What was your first "audiophile" system...the one that got you hooked?

BruceLet

BruceLet

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Mine was JSE Infinite Slope speakers, NAD receiver and a California Audio Labs cd player....Monster cables. Purchased at Harvey Sound and Lyric Hifi in White Plains, N.Y., early 1980s. $1000 for speakers was a huge leap for me. Pretty sure that Jeff Joseph was working at Harvey Sound at the time....The beginning of the Infinite Slope X-over used in his speakers.
 
Great question. I had a pair of Carver amps/preamp and B&W 801F's. Source was an Akai R2R and Pioneer TT with a Shure Cart. I think I had the Sony CDP-201 at the time. That system was amazing. Before that, I had IMF speakers and Sony monoblocks with a Pioneer preamp. After that I had some Genesis 44 speakers and Perreaux electronics.

But I still go back to my Maggie 1.6's with Sunfire subs and McIntosh amp/preamp and Avid TT as the system that really got the juices going. That "holy Sh!t moment".
 
The first system that got me was a modest system comprising of a Yamaha receiver,B&O TT and Klipsch Forte speakers!

Very fond memories!!!!
 
Mine was an entire system I purchased from a friend in 1968. We both lived in San Francisco but he was relocating back home to Seattle and did not want to have to deal with moving the system. I bought a pair of McIntosh MC30 mono tube amplifiers, a Dynaco PS3X tube preamplifier, a Dynaco FM3 tuner, a Dual 1019 turntable with a Shure V15 Type II cartridge, and a pair of Altec Voice of the Theater speakers in the grey painted cabinets with the green horns and compression drivers mounted on top. That system could rock the house and rattle the windows. The Altecs were 16 ohm speakers and 102 db efficient with 1 watt so the McIntosh MC30's were loafing most of the time. Loved that old sound system.
 
Marantz CD17KI Series, Wire World Atlantis i/c's, Plinius preamp, Plinius mono amps Kimber Kable 4TC & 8TC speaker cable to the original Paradigm Studio 80 speakers. Very musical system.
 
When I moved into my first place in 1992, I purchased Apogee Duetta Signature Speakers with Bryston gear. Still some of the most lifelike vocals and piano I ever heard.

Ken
 
I was lucky to have an older brother who spent all his time building Heathkits, Dynaco, and Hafler kits on the kitchen table when I was anywhere between 5 and 12. I got to hear them all thru various AR speaker models over the years. I was already hooked on Music and Good Sound before I ever had a system.

The first one was a Heathkit Receiver he built with a BSR TT and DIY Speakers he built.
First kit I ever purchased with my first income tax refund at 17 y/o was Onkyo Receiver and Tape Deck with Mirage speakers
First REAL kit was Hafler 945 and 9180 combo with Mirage M790s and a Marantz 67SE and Audio Alchemy DAC.
 
Large Advents with a Pioneer-built, Allied-brand receiver. Soon moved to a McIntosh 6100 integrated. Yes, I was sliding down the slippery slope. Something was not right. I heard much better performance in the showroom. Swapped my BSR TT for a Dual 601 and my jaw literally dropped. :disbelief: Maybe the only time that truly happened for me.

Gathering speed downhill I stacked the Large Advents and then moved to a Dahlquist DQ-10. Then my brakes totally failed, but that is another story. ;)
 
Cambridge Audio integrated amplifier and a pair of Monitor Audio speakers


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I was 13 yrs. old. Marantz 2215b receiver and House Brand speakers from local retailer. I think tt was Philips GA 212 and I had a killer Tandberg cassette deck. At 18 I moved up to modified Dynaco mono tube amps, Sonab spkrs, Rega tt, Dynavector Ruby cart, Soundcraftsman pre. w/built in equalizer. I also had a pair of Maggie MG-2bs and Nakamichi cassette deck. Pretty sure Monster spkr. cables.
 
Dahlquist DQ-10's(after doing the mirror imaging mod)
GAS Ampzilla amp
ARC SP 3A-1 with Paoli Mod
Cotter Step-up Transformer
Linn LP-12
Koetsu Rosewood
Fulton Cables
 
Hmmmm.... I remember convincing my mother to get me a Pioneer Receiver & Turntable with Burhoe Speakers.... I later added a Superscope 8-Track component player (yes they actually made an 8-track component player) since I had a ton of 8-tracks at the time.

My first very high end component was when I was working for a stereo store while in college... we had a Nakamichi traded in and I grabbed it... what a deck...
 
My first system I bought was in 1979 when I was stationed in Japan. I had a Pioneer Spec 1 pre amp, Spec 2 & 4 amps, Pioneer pl 7l turntable with a shure lll cart, Pioneer ct f1000 cassette player, Pioneer sg9800 eq, Pioneer F 28 tuner, DBX 128 ,teac 1506 reelto reel, 2 JBL L300 front stage and 2 Bose 901
Rear stage.
That was my first system and boy did that ever spoil me. I also go a great Japanese album collection.

Had that system for 10 yrs. Until a fire broke out at my house. I was able to save few things.

Now that I am in my pre retirement years I am starting my anolog system.
I have built a decent home theater system . My front stage now are custom crossovered JBL 250 ti B&W HTM1 center channel, and 2 Velyodyn dd 10 subs
Surrounds are ESS ATM 1 just been reconditioned.
Rear stage are Paradigm signature ADP and one Velodyn dd 15 sub.
The Jbls are powered bi amped with the spec 2 & 4 thru my spec1 preamp and all my stereo anolog components including my Thorens 320 with a Ortofon 2m black cart. Lost the pl 7l to fire.
The other speakers run thru my Lexicom lx 7 amp managed by a Marantz 8802.
One of my major regrets was not being able to save about 500 Japanese virgin vinyl mostly master edition lps. I have bought about 300 albums in the last few months from all different vendors. Masters, Mofi. and even un sealed originals. I have found only about 30 mostly mofi 45 speed double lps the compare to that old quailty Japanese vinyl.
Now I am saving for a Nottingham table and cartridge to play those
quality lps. There goes another $10,000.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
Luxman DP-07 cd player + Luxman DA-07 d/a converter. Rotel Michi FM tuner. SONY datman DAT recorder. Luxman CL-360 tube preamp + two McIntosh 250 (mono configuration each) tube power amps. Mission 767 speakers with Cyrus LFAU active low frecuency filter and bass amp + PSX external power supply.
This was my first true "audiophile" system.
And it is it until today.

Enviado desde mi Luno mediante Tapatalk
 
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