empire) and Studio Design speakers. I wound up buying a Shure V15 Type 3 cartridge. That was the first piece of gear I bought that was way beyond ordinary. I had kept the cartridge until about 2o years ago- I sold it because by then no decent replacement stylus was available. Wish I still had it.

128x128zavato
johnch993
5 posts
 
It was the late 80's.  My system consisted of a decent turntable and integrated amp driving marginal speakers.  The latter seemed like the weak link, so after auditioning a number of possible replacements, I placed an order for the Snell E. 

The day I arrived to pick them up, the dealer was in the process of setting up a pair of Magnepan MG1Cs that had just arrived.  Although I had read about Maggies, I had never heard them, so asked if I could take a listen.  I was blown away.  Compared to the Snells, the bass and highs were severely lacking, but the soundstage...  Oh the soundstage.  I had never experienced anything like it, and was hooked.  The Maggies were more expensive than the Snells, which were already over my meager budget, but it didn't matter.  I had to have them.  It's been an expensive and slippery slope ever since.

-John
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 

In 1972 I discovered J. Gordon Holt and his little digest-sized "quarterly" magazine Stereophile. After reading for a year about the exotic hi-fi I had never seen in Northern California (high end seemed to be an East Coast phenomenon), in the Spring of ’73 I learned of a new high end store that had recently opened in Livermore. So I paid the store a visit and met it’s owner/proprietor Walter Davies, who now makes the great Last line of record care products. Also arriving at the shop that day was none other than Bill Johnson of Audio Research. Oh, the luck!

Bill had piloted himself to Livermore in his own plane, loaded with a full Audio Research system, including the SP-3 pre-amp, Dual 51 and 75 amplifiers, PC2 crossover, and new Magneplanar Tympani T-I Loudspeakers, which ARC was distributing. He was at Walter’s shop to inaugurate him as an ARC dealer, and to set up his system, which also consisted of a Thorens TD-125 Mk.II turntable, prototype ARC pickup arm (a flat wooden "plank" about an inch wide and maybe 1/4" thick, sort of the like the old Grado), and a Decca Blue cartridge.

What a sound I heard! Sure the ARC electronics were part of that, and great for their time, but I feel it was hearing both a Decca cartridge and the Tympanis for the first time that was responsible for drastically changing my perception of what reproduced music could sound like. I bought myself that exact same system from Walter shortly thereafter.

The prototype ARC arm was never put into production, but I again now own both Decca (London actually) cartridges and Tympani (T-IV) loudspeakers ;-) !

kennythekey
593 posts
 
It started out...On my Sting-Ray coaster bicycle (1965) with a banana seat and the whole bit taking a decent ride into Jamaica, Queens to the Lafayette Electronics store near the old elevator train. I purchased a complete stereo kit consisting of mini preamp and power amp, turntable, and speakers. It cost $109, saved from a $1/week allowance, and the ride back to my apartment was insane. What was I thinking? This is how I learned to solder, and the damn thing made music! Pure joy.
Kenny
zavato's avatar
zavato OP
1,397 posts
 
Have you seen what Schwinn Stingrays sell for these days? 





kennythekey
593 posts
 
Zavato - Yup, and l'm doing better than my $1/week allowance as well.

BTW - Reading my comments, it's not elevator train but elevated train (L train). Like the lyrics you get wrong in a Rolling Stones song, us kids grew up in apartments with elevators, so to us they were elevator trains. And, still are today.
Kenny
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