Remember when: Your first REAL tunes........

[JonUrban]

No matter what your age is, how about posting about your very first legit (non-auto) stereo system that you acquired.

"When I grew up"..................a stereo system was a badge of honor, and whoever had the most wattage, the largest speakers, the baddest turntable, etc. would be "THE MAN"!

Today, a decent home stereo is an after thought in the minds of many "youngsters". My neices and nephews all have iPods and PCs, but only one (and he's 24) has an audio system that is something compatible to what I had when I was his age. The importance of a "let's go into debt" stereo system 30-40 years ago has dropped considerably, which may also be a factor in the lack of HiRez audio acceptance.

If you feel so inclined, think back to those days when you first got your own tunes, even if the speakers came from the back of a "white van"!


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My first "stereo" was a Lafayette receiver and speakers, and a Garrad 40-something turntable. (42?). From that point on, I was on a life long mission of "upgrading" components, which culminated in the Navy when I first got off the ship in Naples and headed to the Audio Exchange. Facing serious spousal outrage, I bagged a QRX-999, CR-80DSS, GX-630D-SS, and 4 Bose 301's (I had to skimp somewhere!). I was officially into quad with that stuff! :banana:

I know lots of you here must have tales of monster Pioneers, Marantz's, McIntosh Amps, and other great stuff.

How about a flashback? (And even if you're not an old fart, chime in with what got you started?)

 

[Quadzilla]

Pioneer PL-12D turntable with an Empire cartridge, Pioneer SA-7100 integrated amplifier, Koss Pro 4AA Headphones, and Small Advent loudspeakers. First LPs ... Led Zeppelin II, the Guess Who - Share the Land, and CCR - Cosmos Factory.

 

[Cai Campbell]

When I was a youngster I had my mom's old console system in my bedroom. She bought it as high-school graduation present to herself in 1961. I can't remember the make or model, but it was built like a tank, had a tube amp and big ol' speakers built into a single cabinet. It actually sounded pretty sweet. It had a radio tuner and turntable. I got a lot of mileage out of that thing, mostly playing kiddy records on it.

As I grew older I was still a poor kid so I had to make do with whatever I could get my hands on. My first stereo that I set up myself was an 8-track tape deck that somebody gave me that came out of an old car. It was an "under dash" unit. I was only twelve years old and I obviously didn't have a car, so I hooked it up in my bedroom by powering it with the transformer from my train set. I salvaged the speakers out of that old console, which was dead as a doornail by this time, but the speakers were still good. I hung the speakers, without any enclosures, on the wall on both sides of my bed. This half-baked configuration served me for three years, over which time I acquired a healthy collection of 8-track tapes (all stereo).

I bought my first "real" stereo after I got a paper route when I was fifteen. It was a component system that I bought piece-by-piece from Radio Shack, including a receiver, a turntable and an 8-track tape deck. I built the speakers myself as a woodshop project using (you guessed it) the drivers from my mom's old console. They never sounded better. I stopped buying 8-track tapes (although I still listened to my old ones) and became a vinyl hound.

The rest, as they say, is history. I just kept adding pieces, upgrading components, selling off some stuff (like my 8-track deck and tape collection)... and just kept buying lots of records! It wasn't until 1996 or thereabouts that I bought my first piece of quad equipment (a CD-4 demodulator).

 

[winopener]

At first i had no need for a stereo system - the older one of my father had a year more than me - so i grews up with stereo system in my house, in other parents house... all with stereo sets.
Big brands here in late sixties were Philips, Grundig, Telefunken, Dual... less esoteric than Thorens however always good quality.
First "personal" system, always bought togheter with my brother, was in 1976 - and to the basic "turntable / amplifier / speaker" setup we added stereo cassette deck (pioneer), stereo tuner (monarch), 8 track recorder (wollensack) second turntable (technics) and a mixer for DJing, then another turntable very high end (audio linear 4001, SME 3009 III, Shure V15 iv) when we sold the first one, then a portable to keep in the room during the army service (sharp vz-2000, one of the few Boombox-style with a 12-inch vertical record player), then... the last addition done togheter in late 1983 a Compact disc player (technics sl-p8). By 1984 i was moving into another town, he was going to marry soon so we parted the things and each one added the "missing pieces" that were needed.
Most of these things are still working today.

