What got you started/addicted to Hi-Fi

My mom offered to get me a stereo for my gradustion from clooege in 1974. Per one of my instructors, 8 tracks, which were the big thing, would soon be biting the dust and that cassettes would be the new tape medium. So I looked for a shelf system (receiver/TT/cassette) with seperate speakers. When we couldn't find one, the only alternative was seperate componants. The rest was history. I got a Pioneer SX-525, BSR changer, XAM 10" 3-ways, and a JVC cassette deck.

BTY, when I finally upgraded the speakers, I got Polk Monitor 7s.

Great speakers. A definite improvement over REalistic anythings.
 
It started for me when my cousins emigrated to New Zealand and left me 70+ albums which they couldn't take with them due to weight limitations. (They sailed there.)
Among the pile of LP's I found Simon & Garfunkel albums, Beatles and Motown stuff. Another aunt lent me a mono portable (shut the lid) record player and I was away!
My first record player was a BUSH 4000II with seperate speakers. (Ceramic cartridge) Later came the better 'Hi-Fi' experience, when I bought a TRIO amp and Technics SL75 turntable, which I used with Wharfdale Denton 2XP loudspeakers. A few years on came the Technics Amp, Tuner and RS165US cassette deck.
When I left school I worked in a Hi-Fi store for around 18 months in 1978/79 and that's where I realised if you buy the best you can afford it will last you longer. My old Ariston RD11-S is still going strong, with it's SME Series III tone arm and Ortofon FF15E cartridge!

My current systems vary, but the main two are:
1 - Sansui AU919 Amp, Yamaha NS1000M Loudspeakers, TEAC 233SD Reel to Reel, Akai LED Display Tuner and Philips CD Player. I play (badly) a Roland RD500 Digital Piano through the system too. Excellent sounds.
&
2 - Sansui G5500 Receiver - Celestion Ditton 44 MK1's - Sony CD Player.

I also have lots of other items, some donated, others bought from e-bay and some even found in 'skips'. (English for 'Dumpsters' I guess!) I found a Hitachi HA 310 amp in one. Cleaned it up, dried it out and away it went. Not bad sound but it was an older design with a bit too much 'noise at zero volume level'. (er hiss..)

Yep. I love old Hi-Fi but I loved the sound quality of the music it produced, even more!
 
Bully, my brother bought and still owns a Zenith Alegro Quad. It sets in his basement and I cant believe he still has it. I use to sneak in his room when he was away and play his Aqualung Quad album on it. He would have beat me if he knew that back then. Good thing he never found out I was riding his new Honda 450 DOHC back then. That was a dream machine back in 74-75.
 
My dad was into HiFi, even DIY his own speakers when I was 6. His hearing is about shot now and I think he was as much a gear head as a music lover. I was into music, liked his gear but didn't really miss it when I left.
Years later and miles away I wanted to upgrade and bought some early Klipsh Heresys. After that I couldn't go back, lost those in a divorce and discovered gear junkies when looking for new speakers. Started hunting tube amps......and kind of traded my way up into the good stuff. DIY is really the way to leap ahead without a single huge outlay of cash........you meet people, find AK, then you are sunk.

Listening to Yo Yo Ma and Stephane Grappelli play Cole Porter over antique EVs right now. Exquisite!
 
2 big hooks into audio for me.

My parents had the top of the line Motorola stereo HIFI in 1959 the year before I was born. Tubes running a center mounted 15 inch mono woofer and 2 cabinet mounted sattelites.

There were no baby sitters that were girls in my neihborhood. The guys next door used to hide LPs in the bushes until my parents had left for the night. Grew up cranking CCR, Yes, Hendrix, CSN and others at the age of 10.

HS friends had a 3 piece acoustic guitar group where I learned to be a sound man and helped them buy a pair of Klipsch Heresy Industrial in 1977.

They nicknamed me Audio Flynn and the girls made a T Shirt with Audio Flynn across the back for my 18 th birthday present.
 
My first taste of high fidelity stereo was my dad's livingroom stereo, with Dynaco PAS-3 and ST-70, a Garrard record changer (forget which model, but it was a mechanical marvel to me, though most of the time the record-changing spindle was swapped out for the short "normal" style), an AR FM-only tuner, and AR3a loudspeakers. From what I gather, the PAS-3/ST-70/AR3a combination was what everyone he knew then was buying and recommending. My dad listens to music every day, and I picked up that habit from him.

After I was shown how to properly operate it at around age 7, I listened to a lot of classical on that setup, plus folk and rock, kids records, story hour on WGBH, etc. The tuner is the only part of the old system that is still functioning in place, the rest having been replaced piece-by-pice with solid-state electronics (currently: Adcom GFP-1a preamp, HK PA-2200 power amp, Technics TT, Yamaha single-disc CD, and the speakers are Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble) . I have the PAS-3 at home awaiting restoration, and the speakers are still in their livingroom, though in use only as plant stands/end tables.

My best friend's dad had a system based around a Pioneer SX-1010. Though I forget the make/model of the TT, reel-to-reel, and cassette deck, that receiver was just amazing.
 
