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What were your humble beginnings on the path to high end audio?

Recently there has been a discussion as to the “price point where mid fi tops out and hi end systems begin”. I’d be willing to bet that there are not many folks who started out in this field of interest spending $100K, $50K or even $10K. Going back to your very beginnings, what was your first serious audio system?

I’ll jump in the wayback machine with Mr. Peabody and Sherman and give you a look at my beginnings.

My journey began at around age 13. I started out with a Lafayette KT-630, stereo tube amp that I built from a kit in my 9th grade, “electronics shop” class. The speakers were built at home from plans in the 1968, July issue of Mechanix Illustrated. I upgraded the cabinet construction from plywood, to solid mahogany. The twin woofers in each cabinet were also upgraded to 5” from the specified 4” units and the tweeters were also upgraded from the specified 2-3/4” units to the deluxe 3” units. The inductors in the 6db per octave passive crossovers were hand wound and the caps, terminal strips, L-pads, magnet wire and grill cloth were from Lafayette Radio Electronics as were the woofers and tweeters. The turntable was a purchased Garrard SL72B with a Shure M91E magnetic cartridge.

Check out the amp specifications on page 42 of the Lafayette 1968 summer catalog #648.
https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Catalogs/Allied-Catalogs/Lafayette-1968-Summer.pdf

The raw speakers are shown on page 55 of the Lafayette 1971 catalog #710. Woofers, 99-F-01554, figure D. Tweeters were at the bottom of page 55, 99-F-00499. The Garrard SL72B is on page 69 of the same catalog.
https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Catalogs/Consumer/Lafayette-1971.pdf

I still have the speaker systems and the amp and they all still work! Alas the SL72B is long since gone. I mowed a lot of grass and shoveled a lot of snow in the neighborhood to buy all that high end gear at age 13! :-D By todays standards, not very impressive, but to a 13 year old in 1968, it was awesome!

So to reiterate, what was your first serious audio system?

P.S. - If you are interested, check out some select old Lafayette, Allied Radio, Heathkit, Radio Shack, Olson and other old catalogs from what I think of as the “good old days” of electronics and my youth.
https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Electronics_Catalogs.htm

vintage_heath
n80
2,133 posts
 
In 1980 I got a Toshiba Tuner/Receiver, a set of gigantic "Lyric" floor speakers a Teac tape deck and a turn table of some sort. I was a junior in high school and was in heaven. I still have and use the Toshiba.

When I got to college my wealthy roommate my junior and senior year had a Carver amp, NAD pre-amp, Nakamichi dual tape deck, Bang and Olufson turntable and Dahlquist floor speakers. Not bad for a room in a military college in 1984.

Between now and then....not much.

Was recently given an Audio Research LS16 tubed line stage, Madrigal Proceed HPA2 amp, Arcam CD96 CDP, Aerial Acoustics 7B tower speakers,  Transparent SuperBiCable speaker cables and all Transparent XLR and RCA cables. All free.

It is my first and last hi fi system...unless it fails beyond repair. I love it. No need for me to upgrade.
beernut's avatar
beernut
298 posts
 
This is fun. Hi End is relative when you're a poor teen in the 70's. Had a Ross 8 track 4 speaker system for the princely sum of $100.00. Ok, it made music, of sorts. First "real" system was a Marantz 2225 receiver with a Dual 1225 TT and Shure M91ED cartridge. Added Marantz HD 660 speakers which quickly became JBL L110's. That was courtesy of the US Air Force in Berlin, Germany...
audiowoman
249 posts
 
Memories!  Mid 1970’s :

yamaha receiver
dual 510 turntable with shure M 95ED cartridge
large advents
dave1980
70 posts
 
Fun topic! I’ll start with the era, I’m 16 a sophomore in H.S. In 1972. Saved my $ working for Grand Union Supermarket at around $1.60 per hour and saved up for a very long time.

First receiver - Sherwood later a Sansui
First speakers - Infinity Pos2’s.

Kept those through college and in 1978 bought my first pair of KEF’s, 10AB’s which I still own and have had “totally” restored out of nostalgia, thank you Speaker Exchange in Tampa, Fla. Keep thinking one of my kids would want them but they are happy with their phones and maybe Sonos. I may need to do a second nostalgia small system here in the house only I can understand,  “smile”..

I’m  62 now and finally sold my B&W N802’s this year and graduated to Paradigm Persona 7F’s.

Thanks to all of you for giving me enjoyment each day reading the latest topics here on AG.

Dave AKA “Bogey”




inna
7,434 posts
 
Panasonic boom box, cassette and radio. Best sound in the neighborhood. Then Technics turntable with homemade, not by me, amp and speakers. Kept my Panasonic for many years.
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