 

[phydo]

When I came home from my first Vietnam tour I had a Pioneer SX-6000 Stereo Receiver, a TEAC 4010SL RTR, a DUAL 1219 Turntable with a nice Pickering cartridge, and a pair of Pioneer CS-06 speakers (the round ones that looked like end tables), and a pair of Pioneer headphones. The speakers are all that I have left from that system. Some mighty fine music was cranked through that system and vast quantities of adult beverages were consumed in the listening with good friends. :brew

Justin

 

[filper]

My first stereo came from Towers (I can't even remember the make ). It was great for playing 'Who Do We Think We Are' Deep Purple.

From then on my paychecks were spoken for............

 

[spenceo]

I started pretty young with Quad. My dad was the quad-head. He bought the Akai amp, that I still use for my main speakers, in 1974. Guess I would have been about 7 years old. That was the first time I heard the word "Discrete". My Uncle owned a TV and Stereo shop and it always seemed to be a contest between my father and my uncle on who had the better HI-FI set up. The Akai amp that I use for the center and sub was my uncle's. Funny how all this equipment ended up with me. Ironically, all this gear and music, that was such a big part of my childhood, shaped my life. Between hanging out at my uncle's shop and working on these Akai amp, it was no surprise I went into electronics in school.

After my dad's passing I really got into building up the system I have now. It started by collecting Akai equipment. I added Q4, Q8 and a nice Akai cassette player. Of course most all of the equipment need spares, for parts, Service Manuals and to complete the package, Owner manuals. Obsessed, Probably. The system really changed however when I discovered SACD and DVD-A. It seemed like all of this stuff really came to life with a quality format. I love having my uncle over and watching his jaw hit the floor. Look what your old amps can do NOW. In kind of a sick twisted freak way, the rack of equipment is a tribute to my dad and I think of him often when listing to music. Check my profile, all the equipment is there.

Spence

 

[elroy]

I can't remember most of the model numbers, but when I went to college in 1974 (engineering school) the quality of your stereo system was one of the bragging points. My sophomore year I got extra student loan $$ and got a 35-watt Pioneer receiver, Advent loudspeakers, and an AR-XB turntable with some kind of Shure cartridge. I later added an Akai cassette player that went bellyup right away and replaced it with a Technics.

Burned the tweeters out in the Advents during one of the finals week "Noisy Hours"!

 

[Lucanu]

I've always been surrounded by equipment of all kind (guitar amplifiers etc...) because of my father's friends.
They got a Teac A3340 (for mch recordings) and that impressed me very much (I was only 3/4 years old, and I still riemember that!), but my father had a Reader's Digest (BSR) compact stereo system on which he hooked up 4 speakers into his bedroom (I think I have a picture of me with a rear right speaker behind).
I always loved that sound, but my very first hifi was a Philips (I don't remember the model) made in 1970 I bought from an old radio station in 1983. It sounded pretty good to my young ears

 

[John Svensson]

First "stereo" in the house was my mother's purchase of a turntable/amp/ speakers in a plastic suitcase in 1968 (remember those jobs?), it went well with the portable 78 player (she had been an opera singer/pianist back in the 50's....somewhat professionally actually) By the quad era she had upgraded to a Sansui receiver with Garrard table and some Advent speakers, though my bother and I basically monopolized the equipment. Though I didn't have any quad equipment in college I had a frat buddy who did so I listened to quite a bit. Bought most of mainly lower tier quad pieces in the 1996/7 era when I discovered Quadtrade, became re-interested when I discovered DVD-A and SACDs!

 

[Frantic]

This jogs the memory banks!

