Looking forward to reading these stories.
As for me, I started out when I was 14 years of age with a Garard table, Stanton and Pickering cartridges, Dynakits and Lafayette speakers.
After college I was working at a calligraphy studio and getting paid like a monk in an abbey. I traded for a pair of Altec 604Cs in garage built cabinets, and bought a Dual 1229 table.
Eventually I gravitated to graphic design firms, then ad agencies. I became a creative director but never made big bucks because I didn’t take it seriously, I was more interested in my career doing public art installations which made almost no money. That latter career took up 90% of my savings.
I am currently old enough to retire but creative people never retire, they keep going until they drop. I’ve started a new business with my wife doing net zero ready renovations of homes with historic, aesthetic character.
The audio system I have today evolved from my teenage system by buying used, store floor models, trading, and the Koetsu Onyx was a gift from a member of a famous 1960s folk rock band who is an environmentalist. That said, my system’s basic configuration has been fairly stable for 35 years.
My current system can be found at theaudioatticvinylsundays.com
Mr Hafler, where are you now that we need you? The whole concept of Dyna was high end audio for the lumpen proletariat. Now, audio mirrors the dysfunctional economic inequality of the society at large. The industry thinks that no dollar amount is subject to the reach of the law of diminishing returns. Today, one can say that the size of a man’s speakers are in inverse proportion to the size of his, well,... use your imagination - and have little relation to true audio appreciation.
