A moment when you realized better sound was possible.

When I was about 13 or 14, my dad bought me one of those "suitcase" style stereos with the swing-down turntable and swing-out speakers. At the time, I thought it was OK.

When I paid a visit to a friend of mine in college in 1970, his roommate had an old McIntosh tube integrated. I don't remember what he had for a turntable or speakers, but we listened to Larry Coryell's album, Lady Coryell.

I was absolutely blown away and knew I had to have a McIntosh, but they were WAY too expensive. Sometime later, another buddy of mine told me about a used Fisher X-101-ST that he had seen for sale at an audio repair shop in Akron and, by the way, did I want to buy his dad's Garrard Type A.

So, I bought them both, but now I couldn't afford speakers. Somewhere I got ahold of a pair of 12" EV Wolverines without cabinets. So, I cut some holes in a big pair of corrugated boxes and I had a good start on my first decent stereo system.

I did end up building some speaker cabinets using EV's plans and used that system on into the 80's. I still have the Fisher.

Back in the 80s as a freshman in college I heard my first CD player.  The technology seemed pretty cool but I was afraid to be on the only one in the crowd saying "vinyl sounds better".  So I suppose it was a moment when I realized worse sound was possible yet promoted as better sound - actually only "more convenient" sound. 

Back in the 80s as a freshman in college I heard my first CD player. The technology seemed pretty cool but I was afraid to be on the only one in the crowd saying "vinyl sounds better". So I suppose it was a moment when I realized worse sound was possible yet promoted as better sound - actually only "more convenient" sound.

Good one. Good for you. I'm older, CD came out after college when I was broke and moving around and keeping my treasured turntable safely stored away. So I never did compare and with all the moving around didn't notice and just assumed everyone was right and CD really was better. 

Until years later building my listening room which of course started with CD and was surprised to read Robert Harley's book saying "the turntable is the foundation of a high end music system." 

Say what? So I dug my Technics out of storage, hooked it up, and sure enough that beat up old table trounced my much more expensive CD player. 

This was by the way after the earlier episode of learning to listen. Better sound was not only possible- I heard it!

Back in the 80s as a freshman in college I heard my first CD player. The technology seemed pretty cool but I was afraid to be on the only one in the crowd saying "vinyl sounds better". So I suppose it was a moment when I realized worse sound was possible yet promoted as better sound - actually only "more convenient" sound.

Yep Continued fighting a rear guard action against cd for quite a while until the availability of re issues overwhelmed me.My move to cd was tempered by the lack of available vinyl catalogue until the recent renaissance.My first realization of good sound happened when a walked into the local hi-fi shop and was demonstrated the possibilities of better equipment.This continued to happen nearly every time I ventured back until the shop closed.Nothing like having a salesman who really knows his stuff.

I went to a friends house back around 1988. He had just made two 18" floor firing subwoofers with passive crossovers and plenty of watts and current (I don't know the specs) to account for the impedance of his 9 Kappas. The difference in how those speakers sounded to mine, (I just had a pair of EPI towers) then with the difference of the subs was surreal to me. I noticed how much space between the notes was there and how if he turned it up, there was no pain to my ears. 

This started me on my "journey".