your first system-
I put together my first system in 1977- turntable, receiver, speakers and a cassette deck- $600. An on-line inflation calculator tells me that is $2760 in 2022 dollars. I am sure a current $1500 streaming based system can be assembled that would demolish my 1977 system. That's what I call real progress!
What started my journey was an old table-top AM radio my uncle gave me at age 6 or so. One day I was listening to it and laying on my bed, I reached over to turn it up and pushed it off the night stand - I heard a breaking of glass and that was the end of my tube audio experience!
(moved on to buy two MCS systems, then Soundcraftsmen, McIntosh, and now most recently a full TAD Evolution system.) |
At about 10 years of age I convinced my patents to get me an all-in-one stereo. You know, the lid opens up to reveal a record player, the speakers fold out and you then lift them off of the hinges and about 8 feet of wire comes out of a small porthole in the speakers so you can spread them across the room, making for "stereo". That started my journey. In 1973 I bought my first real hi-fi system. A Marantz 2270 receiver, a Philips GA-212 turntable, Stanton 681-EE cartridge, Koss Pro-4AA headphones, and a pair of 12" 3-way speakers (can't remember the name) that was a brand Altec bought in order to sell box speakers with a dome tweeter. Each year I made a change, for instance, moving up to an Audio Technica AT-15SA cartridge, then a Soundcraftsman dual 12-band EQ. This system lasted until 1978. That's when I made a major step up by getting a full component system. A big stack of Accuphase consisting of a T-100 tuner, C-200 preamp, P300 power amp, a B&O turntable with upgraded MMC-6000 CL cartridge, and McIntosh 12" 4-way speakers. Two years later I added a second P-300 power amp and Infinity active X-over to drive a set of Infinity RS-2.5 speakers. Then a Micro Seiki turntable and tonearm, Ortofon MC cartridge and Luxman SUT. Everyone wanted to party at my house! I've been hooked ever since. I put together a home theater system for while the kids were growing up. Real hi-fi took a back seat for a good number of years. Now, in retirement, I am building a higher resolution and very satisfying hi-fidelity music system. Not yet complete but getting there. And the journey in life continues... |
@ejr1953 There is a purity about your original system- simple, classic. |
OK, I'm really dating myself now...in 1971 when I went off to college, I was interested in becoming a computer programmer and remember being told "garbage in, garbage out". With that in mind, relative to audio systems, I thought it best to put more into my source equipment with the very limited dollars I had to work with. |
