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Your First System

This should be good!!! Most of us have been in this expensive hobby for years now and have worked our way up to components we only dreamed of. I want to know what was your first system of separate components going back as far as you can remember. My first consisted of a Pioneer SX-680 receiver, a Technics SLD-1 turntable (I think that's the right model #), a Sharp tapedeck, and KLH floorstanding speakers. I was 16 at the time and thought I was the biggest badass on the block. Now, 20+ years later I have a ML 334, Meridian 507 CD, CJ PV10A, Canton Ergo 900 speakers, and a Transparent Power Isolator 4. I'm in the process of upgrading to a ML 390. It goes without saying the IC's and speaker cables are top notch as well. I know my system is WAAAYYYYY down the foodchain compared to what I've seen here but It would be interesting to see what everyone started out with.
pcook15
drtalsma
6 posts
 
pioneer sx 1250 receiver, pioneer ctf-9191 casstte and altec lansing model 19. The best, or so I thought in 1976.
mmarvin19
157 posts
 
1964 - College freshman in-dorm audio special:

(1.) Single box all tube record player/pre-amp/10w mono amp/2" woofer (FR: 200Hz - maybe 800Hz).

(2.) Rolling Stones first album ("12 x 5"?).

(3.) Ample supply of model airplane glue.
karelfd
476 posts
 
1975-ish (before that, I used my dad's system, which was basically all Philips)

Sansui Something integrated amp
Pioneer Something turntable with Shure Something cart
Technics Something cassette deck
LSA (Laboratoires des Sciences Acoustiques) Something bookshelf speakers

(no sarcasm, just don't recall the model designations)
2chnlben
595 posts
 
I got my first "rig" in 1972 for Christmas. I honestly can't remember the brand. Dad must have purchased it at a department store (sears?). It was a receiver with built-in 8-track! It had a separate turntable (the platter was smaller than an LP). Speakers were way cheap (about 15 inches high). The tone controls were the "slider" style. My big "upgrade" was to replace the turntable with a BSR McDonald-310 (I needed to get a cheap external preamp from radio shack). My next upgrade was a pair of Ambassador speakers (bookshelf) that were actually acoustic suspension. I had to be clipping that thing every time I played it. I don’t think I ever backed the volume off full blast! It was all about rock & roll in those days; played a lot of air guitar back then! Man, my poor mom & dad were pretty cool about it; the house was too small to filter out the “noise.” No worries back then….those were fun times! (Thanks dad).
crawfojb
13 posts
 
When I was 17 a retired friend of ours had a stereo that he had assembled and mouted in a pine box. Rather ugly. However, Once I paid $150 to him I found that he had an EICO HF85 preamp, an HF 90FM tuner with a multplex decoder all that he hand assembled, and a Pilot SA232 amp. The turntable was a top of the line early 60s Garrard which listed for over $200 in 1960. I snagged a couple of JBLs which ran me another $100 and a new Empire cartridge for $50 and I was ready to go. I never knew how fortunate I was to have all that collectable tube gear and a $300 system that I would envy today. I have been searching for that sound ever since. Go figure. By the way I purchased this in 1972 along with my first car, a 1967 Pontiac GTO. They were both sold in 1974 for what I paid for them. I hope someone still has both of them today. Anyhow I was a lucky teenager. I just did not know how lucky.
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