Back in 1974 I had finally assembled what I thought was a great system. I know now that I did not get around much. But, it sure made me smile when I played it.

It was based with a Realistic SA-1000 amp. While only putting out 40 watts per channel, it did the trick for me. It was good looking with a brushed gold front, walnut cabinet, controls for bass, treble and mid range and a feature called quatravox. This was a simulated surround that sent ambient signals to the rear speakers. I still have this unit and it works.

My turntable was a BSR (Can't remember the model #) but it came with a ceramic cartridge. My uncle somehow came up with a magnetic cartridge and gave it to me. Naturally, I tried to use it and it did not work. I went to my local Lafayette store and explained my problem and they sold me a phono stage pre-amp. I was now learning the ropes. The new magnetic cartridge was a Pickering XV15 (I believe 400E) it was Gray in color with a duster attached. I wish I still had this museum piece.

I had a Pioneer 8 track player with the VU meters that I thought was top of the line. I really miss that thing. I wore out my Steve Miller Band tape on that unit.

Finally, the speakers. As I mentioned, I lived close to a Lafayette electronics store. I could not afford what I wanted in the speaker department so I decided to build my own. I bought speakers from Lafayette along with a cross over unit. I selected my wood from the local lumber yard. My Mom picked up some dark brown material from the fabric shop to dress up the grilles. I added horn tweeters because I thought that Klipsch was the best. When all was said and done, they were pretty cool! While not audiophile material, they sounded pretty darn good. Many of my friends wanted to buy them or have me construct a pair for them. Today, I just sit back and smile. Times have certainly changed.

 

[mrindenver]

Sansui receiver (40wpc)
Dual 1219 (can't spot the cartridge, tho I suspect Shure)
KLH Model Seventeens
Sony Reel To Reel
While Pioneer cans

All from the PX in Berlin, 1970.

 

[mtgc]

My first quad set up was home built. It consisted of a Heathkit AR2020, 4 Heath bookshelf speakers, a Garrard (can't remember the model) changer equipped with a audiotechnica at14sa cartridge and a Lafayette CD-4 unit.
I still have the Heathkit AR2020 and the speakers, but unfortunately the Heath AR2020 is going to have to be worked on, as the built in decoder is very bad right now, distorting everything it plays.
I think as soon as possible, Quad Bob will be given another challenge, that of bringing this old Heath unit back to life.


MTGC (Michael)

 

[stoty50134]

My first decent setup back in the late 70s had a Pioneer turntable, Pioneer CT-9191 cassette deck, Hafler preamp, Onkyo integrated amp, and Wharfedale speakers. I had another pair of speakers (can't recall model) and I hooked up all four of them in a pseudo-quad setup and rocked out. I had a nice sized room on the second floor of a big house with 5 other guys and loved my existence there. Some of the best years of my life back then! When we had a party, I was in charge of music. I'd control it from my room and play it thorough speakers in the living room, attic (for the "smokers"), and outside in the backyard! I programmed cassette tapes with music to build up and peak around midnight and then I'd start to bring it down (but not too much, as sometime the last "guest" would depart around 4 or 5 in the AM) and in between tapes, I would play an LP cut or two. So we had constant music the whole night! What a blast. Thanks for allowing us to share. I bet everyone has fond memories of that first stereo setup.

 

[jdmack]

Technically, my first stereo was a hand-me-down Westinghouse phonograph from the mid-1960s. This was one of the ones that had a flip down turntable and built-in speakers on the side. The stylus had never been changed, and it sounded like absolute dog doo, which is why I thought my brother's 8-track tape player sounded like SACD by comparison.

My first "real" stereo was purchased when I was in 9th grade (circa 1979). I forget the model number, but it was a Sanyo all-in-one with turntable, radio and cassette. I had the speakers set up on either side of the head of my bed facing inward, as if they were a giant pair of headphones. And when I turned off the lights and blasted those babies, I went into another world!

