When did you?

[RebelMan]

After a few posts discussing age were made in another thread I thought about commenting on my own experiences. But I didn't want to derail the thread any further because I was curious to know just a bit more.

1. How old were you when you started in this hobby?

2. How old were you when you discovered B&W?

3. How did you discover B&W?

Age and/or date responses are welcome.

This thread may not hold much technical merit but it should be intersting if you are willing to endulge.

I'll begin...

1.) 13
2.) 1988 (DM 110i in Black Ash)
3.) Discovered through a boutique dealer.

[jeepers]

1.) 13 (coincidence)
2.) about 19-20
3.) magazines and dealer
4.) 1983 (when I purchased my first B&W : DM3000 in Walnut)

[pazu]

What a nice 3D!



1) 12

2) 14 (but I bought my first B&W in 1987, DM 220i, when I was 17 years old)

3) showrooms in Palermo

:T

[leo2498]

1. 18
2. 31 (I purchased my first B&W : 804S rosenut 2010)
4. Discovered through from other owner.

[audioqueso]

1. 14
2. 21
3. While shopping in a record store in Japan.

[ShadowZA]

1. 17 (at the end of my first year as an accounting articled clerk and at university part time I had a 25wpc Kenwood integrated amp (KA-30), Aiwa F330 cassette deck, Technics turntable and a pair of Pioneer 2-way floorstanding speakers. This was before CD was around.)
2. 21 (pair of DM110 with red ring around woofers)
3. Discovered through a boutique dealer

A pic of the KA-30:



A pic of the Aiwa F330:

[PewterTA]

1) I'd say probably about 13 or 14 I'd guess.
2) 23 or 24 I'd say.
3) From my friend getting B&Ws and was surprised by the quality of sound he was getting as we had similar systems with me using Yamaha speakers.

[HedgeHog]

1) 19/20 - got some new fangled thing called a CD player
2) 13/14
3) brother got the original B&W 801 and kept it in my room (basement)

But personally got my first B&W around 23 (first job after graduating)...the Concept 90 CM2...still have it!

-H

[Briz vegas]

1. HIFI beginnings? - Do you count trying to turn a Radioshack home electronics kit into a stereo with scavenged drivers - if so 12

2. B&W discovery? - I was a late bloomer - 35. I was running Mordaunt Short MS-30s since 1986 and wanted something less coloured.

3. How? - read about the NT-1s, when I went to buy the 705s had come out.

4. When did you move on from B&W as your main speakers? Next week.

Oh the shame and the joy of straying from the B&W path, and following another that strayed to create the son of Nautilus, the love child of a South African affair ;x( ;x( ;x(

[Skyblue]

1) Started making music on my C64 at age 12. Since then I always bought the best soundcard and hifi-gear I could get my hands on.
2) 35
3) I suppose they were always around, but B&W only really entered my world when I read a review of the 800d in 2005. I now have a couple of the new ones and they sound fantastic. Only need a new (younger) wife, and a pair of omegas.

[stuofsci02]

1) 17-18 with an NAD power amp I bought from a friend who needed money after having a party that trashed his parents house.

2) 18

3) hearing my Uncles B&W 602 S2 and never having heard anything like them...

My goal when I got into the hobby was to get a pair of B&W 602s... Oh how things have changed..

[leo2498]

3) .... Only need a new (younger) wife, and a pair of omegas.

JAJAJA I hope that she never will put her hands in this sweet babies in the divorce. just a joke I don't pretend to be offensive :T

[madmac]

I do not own B&W speakers personally but my first experience hearing them was when I was about 19yrs old or so. A friend of mine wanted to buy a stereo and we went into a higher end audio shop where he had a pair of B&W speakers set up hooked up to a higher end amp and turntable. When he played an LP, I couldn't believe my ears!!. It was like the band was in the room. It sounded so real!!!.

Sadly though.......my friend ended up buying Cerwin Vega speakers!!! ACK!!!

