Pictures of your first system

[gmgraves]

My dad was an accountant, and one of his clients' sons owned a local radio station in Hackettstown, NJ. In a barter arrangement for my dad's services, the guy hooked him up with, what was at the time (1961), a very good component stereo system, which my parents housed in a custom walnut bar/storage console in our living room. The funny thing was, my parents were not into music at all, and only owned a handful of records, mostly show tunes.

 

So, after a while, I decided to upgrade my Lafayette stuff, and "borrowed" everything, and moved it into my bedroom. my original Garrard turntable, a Sony/Superscope stereo tape recorder, a H.H. Scott 299c integrated amp, matching Scott 350 multiplex FM tuner, and a pair of AR-2a speakers. I used it well until I went away to college in 1972.

 

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That Scott stuff was good, especially the FM tuner. Scott tuners were among the best in their day. Too bad that by the time you got that stuff, FM was way past its peak and broadcast quality was getting worse by the day...

 

While everybody else was dreaming of a Marantz 10B tuner. I wanted a Scott 4310 broadcast monitor. Good thing I never found one that I could afford, because by that time, FM didn't warrant such a fine-sounding instrument as a 4310!

[bluesman]

My first "systems" were all cobbled up from pieces of my parents' Stromberg Carlson console plus mismatched mono amplifiers (including my guitar amps) and speakers until I went away to college. I built my first true system in a 48 hour marathon over intersession my freshman year in college (January 1965). After paying tuition from my earnings as a guitarist, I was able to save enough to buy Eico HF85 preamp and HF89 amp kits. It was snowing in Boston the entire week, so we had nothing better to do than build electronics, go to the movies, and make nice to the women - I saw Goldfinger 7 times in 3 days with my girlfriend after finishing the solderthon.

 

 

 

I bought the then-current version of this slightly later Realistic (Radio Shack's house brand) TT:

 

 

and had enough money left over for one of their kit speaker cabinets plus a 15" woofer (I was playing jazz guitar through an Ampeg B15, so at least the bass drivers sort of matched), a horn tweeter, and a capacitor to put on the tweeter (the "crossover").

[orgel]

Here we go. This is the system I bought while I was in college. I actually had a Sherwood receiver before acquiring the Pioneer, but that POS decided to spontaneously combust one day — smoke and everything — so I've repressed the model number. I loved that TEAC. The Thorens had an Ortofon cartridge; don't remember which one.

 

--David

[Musicophile]

I actually could simply go down to the basement and unbox all of the below, as I never sold them. But my basement is just too full of junk to get there.

 

So here's what I googled, as you can see, already very British at the time (with the exception of the Czech turntable, I was too cheap for Rega and went for the clone instead, at the time by a small startup company, which now has become a pretty respectable player in the industry):

 

Musical Fidelty B1, the legendary's A1 little brother.

 

 

With the corresponding CD1 player:

 

 

The very first (the company was just started) Project 1 turntable, with a Grado pickup (forgot the model)

 

 

All this feeding into the small but excellent Mission Cyrus 780 on their original feet:

 

 

EDIT: I nearly forgot; I also had a tape deck from Kenwood, forgot the model, but it looked pretty similar to this one:

 

[loop7]

Bought this system in college. Speakers were used but everything else was new.

 

Pre-amp: Adcom GTP-400

Amplifier: Adcom GFA-535

 

 

Source: Denon DCD-595

 

 

Speakers: Mission 761

(I still have these but had them re-coned and re-capped)

[crenca]

While I probably could count the Polk speakers I had installed in my 77 Nova (which were probably worth more than the car) in the late 80's as "my first system" in the audiophile sense, I am going to say that my much more recent re-entry into hi-fi through headphones as my first true system:

 

 

 

That's NAD's HP50's HP's and JDS Lab's C5D portable HP amp/DAC. This might be an somewhat unusual route into hi-fi for someone my age (mid 40's), but I suspect for younger folks headphones and portable DAC/Amp will be fairly common on a thread like this 20 years or so into the future.

[Musicophile]

Bought this system in college. Speakers were used but everything else was new.

