Everybody's Welcome............list your very first system

[SteveL]

Claude, I had that *exact* same poster when I was a kid.

My first system:

Sansui 35w/ch receiver
American Acousitcs 12" 3-way speakers
Denon DCD800 CD player (I think it was like $600, back in 1989ish)

[Clive]

Aaaahhh this whole exercize is to prove to y'all, that no matter what HT equipment we may have today, the truth is, we all came from very humble beginnings and we are not ashamed

lots of fond memories :T

[H.Donald]

My very first "system" was a suitcase...similar to the above mentioned ones,except mine did not have external speakers.It was just a turntable with a built in speaker...I only had a few 45s....who could afford albums?
On the spindle I would place my three 45s...with the yellow pieces you would place in the middle of the record so it would fit the spindle...and then,Rock ON....actually,most of the time if you placed more then 3 or so on at a time they would all tumble down..

[aphexist]

My parents won a Magnavox "system" at a school raffle. It had a turntable, dual cassette, tuner, and 5 band eq built into a 5" high unit. There were two speakers of VERY questionable quality that were included.

We didn't have any tapes, but my mom introduced me to her record collection, which included James Taylor, Carol King, Jimi Hendrix, and Paul Simon. However, the record that got the most play was Michael Jackson's Thriller. I thought that the gatefold cover with the tigers was the shizzle!

Sony CD Boombox ($189)
First system that was my own. This is now my younger sister's stereo.

Aiwa shelf system ($299)
with 3 Disc Changer. Currently serving as my parent's system

Sony shelf system ($499)
Had a built in 51 CD changer. Served me well until November of 2003. Sold to a friend for $50.

Current System (> $10,000 so far)
This represented a serious jump in quality and price for me. From now on, my stereo isn't something that will fit in a box so easily.

[IntegrateMe]

I assembled my first system during my freshman year (1995) at The University of Maryland.

Hopefully I can still remember it all!!

Sanyo 20" TV (Composite Only)
Cerwin Vega RE-30 L/R
Cerwin Vega HT-CTR??? Center
KLH (Ha!!) Rears (Free with Receiver Purchase)
Pioneer VSX-454 Pro-Logic Receiver
Cambridge Soundworks Powered Subwoofer & Slave Subwoofer (Those cost $1000!!!)
Pioneer CLD-S104 Laser Disc
RCA Hi-Fi VCR
Pioneer 6-Disc Cartridge CD Player
Audio Control EQ (I thought it looked cool)

That was my bomb a** system (everyone in the dorm loved it)

We would pool together money to go to suncoast in Pentagon City, VA to buy laser discs to watch as a floor. (It was the honors floor, we were geeks)

[Clive]

aphexist/Trey your boom a** system was aaaalllll that, but I must say that you grew up on some good vinyl collections there man, I hope you're still buying and listenning to some good stuff!!

Barry you seem to have started in the middle, did you really have this system in a DORM ROOM?

[IntegrateMe]

Clive-

Darn right I had that in a dorm room!!

The system gradually got sold off until it was replaced completely by system #2 that was finished during my 5th year (in an apartment); but that's a whole 'nother story!

Barry

[lolopimp]

My very first Home Theater System which I bought on my own, was a Bose 3-2-1. Wow, and I thought it was good. I listened to music and movies and it was my trusty sound system for almost 3 years!! Until I went to Circuit City and listened to a full 5.1 HT. It amazed me, what a difference. I also went to the internet and so many reviewers gvae the 321 bad reviews! It was unbelievable. And yes, they were right. After hearing powered subs in stores with a full 6 speakers soundfield, now I'm decided to upgrade. As you know, the Bose 321 consists of 2 speakers and a sub that's not powered. What a shame.

Now I'm starting with a HTiB. I posted it before and it looks like a nice sytem. Yes, I will upgrade later once I get the money..... But for now, a 1000W system with an amplifier capable of DTS ES and DD EX will do. I do live in an apartment!

[Clive]

Make sure you check with the neigbours first :E :T

[chuckg]

Well, I don't know if this counts as a "system" but my audio habit began in about 1968 with a Radio Shack perfbox kit AM receiver. I was 7, and did quite a lot of the construction myself. A couple years later I was given a cassette recorder - I found out that if you stick a plug half-way into the speaker out you could use the recorder as a PA.

