How did U get into this expensive hobby?

Well, I was looking for new components for my stereo system, and I found the October ´97 issue from Stereophile in a magazine store (I never noticed this magazine before, or at least I thought it was no different fron Audio Review!). All of a sudden, I discovered that my system was made of thrash , and that I was losing the best of my lp and cd collection. I decided not to spend money on mass market junk, and I decided to make an effort to purchase affordable high end equipment. Well, after three years I have a system that makes me happy, and I can listen to the music as I never dreamed of it! I expect to add a record cleaning maching very soon as an accesory, in order to restore my 2000 classical record collection,and keep enjoying endless hours of listening pleasure!

Fighting already? I was almost sure that this thread could create no hostile discussions since only ask how you got into hifi and I don't think there's no wrong way. I am starting to think you guys are really like family because family do bicker over the littliest if not the silliest thing all the time. I wonder audio will be included in this old proverb: "Never discuss about the other person's view on religions and politics at the dinner table"...and now audio too? People go over war on this topic people. Leaf, Carl is right. People get introduced to things from all different sources. It doesn't make one bad from another. Heck, if getting introduced to something by a magazine is bad, then all of us are guilty here. How the heck were you all introduced to sex? By a sex education teacher? Of course not, it was Playboy, Pin Up, Penhouse, and etc...blame Hughe Heffner on your sexual behaviour guys. Cheers....

Leaf, You are a stupid fool to think that just because someone got hooked on hifi by picking up an audio magizine makes them a non-music lover. I have always loved music and have been a musician for over 20 years (10 professional). I can honestly say that the whole reason I got hooked on hifi has to do with the fact that I was exposed to Stereophile and Audio in the early 90's. I can't tell you how sick and disgusted I am by your ignorant comments...

It was the summer of 1964 -- I was 21 at the time -- and I had a summer job with the Coast & Geodetic Survey (now called NOAA). I was part of a crew in Alaska surveying the damage from the big earthquake that spring. The C&GS is a uniformed service, and was therefore eligible to participate in a military sales program sponsored by Fisher (the company owned by Avery Fisher). One of the officers on the crew had a sales brochure from Fisher, and I was really taken with the Fisher receiver -- I think the model number was the 400. I eventually decided, however, to buy two of Fisher's kits for their tube gear -- a 40 wpc integrated amp, and their tuner. The two units arrived after the summer job ended, and I was back in school at the Univ of Washington in Seattle. I'd never built an electronic kit before, and was really impressed with the quality of the instruction manual. I started working on the amp one evening after class, and got so engrossed I stayed up all night to complete the assembly. Lo and behold, the amp actually worked!! The tuner was completed the next week, and then, of course, I needed to get speakers. I bought a pair of Jensen bookshelf speakers from a stereo store in Seattle called "Electricraft" (now long gone). I was living with my parents while attending UofW, and the little system resided in their living room. It served me, and then my parents, very well for more than 10 years. From that first step into audio, my interest grew. I was in the Army during the late '60's and early '70's, and bought audio gear at the PX in Germany (Bose 901's; Marantz 2270 receiver; Garrard turntable with Shure cartridge; Tandberg 6000 open-reel tape deck). Since those days, I have owned a lot of mid and hi-end equipment, but my emphasis has always been on buying high VALUE audio gear. Today's edition of my system has evolved into a home theater system that is built around a high-end audio system: Bryston SP-1 pre/pro; Bryston 4B-ST and 5B-ST amps; Vandersteen 3A Signature speakers, with Vandy VCC-1 Signature center channel, and Coincident Technology Triumph Signature rear speakers; Pioneer DV-37 DVD player; VPI HW-19 Mk 4 turntable, with Rega RB900 arm, Shure V15xMR cartridge, and Lehmann Audio Black Cube phono pre-amp; REL Q201E sub; JVC S-VHS video tape deck; and Sony WEGA 36" TV. It's been a great hobby, and the music I've discovered along the way has been the REAL reward.

Yes Leafs: Once again, one of your snarling little rat posts that contains absolutely no useable information or humility and is as usual extremely tiresome.