 

Pre-amp: Adcom GTP-400

Amplifier: Adcom GFA-535

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23617[/ATTACH]

 

 

Source: Denon DCD-595

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23618[/ATTACH]

 

 

Speakers: Mission 761

(I still have these but had them re-coned and re-capped)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]23619[/ATTACH]

 

Reading your post I realize that I mislabeled my speakers above they were actually the Mission 760. Looks like you have had their bigger sisters.

[HedgeHog]

Cool nostalgia...

 

My first system (to ~1987) was given to me by my pops. I don't recall the models exactly but I think it was these based on looks and buttons and features.

 

Sansui Quadraphonic Receiver (I had those gold LP of John Barry's James Bond and stuff)

 

Dual 505 Turntable

Celestion 120 Speakers (I remember the passive radiator)

 

 

Then I bought my first system (circa 1987-89). This system still lives under the stairs in storage.

 

Sony CDP-707ESD

 

Adcom GFP-555

 

Adcom GFA-555 Mk II

 

Adcom ACE-515

 

B&W Matrix 2 Concept 90 Speakers

 

Tara Labs Space and Time RCA + Speaker Cables

[gmgraves]

My first "systems" were all cobbled up from pieces of my parents' Stromberg Carlson console plus mismatched mono amplifiers (including my guitar amps) and speakers until I went away to college. I built my first true system in a 48 hour marathon over intersession my freshman year in college (January 1965). After paying tuition from my earnings as a guitarist, I was able to save enough to buy Eico HF85 preamp and HF89 amp kits. It was snowing in Boston the entire week, so we had nothing better to do than build electronics, go to the movies, and make nice to the women - I saw Goldfinger 7 times in 3 days with my girlfriend after finishing the solderthon.

 

 

 

I bought the then-current version of this slightly later Realistic (Radio Shack's house brand) TT:

 

 

and had enough money left over for one of their kit speaker cabinets plus a 15" woofer (I was playing jazz guitar through an Ampeg B15, so at least the bass drivers sort of matched), a horn tweeter, and a capacitor to put on the tweeter (the "crossover").

 

 

I can't speak to the Realistic turntable, but I do know those two EICO pieces, and both were excellent. Like their Heath, Dynaco and Knight equivalents, not only were they good performers for not much money, but I'll guarantee that with the right speakers today (and probably new capacitors), that they would still sound extremely good! I mean, just look at those output transformer on the power amp!

[Alaric. H]

[bluesman]

I can't speak to the Realistic turntable, but I do know those two EICO pieces, and both were excellent. Like their Heath, Dynaco and Knight equivalents, not only were they good performers for not much money, but I'll guarantee that with the right speakers today (and probably new capacitors), that they would still sound extremely good! I mean, just look at those output transformer on the power amp!

And if I'd only had the common sense to stick with these, I'd have unimaginable wealth instead of a list of equipment to which I "moved up". I'm a pretty fine builder - I lace wires together with dental floss, solder a mean joint, and try to place everything for best sound followed by easiest maintenance.

 

We grow old too soon and smart too late.

[gmgraves]

And if I'd only had the common sense to stick with these, I'd have unimaginable wealth instead of a list of equipment to which I "moved up". I'm a pretty fine builder - I lace wires together with dental floss, solder a mean joint, and try to place everything for best sound followed by easiest maintenance.

 

We grow old too soon and smart too late.

 

 

Amen to that buddy! When I got out of college and started work at Lockheed in the late 1960's, I bought an H-K Citation I and Citation II (preamp and amp), an Audio Empire 398 turntable/arm, a pair of KLH Model 5 speakers, and a Pioneer stereo FM tuner. I should have kept the Citations and the Empire turntable, and just upgraded the speakers as they got better over time. The FM tuner is a don't care, as FM was quickly becoming worthless when I bought the Pioneer, and has just gotten worse since. I've had probably a dozen 'tables and arms since then, and none were really any better than the Empire. Yeah, the arm was high-mass but lots of modern cartridges require a high-mass arm even today. So, if I had the Empire today, it would just be a matter of matching the cartridge to that arm.

[new_media]

Looks like Adcom was the gateway drug for quite a few people in here.