Many garage-sale drivers and cardboard boxes later, I finally got a real stereo setup. I spent a huge $95 in 1984 to get a Harmon Kardon 630e receiver at a pawn shop. I still have it, it still rocks. At the time the speakers were Radio Shack acoustic suspension.

A couple years later I found a Fisher "ready for stereo!" console on the curbside. the electronics had wasted away, but the drivers were all still good. I got a really awful stereo sound from the TV with a comb filter - so bad I never used the filter, preferring to hook the mono TV up to both channels of the receiver.

I used that setup until about 2000 when I finally spent the money on real speakers and real 5.1 receiver.

[Sonnie Parker]

Let's see... when I was 13... uh... several years ago, my dad gave me some speakers that came from the walls in a restaurant that closed down. I took those speakers out of the housing and mounted them in the door of a cabinet that my parents no longer used, yes... a regular ole kitchen cabinet. The doors were not sealed and they were flimsy but hey... I was jammin'. I used little am/fm radio phono player that my parents gave me.

The first real system I had was a Soundesign am/fm record player with a couple of speakers.

But the first sho-nuff real system I ever had was a complete NAD system in 1984... Power Tracker 2200 Amp, 1155 Pre-Amp, Tuner, with a Thorens Jubilee Turntable, and 2 EPI Tower Speakers (quickly swapped out for a pair of Klipsch Fortes).

[taz13]

No worries, we're all so insane in this hobby that we not only can't recognize it in ourselves, most of the time we can't even identify it in others like us.

Chris, you're not helping. Someone is gonna take this seriously.

Chris You mean you are not serious? I've seen the pics and description of that theatre you built knowing that a move was coming.
My first system (15wpc rotel integrated dual turntable with a shure cart and a small set of 2ways) that I paid my money for is the same system that I still am using. Not 1 original component and now incorporates 10 channels of amplification 7 speakers and 3 subs. Can we say upgrade, 1 component at a time every few months. In my case it hasn't stopped yet and I hope I can keep the upgrades going for a long time. I don't want to think how many zeros there are to the left of the decimal point if I ever dare to think about running a total.
Truth be told I can't think of a more satisfing way of keeping the bank account from growing like a weed. :demon:

[ajpoe]

My own first system barring any cheap combo stereo systems my parents had when I lived at home was a pair of Fisher towers with 15s, a mid driver, and a tweeter. I bought a Pioneer receiver that did dolby prologic and used those as my fronts. I then got some cheap best buy KLH surrounds and the matching center. I thought Jurrasic Park on VHS was the best thing since sliced bread and everyone wanted to hear the foot stomps scene.

I still have that Dolby Pro Logic receiver and those Fisher towers in my basement. They sure do sound bad in comparison...

[Clive]

It doesn't matter what the system was we definately want to hear about it. We have all been there baby. ;x(

[bullitt731]

Sansui 9090, Bose 901s, Teac A640 and a Technics SL1300 turntable which I still have.

[Marzen]

Wow! Talk about flash back. This brings back some memories I had forgotten. My dad gave me on old turntable & little amp from a radio station, I don't know what the speakers were. This was like, 1977 & I do remember joining the record of the month club & sitting next to the turntable & trying to pick out songs on guitar. Man oh man that was a good year for rock! Frampton, Boston, Rush. Ahh, good times. Later I bought a modular unit from JC Penny, the classic turntable, 8-track & tuner.

[Scriffer]

Hi everyone, just found the board tonight.

My first systems were a joke, and I'm still getting on my feet, so here goes:

I found a Technics receiver/amp in a closet in my parents house around age 12 (1994-ish) and hooked it up to a couple 800 year old speakers in the same closet. My addiction was born then and there with an 8-track and like 5 tapes.

After that, I bought a Sony HTIB with pro-logic from Circuit City just after 8th grade. I tacked on a polk audio sub a couple years later to add a little kick.

I got a decent paying job after freshman year of college and bought an Onkyo 6.1 receiver with Polk RT towers, surrounds, and centers. Matching sub soon followed. That has lasted for several years and still serves as the theater setup for my house here at school.

In the last year or so, I've decided to move up in the world and picked up a S.E.T. Music Baby amp from Sophia Electric, but I haven't found a set of speakers I like and can afford. (still in college and broke) Right now, I'm running them into a pair of Sapphire bookshelves that don't suck for my price range, but they're not good either. One step at a time though.