Last edited:
My father got into Hi-fi in the mid 50's. Built a heathkit system and then graduated to a MAC 240, citation model 1 preamp (he built), Fisher tuner driving AR3's with a center channel Marantz model 5 amp driving an ar2a. Needless to say I was a spoiled child, and couldn't abide poor fidelity in music. I still love good sound but haven't been able to match that system. Although I like my Ohm Walsh 2's better than the AR3's. My dad was an electrical engineer and gave my some good advice on equipment. Except speakers, he claimed specs don't matter with speakers only your ears.
 
My parents liked classical music and my older sisters liked classical music and as a result WQXR-AM was always on around the house. Sixty years later I can still hear their intro to the news; it began with a mellifluous chime: ding!..."Every hour on the hour, WQXR brings you the latest news bulletins, prepared and edited in the newsrooms of the New York Times."

In the same amount of time, modern stations get through three news items and the first of seven ads.

I've always suspected that one reason I got into hi-fi was because I fell in love with that long-ago, classy news intro. It was just so swavey and deboner!
 
Going to a friend of my Dad's house and hearing a McIntosh setup when I was around 16. The guy didn't even crank it up and it sounded awesome, but what hooked me was when I got my integrated McIntosh amp ( just cause I wanted somethin that was McIntosh), hooked up my $150 JVC cd changer to it and my cheap Jensen floor speakers and played Pink Floyd's shine on you crazy diamond. The clarity and reproduction (even with the other cheap components) blew me away and from then on there was no going back.
 
When I was 11, my dad had a fisher tube console that was one of the first stereo units produced. He bought me a Heathkit oscilloscope, and once I got it built, he let me hook it up to see the lissajous display. Then, he bought me a Heathkit amplifier kit, and then... when I was 14, I managed to save enough money for a "real" stereo, with transistors, a Scott 344C. We built some speakers in the garage using some older german drivers made by Isophon, and a friend and I snuck in to Filmore West to see Grace Slick... after that, I just kept spending money!
 
in 1976 or so, my older brother brought back some Bose 901's from his Army stint in Germany. prior to that he sent home a quadrophonic receiver, speakers and i think an 8 track player. i dont remember doing vinyl then. i dont remember the brand of the receiver or speakers but it sounded pretty sweet. when the 901's showed up i was blown away, i dont care what anyone says, the mid 70's 901's were a nice sounding speaker. i joind the AF in 79 and was fortunate enough to bunk across the hall from a guy who took me down the local audio store and basically forced the sales team (they were the owners but i didnt know it) to audition every speaker, amp, receiver and turntable in the place, for me. my budget allowed me to walk out of there with a Yamaha receiver, a B&O turntable and ADS speakers. a couple of years later i added another pair of ADS, a DBX IIbx, and a Yamaha tape deck. sold everything and my 400 or so LP collection when i got out. i didnt realize how much i missed it until last summer when i got another pair of ADS and a Yamaha receiver.
 
first steps in audio...

<< rewind << to..
approx 1983...aged 13..
good friend of mine had an amstrad ghetto blaster which kicked out at least 15 watts per channel..
it had detachable speakers ( ! )
separate bass and treble controls ( !! )
twin aerials ( !!! )
and.. wait for it....
a tape deck with not only 'state of the teenage art' soft eject mechanism but that holiest grail of grails amongst my peers...
vu meters and a recording level knob *swoon*
whilst in the melofelo household resided a humble sharp gf 5454 *radio cassette player* and a handful of memorex 90 tapes to deal with those weekend pirate radio mexa-mixes between 2pm and 4pm
..hardly a ghetto blaster by any standards..and only 6.5 watts of audio kick through its meagre woofers...but..
it was mine...and by shoving a metal coat hanger in the hole where the end tip of the aerial *used* to be...
and bending it into shapes resembling modern art sculpture of the most minimalist persuasion..
you could just about eek out a stereo signal from the humble 5 miles radius pirate transmitters :thmbsp:
>> fast forward >> to...
winter 1984/spring 1985 ..and...
i'm working one evening a week in a shoe store saving for my dream system
..whilst steadily refining the art of subdued anxiety at the imminent approach of my school exams...
audio nirvana descends upon me...
piece by slowly acquired piece every three months in the shape of :

dual cs 505/ii deluxe t/t,
yamaha a-420 amplifier,
b&w dm 110 speakers
mordaunt short speaker stands with spikes and sand filled internals
and
an aiwa adf 450 cassette deck..complete with YES :yes: led level meters ( !!! ) and lo and behold a separate recording level control...
...
..
>>fast forward>> to...
2005..
and all but the speakers have been replaced..
cheap...these B&W may have been...
but after 20 years of endless musical enjoyment...
even today visitors comment on how good those 'old' boxes still sound
:)
 
Last edited:
When I was 12 or 13 I was given a Sears Silvertone Stereo Record Player for Christmas. It was the old suitcase style with the turntable that swiveled down out of the case and the speakers swiveled out to the sides.

The breakthrough came months later when I realized that the speakers could be lifted off of their hinges and placed 7 or 8 feet apart! I could even put them on the floor on either side of a pillow and lay there with my head between them... very near-field-ish... and play my first stereo LP ("Revolver") over and over and...