[stuofsci02]

madmac,

What do you have then.. I see you in a lot of B&W threads and assumed you had a set..

[madmac]

madmac,

What do you have then.. I see you in a lot of B&W threads and assumed you had a set..

I have higher end Infinity using CMMD drivers circa 1994 or so. Love them!! :T

[Briz vegas]

Hmmm What, non at all?

Not even headphones or a Zepplin? Is that allowed? Do you have any club B&W recordings? Have you ever been romantically linked with John Bowers or anyone in his immediate family? Do you have a drinking buddy with a pair of 605s? :roll: :W

[madmac]

Hmmm What, non at all?

Not even headphones or a Zepplin? Is that allowed? Do you have any club B&W recordings? Have you ever been romantically linked with John Bowers or anyone in his immediate family? Do you have a drinking buddy with a pair of 605s? :roll: :W

I have some drinkin' buddies but they don't even have any good gear :roll: Like I said above, I've heard B&W so I am therefor allowed to comment on them. The high end B&W speakers are really good but the entry level stuff doesn't impress me much. A friend of mine has some mid priced B&W hooked up to Rotel gear and mine sounds better to my ears. Then again, I asked him if he had adjusted and optimized the system and he said he did not and did a 'plug and play', which is a crime against audio/video as far as I'm concerned!! :x

[ShadowZA]

...

4. When did you move on from B&W as your main speakers? Next week.

Oh the shame and the joy of straying from the B&W path, and following another that strayed to create the son of Nautilus, the love child of a South African affair ;x( ;x( ;x(

Briz, are you going to be the proud owner of a pair of Vivid B1's? I heard these a few of years ago and I was MOST impressed. Extremely detailed and lifelike (true) - vocal jazz was the music (amp was a Krell FPB 600c). I decided not to listen to them again so that there were no interferences with the B&W diamond tweeters which I was loving at the time (and still do) - this was when I had the 803D's as front l & r. If this is your propsed path ... then enjoy!!! Would be great to know your opinions in a post.

[Pedro]

1. How old were you when you started in this hobby?
17ys

2. How old were you when you discovered B&W?
17ys

3. How did you discover B&W?
Searching for a great audiophile speaker in a dealer. I mean I´ve always been interested in music since I was born as well in hifi system. But when I was 17 and discovered this world by a HT forum, I got each more passionated for this wonderful hobby. From that time I´ve heard many B&Ws and other brands. Fortunately B&W always had something that cativated me, probably their musicality other brands didnt have. Actually after 10ys I´m ready to finish a part of this journey building an exclusive place to make them sing better than ever :T

[Briz vegas]

Briz, are you going to be the proud owner of a pair of Vivid B1's? I heard these a few of years ago and I was MOST impressed. Extremely detailed and lifelike (true) - vocal jazz was the music (amp was a Krell FPB 600c). I decided not to listen to them again so that there were no interferences with the B&W diamond tweeters which I was loving at the time (and still do) - this was when I had the 803D's as front l & r. If this is your propsed path ... then enjoy!!! Would be great to know your opinions in a post.

Deposit paid, they are on the plane from SA. As well as listening to the speakers I have read a few interviews with Dickie and like his approach.

My last speaker change was from 705 to 804 so I guess I have been with B&W for almost a decade and I will still have them at the rear. i will post my thoughts on the new speakers in the general forums.

[wkhanna]

It only makes sense to me to have a speaker from the same hemisphere as where it will be used. :W

[btf1980]

1. 21. I was in college and wandered into a local dealer here in NYC called Stereo Exchange. The rest is history.

2. 21.