[Clive]

"One step at a time"

You got that right..............It's only the way to go for most ;x(

[gd]

My first playback system... analog, natch... RCA, ca 1955.

.

[Clive]

Do you still have it?

[gd]

Nope.

Along with many other now-collectible items from that era.

The really-cool centerpiece of the family home was the RCA HiFi system, which was a two-box mono kit, valve-based(!)... one box held the tuner / record player / electronics... and the other box was the speaker, which contained a 15- or maybe 18-inch(!) woofer... I was only 6 or 7, but I still remember the rich sound it produced... we kept it for a number of years, well after the introduction of stereo.

I'd kill to have that here now for comparison to my SS systems.

[Cojack]

My first system is actually my current system. Nice bookshelf setup that I'll probably keep even after getting that HT setup I'm currently looking at.

Baby's First System:
Denon DRA-F100 Receiver
Denon DCD-F100 CD Player
2x Paradigm Titan bookshelf speakers

(most of my movie and television viewing is handled by my computer for the time being... I'm a student, so space and money are issues.)

[David Meek]

Hi CJ, welcome to The Guide. :welcome:

In about 2 weeks, I'll be a neighbor (Orcas Island). Hey, if you like your system then there's no reason to part with it. Once your living space and income allow it then the big HT system takes spot 1 and the bookshelf system goes into the bedroom for late night relaxation. :T

[DS-21]

If you'll allow me to not count the grey cassette deck Sony boombox that my dad brought home for me from Dubai when I was five or six, the first audio system I bought for myself was a prepackaged Sony shelf system with a big unit that had dual tape decks and a digital tuner and separate CD and TT pieces. I was ten or eleven; it was in 1990 The speakers were bookshelf-sized that looked under the grille to be 3-ways with 8" woofers but were actually 2-ways with 6.5" woofers. It cost me $473 and some change at Circuit City after tax, down from a $499 sticker, and I got the salesperson to throw in a pair of JVC closed headphones that were about $30 as well. (It's amazing the stupid things one remembers.) I thought it was the coolest thing in the world because it had all of the neat features of a big rack system (CD changer, remote control, VOLUME KNOB THAT MOVED WHEN YOU HIT VOLUME ON THE REMOTE) but fit on my dresser. Also, I'd always liked my mom's music (late 60s/early 70s rock) but her TT didn't work so I was glad to be able to enjoy her 1200-LP collection. Two or three years later I replaced the crappy Sony bookshelves with a KLH satelitelet/midbass bin system that was an open box at Best Buy; I picked them because they sounded better than a Bose AM-5 - which at the time I thought was pretty good - but cost 5x less.

First not-all-in-one system came shortly after I could drive. I kept the CD changer and TT from the Sony system, but replaced the tape deck/receiver with Kenwood's then top-of-the-line receiver (KR-V8070), which was rated at 120W/8ohms and 180W/4ohms, had binding posts for every channel and a digital clock-style LCD on the remote. It's huge. Three Panasonic XR-55's would fit inside it. I still have that receiver, and in fact I'm going to press it back into service soon to power a pair of Aura NS3's in MLTL enclosures for background music in my bedroom. Then the KLH's got pushed to surround duty by a pair of Mirage M590i bipoles...then I discovered the Madisound and PE catalogs, and it was all downhill from there...

[Clive]

I think you're going "Uphill" from there Jay. The little things were the big things back in the day whatever made us look cool. 8)

[WannaDIY805]

6 years ago Kenwood HTIB

[KeithM]

My first setup uses components of my current day setup sincee since I make 60 dollars every 2 weeks, but it was
Apex 27" TV
sony STR-DE-995 receiver
ROWA DVD player
Polk audio rear speakers( don't remember brand
BR-1 kit front speakers (unmodified)
NSB DIY center channel
DCM- something sub of my brother's

setup now
Sharp XG-e3000U
pioneer 578A DVD player
sony STR-DE-995 receiver
KEF K-120 rear speakers
BR-1 kit speakers fronts (modified)
dayton DIY center speaker
(almost done) dayton 1200 sub

[wkhanna]

My First Love

The year: 1976
The purpose: Filling a dorm room with Acid Rock
The choice: Advent

The Components:
300 Receiver
5002 two way speakers
Cassette deck (alas, no pic)

[Clive]

I know of those Advent speakers.......could take a beating and would still tick.