LOL... This thing actually went to college with me freshman year. There I saw what real stereos were about.

Sophomore year I showed up with a Heathkit AA-15, a Garrard SL-72B (w/ Pickering V-15) and a pair of Lafayette Criterion 80 speakers. That year I added a Dynaco FM-5 tuner and Sony TCD-135 cassette deck.

And the rest is history still in the making.
 
Seems like I was into music from an early age. My dad was an audio buff until he had 3 kids running around, but we still listened to music quite a lot. His audio buddy was a Priest at the church we belonged to. He was always upgrading and dad would get some stuff from him. Eico, Fisher (I still have this), Wharfedale and Altec Iconics (which I just sold). My friends and I would blast his system while he was at work, so when I was 15 (1970), he and my mom bought a combo AM/FM receiver/8 track/t-table w speakers. Since I had a paper route, I had some spending $$$ so I bought some new speakers, then modded them. A few years later I was in the Army and single, so I really started getting some decent gear. Kept on upgrading until I was in grad school and poor, but my GAS Thoebe/Son of Ampzilla, Denon DP-1000 and DCM Time Windows held me over until I graduated and started making decent bucks.

I kept up the hobby and became a reviewer for SoundStage! for about 3 yrs and then opened a part time shop. Had loads of great thru my place (too much to list- thankfully I have an understanding wife) since then. But now I've recently become a dad and don't have time for tube rolling/tweaking anymore, so I'm content with my McIntosh system and Ohm speakers (plus a lot of audio goodies).
 
Last edited:
Parents had a Sears Silvertone monster console,they listen to Nat King Cole,Herb Albert and the T Brass,watched Joe Walsh and the James Gang at Erie County Fair Grounds in high school.I saved all my money from working on a gas dock for boats,bought an Electrophonic all in one piece of SH%T.Then visited older friends at BGSU,that was the life changer,Pioneer 525 was first real audio piece with some Utah speakers.The Silvertone is what hooked me,that SOB GOT LOUD!
 
When I was a kid, my dad used to change his stereo amplifier every six months and would always gather me and my brothers to listen to his new toys. I caught the hifi virus when I started working - my first Christmas bonus was spent on a stereo system costing roughly $500.

I eventually turned into dad's clone acquiring audio gears every 6 months. I now have a dozen amps (incl. 3 preamps and 2 power amps), a dozen pairs of speakers, over a dozen digital sources - CDPs and DVDs, 8 turntables, 6 tape decks and 2 tuners.
 
Ran accross a little vintage forum at a place called AudioUtopia, loved the folks there which fueled the passion for audio ;) Now that passion has quieted down quite a bit, because I reached audio nirvana ;) But I still love all my AU/AK brothers so I am still here :D
 
gonzo said:
...watched Joe Walsh and the James Gang at Erie County Fair Grounds in high school.
Sounds like a fellow Buckeye transplant to Tejas... Cuyahoga County born and raised here..

We now return you to your previously scheduled discussion...
 
I got hooked as a kid growing up in Santa Cruz, Kommiefornia. I used to ride my bike over to Sun Stereo, Burdicks, Harbor HiFi, Westwood Custom Stereo,and a couple of other places downtown whose names I fogot. I used to drool, slather, and gawk at all of the kool gear. Ole Art Latma, a friend for life, who owned Westwood Custom Stereo took me under his wing and taught me all about JBL's. This hooked me for good. Once I graduated from college and had a few bucks, I bought a pair of L-100's. Then a pair of L-88's, an Aquarius system, and L166's. Later, Art and I built a copy of the C40 Harkness system using 130A's, 175's, and N1200's. Heaven on earth!
I've been hopelessly addicted ever since. Now, when the kids are all in bed and everything quiets down at night, I fire up the old horns and kick back in the comfy chair and listen to some Steely Dan. Cool way to fall asleep.
 
Here's my sad story. Before I got married (in '90) I had bought a JVC receiver, I believe 703VBK, with 4-channel surround. I didn't know anything about audio, but wanted to replace my old crappy all-in-one from college and basically weent into the audio shop and bought the biggest reciever I could afford (80 watts per channel!)

So that was the basis of my system for a long time. Due to space limitations I was using a pair of RatShcack speakers mounted to the wall, and the sound was... well, you can imagine. So a few years ago, with a new baby and lots of time spent at home I started thinking about buying new speakers. My "new dad" budget was kind of limited, so I started doing research and found my way here and to the Audio Asylum. In the midst of asking for recommendations somebody suggested I look for a pair of Boston A60s secondhand. Found a pair on Craigslist for $25 the same week and was amazed by the upgrade in sound. it had just never occurred to me that old gear might be better than new.

A few weeks later I saw a Sherwood 7100A in cherry condition at a stoop sale for 10 bucks. Bought it on a whim, and found to my amazement that its 17 vintage wpc blew the JVC out of the water.

I've been hooked on vintage gear ever since. I love the fact that I have now a stereo that I couldn't possibly have afforded when it was new, and that for relatively little money I can try out and exchange some really great audio pieces. And I listen to music nonstop now.
 
Back
Top Bottom