Last thing I'll mention. The cassette deck broke not long after I bought this stereo. I replaced it with a Sankyo cassette deck (that's not a misspelling). The only reason I mention this deck is that it had the *best* mechanical "pause" switch ever made. I was able to edit audio by using this pause switch, and it was undetectable - not even the slightest "fweep."

J. D.

 

[rlw]

Heathkit AR-15 receiver, Garrard Zero-100 turntable, Ampex reel-reel, Jensen 6 speakers. This was a pretty killer system for its time (1969 as I recall). It was then replaced with a Sansui 4-channel receiver (9090 I think), JBL L-100 (4 of 'em), Dual 1229 turntable with Shure V15 Type III, and a Technics 676 cassette deck. This system KICKED MAJOR ASS.

You should see/hear what I have today...<g>

-RW-

 

[phydo]

You should see/hear what I have today...<g>

-RW-

RW:

Please post pictures. We enjoy photos of vintage and modern systems.

Justin

 

[soesbeout]

It was a Muntz car 8 track hooked to a battery charger in my room,with a couple of small speaker boxes I made in woodshop my freshman year 1966.I listened to my albums on my dads console tv stereo combo.

 

[Discrete]

I started out listening at 2 to my dad's console stereo (a Chaublerenz- sp?) with the first Cassette deck by Phillips (that bit the dust in the late 70's) We moved and had to leave it...he then regressed and bought a K-Mart receiver in the mid-70'sl.

In 1980, our cheap Phillips turntable bit the dust, so he bought a Sony T-15 direct drive to replace it. Trouble was, the cheap amp didn't have a pre-amp to drive it. Me, being 15 and very stereo-aware, pleaded him to buy a half decent system as the add-on preamp would have been $100 or $200 for a good receiver.

So, I convinced him to buy a Kenwood Receiver (30wpc I think), but with the worthless K-mart speakers so I then bought with grass-cutting money some nice Koss headphones.

At about the same time, friends of the family were getting rid of their Grundig console stereo...I still have it in my daughter's room - 12" woofers, tweeter and midrange, Dual turntable...pretty decent for the era.

Presently, the Kenwood is used in my bedroom to listen to DVDs with small JBL 2 way speaker, the Koss headphones I still use regularly. The K-Mart speakers are long gone, thankfully!

 

[timbre4]

I was 12-13 and it was the Reader's Digest all wood cabinet compact (Phono/Amp) & pair of speakers. Started to realize that some 45's and albums had a good stereo effect. Since the age of 5 I had been selected the Tuner input (what's a tuner?) and hearing nothing. but now I studied the back panel more carefully and noticed two jacks labelled TUNER that looked like the jacks on the back of the new Morse console stereo Dad just bought. Console also had an 8 track tape player plugged into those jacks and I put 2and 2 or more precisely the compact stereo and that tape deck together. Eureka moment...

Bear in mind in was 1971 and the 18 yr old next door loaned me a stack of Audio magazines that were talking about 4 channel. (He had the greatest compact stereo ??? with the Benjamin Miracord turntable on top and a TEAC 4010 reel deck with Beatles on it that I drooled over)

Soon after, the compact stereo made it's way into my room out-ranking the Panasonic AM clock radio now. I also took the extension speakers from the console and another amp I cannot remember. This was a primative attempt at quad through tone controls! Front was treble up, bass down and Rear was the opposite. There was the 3rd speaker routine to play out-of-phase for a while. Pretty soon I knew too much...

In June of 1972 I had successfully cajoled my parents to getting me the Panasonic RE7750 (40 watts of hiss) the RS845US Q8 deck and the precious joystick on the long cable to play around for hours. Switched On Bach and Best Of The Guess Who were my first Q8s, held until eBay'd about 5 years ago. Also got (still have) Panasonic RS275US cassette deck (serious, solenoid controls, DC motor, 30 seconds before Dolby B implementation). Anybody need the remote control for those cassette decks? <VBG>