YOUR AUDIOPHILE JOURNEY WHEN DID IT START AND HOW DID YOU GET TO YOUR DREAM SYSTEM?

I was working for my parents when I was about 12, in their TV store.  They also sold a limited number of console “hi-f”i units and a Zenith stereo record player.  I saved my money from working at the business, delivering newspapers, and collecting walnuts (&1/bag for Black Walnuts, $10/bag for English walnuts).  The. Zenith unit had a record player, a radio tuner (AM & FM, if I recall correctly), a built-in amplifier, and two round speakers on the front,  both maybe 5 & 1/4” units—the speakers’ centers were only about 11” apart, so stereo separation was not the best.  My first records were George Szell and the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra playing Beethoven’s 5th and 7th Symphonies, a Glenn Miller record, and a Tommy Dorsey/Frank Sinatra record.

i was hooked! 

I played trumpet and French Horn in a Concert Band in High School.  When stationed in Germany—first of three tours in Germany, 1973 to 1978, we attended many concerts, especially in West Berlin, the greatest being Karl Böhm conducting in Berlin, a performance of Beethoven’ “Pastorale,” 7th Symphony.  The Berliners went wild with their applause and foot-stomping, which went on for over 40 minutes.  On about 1973, we saw a fairly young Kyung Wha Chung play Max Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasy” with the Munich Orchestra … also superb!

 Still am hooked!

I started with a portable box record player with a tall spindle for both 45s and albums. I made cassette tapes to take outdoors by putting a mic in front of the speaker in the front of the box connected to a portable tape deck.  Then moved on to 8-track and finally CDs. I’ve had multiple systems over the years. Some I still use, some in storage and some I gave to friends and family. I finally moved to separate components when I went back to a music focused system after years with home theater setups. The system I have now is the best I’ve ever had but for me enjoying the music I love over the years is living the dream. This hobby is a journey not a destination IMO. As Hans says, enjoy the music.

In the late 70's my start was a Marantz 2265B reciever Teak cassette player and Cerwin Vegas speakers 

For myself: Beethoven’s Pastorale is his 6th Symphony, not the 7th.  That’s what comes from late night— or early morning—writing when you are tired but cannot get back to sleep.  
 

to continue, I am in the final stages of building my dream system, with only a DAC upgrade and a new streamer to wrap up my system; for the latter, I am looking at the Innuous Zen MK3 and the Aurender ACS10.  We have a smaller living room, so the speakers are smaller than I would like— oh, for my old Infinity RSIIbs that were destroyed in an Army move.

Fellas we can go back to my other post. They allowed us to put it back up. There is a long story about Zuesman that I will share with you guys. He has changed name 7 or 8 times. He has been kicked off the forums 7 times for his behavior. Very internet dangerous. Seriously. Will do a long post soon about being careful with guy that post on audio forums.