[chaskelljr1963]

I expect most of you will be like me and not have pictures of your first system so i'd like you to piece them together from the internet to make this thread so this will take a bit of work but I remember as a budding teenage audiophile having no money yet really wanting some decent gear. When I finally got some as a gift, I was beyond excited. My first receiver was a Yamaha R-300 to go with my Yamaha NS-55 speakers and a cheap old BSR turntable. It took me awhile before I finally got a Sanyo cassette deck that had Dolby C which I really liked. The speakers were the worst part because they weren't actually the speakers pictured, at least not the woofer, the ones I had had a really cheap, short-throw woofer that barely moved and the grilles didn't come off. I expect Yamaha didn't want anyone to see the POS woofer they put in these otherwise decent speakers so I had to pry the grilles off and then they had nails sticking out of them. The timing for my first receiver was a bummer because it was the last of the analog receivers in the early '80's, just when everyone was going digital but it was still a nice looking, well built unit, I used to love playing with the loudness contour knob because it was amazing what a difference it made to the sound.

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MY FIRST SYSTEM (From 1983 to 1991):

 

Speaker System: Polk Audio Model 4

Stereo Receiver: JVC R-30

Cassette Deck #1: Luxman K-220

Cassette Deck #2: Nakamichi BX-300

Compact Disc Player: NAD 5255

 

Components I wanted, but never got:

Denon DP-30 Direct-Drive Turntable + Sonus Super Blue Phono Cartridge...

 

 

 

 

 

MAJOR UPGRADES (1992):

 

Speaker System: KEF Reference 102 with KUBE

Stereo Receiver: NAD 7225 Stereo Receiver (Better Amplifier Section and Offered Upgrade Path)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But the Luxman K-220 Cassette Deck stayed in the shop more than it stayed hooked up to my system, and has turned out to be a Piece Of Shit. That's it was replaced with the Nakamichi BX-300 three years later.

 

Brings back a lot of sweet memories indeed.

 

--Charles--

[DuckToller]

Very nice thread, remembering some important decisions that were made when we were young ;-)

 

The first stereo system came for my 16th birthday, after I had given away most of my money for vinyl the 3 years before, but I was using one old turntable with ceramic system and two speakers associated.

 

I brought my mum to an electronics shop in Wiesbaden/Germany and we came back with a Tensai/Aiwa/Infinity combo, which made me very happy for several years.

 

 

The Infinity 1500 accompanied me nearly 20 years. Only one tweeter had to be changed once after a partying too hard (for the speaker).

 

 

The Tensai TR-1030 receiver and TD 861b turntable were for me totally unknown before I entered that shop. I was told that it was a Taiwanese brand of good quality but interesting price. I have learnt during the hunt for pics that it was actually the name of the Swiss/European import company for AKAI products, that entered the German market just in that year 1980. As it was indispensable at that time, a tape deck had to be in that ensemble. We took the AIWA F 250.

It was a good choice for a first rig, with the 800 Deutsche Mark we had spent, we more than halved the cost of my buddy's new Nakamichi tape deck ...

 

Cheers Tom

[markwb]

So funny...I think about this all the time. 1978 I think. High School. I loved this amp. Technics SA-500.

[PhilR]

Long gone now, but I inherited a KLH Model 24 setup from my grandmother in the early 80's. The turntable saw a lot of "Wish You Were Here"..

 

 

[lucretius]

I had to piece this junk together from the Internet, since I didn't even own a camera back then. First up is a Citizen (a Canadian brand of Jutan International Limited - product made by Goldstar in Korea) integrated amplifier. Next is a Dual turntable - mine had a Shure cartridge. Then, we have some Candle (a Canadian brand of Jutan International Limited) speakers. Those speakers were absolutely horrible! I had one of those old record player stands with the turntable on top, the amplifier on the shelf below, and the LPs were stored below that.

 

My girlfriend had the stereo console like the one in the last picture. I swapped out the ceramic cartridge for a moving magnet cartridge and installed a cheap Radio Shack phono preamp inside the speaker area.

 

 

 

[beerandmusic]

Year was 1979. I just joined the navy in 1978 and was on a westpac (cruise) and was in Hawaii and picked up my first decent system at the navy exchange tax and duty free and was about 30% off of stateside prices.

 

I remember some of the components.

 

Pioneer SX-780

Pioneer speakers 12" woofer and ribbon tweeters

TEAC 10" reel to reel

AKAI casette deck

 

Everyone loved that reel to reel. I could play several hours of non-stop music, and i spent hours recording a mixture of music from cassette tapes.