Talk about L O U D!!! 8O

Hope you achieved your goal :T

[gross30]

My first stereo was a hand-me-down from my father when he upgraded to Sansui/Bose. I recieved an Akai reciever, turntable, speakers, and a Teac reel-to-reel at the ripe age of 15 years old. 1980 was the year and my first lp record was Pink Floyd The Wall. Still have the lp but the equipment was replaced through time. Definately brings back some great memories. Everything jammed into my room in the far corner of the basement, and the ever present stomp on the floor when it was getting too loud !! Great memories and good times.

[Clive]

Yup sure does. Thanks for sharing :T

Hope you're having as great a weather as we are down here in the T.O

[wkhanna]

I know of those Advent speakers.......could take a beating and would still tick.

Talk about L O U D!!! 8O

Hope you achieved your goal :T

Hey Clive!
The only piece of audio equip Ive had thats More rugged is my Rotel RB980BX.
They would probably be my rear surounds if a certain X's cat had not used the woofer cones for a scratching post (Chringe!!!!)

And that 300 intagrated didn't give up till 1994!

Oh.....and BTW..... that acid rock has given way to Miles Davis?!?!?! But I cannt figure which gave me the grey hair!

[Clive]

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Grey Hair = X's cat? Just a thought :twisted:

[gross30]

Clive, weather here is also above average. I'm working north west of Fort Mcmurray drilling horizontal oil wells and the temp is actually decent for this time of year. Normaly -25 to -40 celcius in January. Now its -20 at night and -5 during day. It's liveable. Anyway, just a quick question on first equipment. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do recall a good friend of mine who had an album from Pink Floyd called UMAGUMMA, and on the front cover in big letters were the words "QUADRAPHONIC". My question is what exactly did that mean at the time, and did it ever go anywhere ? Never did follow it, but at 17 years old, just the words on the album cover meant it just had to be cool !!

[Clive]

Clive, weather here is also above average. I'm working north west of Fort Mcmurray drilling horizontal oil wells and the temp is actually decent for this time of year. Normaly -25 to -40 celcius in January. Now its -20 at night and -5 during day. It's liveable. Anyway, just a quick question on first equipment. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I do recall a good friend of mine who had an album from Pink Floyd called UMAGUMMA, and on the front cover in big letters were the words "QUADRAPHONIC". My question is what exactly did that mean at the time, and did it ever go anywhere ? Never did follow it, but at 17 years old, just the words on the album cover meant it just had to be cool !!

As opposed to Monophonic......... that was the era when stereo was introduced and studios were starting to use four seperate/discrete channels to mix the tracks. So Quadraphonic yesturday is what DVD-A and SACD is today :T

BTW. You're actually having better weather there than we are, in Alberta Eh?

[gross30]

Thanks Clive. and I appoligize if I got off the topic a little bit there, but thinking of the first gear brought that to mind.

[Clive]

You're forgiven :T

[Alaric]

1984......

Having come into a few bucks at the age of 22 I went a little nuts....My amp/pre/tuner were Tandberg 3001/3002/3003 (I think the model #'s are correct-I know the amp was 150wpc).I included a dbx III Dynamic Range Expander and a 10 band EQ (not sure who made it-Sound Dynamics?) Also a Nakamichi ZX9 cassette deck (I believe M. Jackson's Thriller album was actually mastered on the ZX9) , a Yamaha PX-2 Linear Tracking turntable (anybody remember them?) with a Klipsch(!) Ruby Cantilever cartridge and diamond stylus. Since I was living with the parents (motorcycle wreck=long term wheelchair) I got Koss headphones and amp. The interconnects were , I believe,made by Signet and looked like black hoses with lovely gold plated connectors.The speaker cables were M*ster Cables (!) connected to ADS L1530 Studio Reference (asymmetric[spelling?]-left and right) speakers.
I think I put between 8 & 10 grand into the system-no longer have receipts and I know I got some good discounts with the bulk purchase.I immediately bought a few albums-real vinyl! The only half-speed master recordings I have left are CCR's Cosmo's Factory,Jethro Tull's Aqualung,and Led Zeppelin II-although I have a first release Dark Side Of The Moon with stickers and posters in mint condition.(and the album still sounds better than the excellent SACD of the same title)Also picked up a first release of the Beatles White Album-still got it.
Previous to the above system I had a Philco record player I used to listen to The Sweet,Led Zep and Black Sabbath.Child of the 60's/70's.
Note to self:Next divorce-stash stereo at someone else' house before future ex-b#*@ informs blood-sucking lawyer!