3. As I mentioned earlier, I wandered into Stereo Exchange one day, and my mind was blown away. All I ever listened to was the Sony Walkman/Discman. I had no concept of hifi, I just loved music. I saw all these systems, and I had no idea what I was looking at. The sales staff was so kind and patient with me because I was clearly clueless. They showed me around, played music for me (Pink Floyd DSOTM), answered all my questions, and best of all - they gave me no attitude. I was so enamored with the B&W systems. I was broke as a joke then since I was trying to pay for school, support myself and eat at the same time. After college, when I was earning a decent living, I went back and bought my first stereo system there, and they are still my go to dealer to this day. Moral of the story, be kind to be people, they don't forget. I've given them a lot of business for B&W speakers, not just from me, but from my friends via referrals.

[wettou]

1985 Boston Speakers

1996 discovered B&W :T

1996: first speakers B&W Model DM-603 (still working in the garage after 16 years)
2002:Stereo: B&W 805,
2004:Surround Sound 5.1: (2) B&W 802N, (2) 803N, (1)HTM1
2009: Surround Sound 5.1 (3) B&W 802D, (2) 802N in the back
2011: Surround Sound 5.1(2) B&W 800Diamonds :T (3) 802D center and back, CT707 in ceiling back

2012 Hope to add a 800Diamonds for the center channel so it will be three 800Diamonds in front, hopefully that will last ten years at least

2010: (3) Zeppelin

Biggest disappointment the C5 they hurt my ears mechanically, small ear canal extremely uncomfortable anyone interested

[htsteve]

I was 31 when I got into the hobby and also when I discovered B&W.

I discovered them at a local, good stereo store. Went into a room, the B&W's were playing. I loved the midrange. Brought my wife back later, and the rest is history.

I bought 601's. I had them for about a dozen years. Sold them to my neighbor, about 4 years ago, and there still going.

[miner]

1. 16
2. 49
3. Went to dealer looking for a replacement for my Denon 1801 receiver. Came away with a RC1070; RB1070; and B&W804

[fozzer424]

1. How old were you when you started in this hobby?
I've been around audio/video products and speaker systems all my life, but my first serious venture into high-end audio began at the conclusion of my junior year of high school in the summer of 2006. I was eager to upgrade my small Energy speakers after years of many use and became interested in some of the more "prestigious" brands out there -- companies like Bowers-Wilkins, Focal, and even Paradigm. I auditioned many different speaker brands at the time and was able to get a feel for each company's distinct sound characteristics. And by the time of graduation over a year later, I was already familiar with quality electronics companies like Rotel, NAD, and even Creek.

2. How old were you when you discovered B&W?
I was 17 years old at the time. The dealer gave me B&W's 2006 product catalog but I didn't get to properly audition the brand until the next year.

3. How did you discover B&W?
I discovered B&W and Rotel products at a local dealer, Hi-Fi Sales in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

[stevek]

13,got a harmon kardon 30 wpc am/fm stereo reciever,radio shack bass reflecting tower speakers,and a sony"i think"dual cassett deck."heaven"and a technics turntable "1981"

43

last year when i bought a pair of bstock 686 bookshelves for 370.00 for my kids tv room hooked them up and bi-amped them and had a listen and was floored by what those little speakers could do.
i thought i had this bad ass little ht setup in my living room with my denon 3805,def tech bp 7002.but found myself spending more time in the kids room.next i bought a pair of cm 5's and a cmc center to finish thier room and that was it.now i have the whole cm set up in the main room with nad processor"recommended from this site,emo mono blocks and continue to add on a weekly basis.all because of those little 686's.hope to someday get into the diamond club.
there is something to the b&w sound that really caught my ear.i have listened to a lot of other brands at all price points but for me personally its b&w.

[KRC]

1. Started hobby about 1981 making me about 19.

2. Discovered B&W about 23 or so, as per below, my brother in law had B&W speakers (not even sure of the make but were stand/shelf) and they sounded very good compared to mine.

3. How discovered, something was sonically wrong (read - hurt my ears) with my first/starter system, stopped in a high end store while visiting my sister in Ottawa to see this high priced stuff and listened to 801, the model from years ago when they looked like three square boxes attached to each other.

Kevin