[RenoReno2]

My very fist system was a Marantz receiver from the early 80's hooked up to 2 subs out of my car. that's it just subs..

[JKalman]

My first thoughtful audio purchase was when I was 15 and freshman in high school. Before that I had pieces of low-fi components (receiver, tape deck, cd player and speakers) from Caldors or other equivalent stores, which were a Sony receiver and Sharp CD player I believe, with some really bad bookshelf speakers.

Here is the first thoughtful system I bought:

Carver Receiver (with the trademarked Sonic Hologram)
Carver CD Player
JBL Speakers

I spent the next two years, until I had to go to boarding school (I had to leave my system at home), listening to that system after school and through the night using the CD player's repeat feature generously. Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact models, but they were probably the cheapest ones that Bob Carver made, hey, I was in high school, and even with that cheap system, I was the only one among my friends who had something beyond the one piece Sony with detachable speakers (Perhaps the acronym SIB would be apropos--Stereo In a Box) or a boombox as they called the portable one piece units with a handle in the mid to late 80s. I made minimum wage at the mall bookstore, but my parents were kind enough to help me out with some extra money as a birthday present, and a good friend's brother-in-law worked at the audio store and gave me a good deal.

I must have moved those speakers around the room almost every day to a new position. I set them up in stereo position around my bed, and experimented with moving them closer together and farther apart very often. I really knew that system inside and out by the time I got rid of it.

I wish I could get my hands on that old system today, it would be interesteing to set it up with my current speakers just to see how far the technology has come since then, and how far my personal system has evolved.

[oaqm]

In 19

[Clive]

Brings back some good ole memories don't it? Some good ole tunes on vinyl .

[Gump]

I started reading this thread and began feeling nostalgic. My very first stereo system of my own!! No more having to sneak my Foghat albums onto my parents Hi-Fi!

It was the mid-70's and I plunked down what I considered to be a substantial chunk of change on a pair of big Advent floorstanders teamed up with a Sansui receiver/amp. This amp had a switch for "A" speakers, "B" speakers, and then the combined "A/B" speaker selection. It didn't take me long to save up a couple of hundred dollars and purchase another pair of the Advents. I stacked 2 of those speakers on each side and had a wall of sound!

Now I know that our memories can play tricks on us , but I sincerely believe that with all 4 of those Advents cranking at the same time Aerosmith "Toys in the Attic" never sounded so good. Anytime there was a party I was required by my friends to load the whole she-bang in my old 66 Chevy Caprice and haul it over to where ever the bash was. I remember one summer's eve we were at a rural house in the backyard and just about wore out BTO's "Takin Care of Business" , playing it over and over with everybody dancing. The neighbor's thought we had a live band playing.

Just for laughs I did a web search for Advent speakers and discovered a 30th Anniversary edition of The Abso!ute Sound magazine (volume 1, spring 1973) that reviewed the "stacked" 4 Advent combo. They actually gave them a pretty good rating up against some higher end speakers. When I saw the picture of them I almost got a little misty. Then, when I saw their price (105$ ea.) I darn near started sobbing when I thought about my 803D's price tag!

Silly me, when my first marriage went south I decided to be nice and left them with the ex. What was I thinking!!

Like others have mentioned, it would sure be cool to have that system back and see just how goofy my memory really is........or isn't?

[Clive]

Don't give up mate.................You may just get reunited with the ex just to get the system back....then you'll know what to do :driving: :rofl: :rofl:

[Gump]

Don't give up mate.................You may just get reunited with the ex just to get the system back....then you'll know what to do :driving: :rofl: :rofl:

Well Clive, for half a second I considered trying to contact her to see if she still had that stereo and offer her a few pesos for it....... Then I imagined my current wife standing in the backyard with my beloved 803D's, a chainsaw in one hand and a can of gasoline and a match in the other, and I decided to pass on the idea. :E

Not very understanding when it comes to the ex :M