i was 16 when I accompanied my parents shopping for a stereo console (brown goods). We were perusing the Magnavox’s, Zeniths, RCAs, Motorolas, etc when I saw a rack of components in the corner of the store. When I asked about them, the salesmen replied they were better and much more expensive -- on a different level.
While I did enjoy the Magnavox console my parents chose, I decided to save my lunch money and eventually got a 3 piece Fisher system, that’s 2 speakers and a unit with a turntable mounted on top of a receiver. It sounded so much better. I spent my evenings listening to it.
But the audio bug really bit me hard after I went to college. Most guys in the dorm had some kind of stereo rig. And my little 3 piece Fisher was close to the bottom in cost and quality, so much so that some guys would be reluctant to lend me their records lest the rudimentary BSR turntable mounted on the Fisher might damage them. Sound quality-wise, i could hear the difference visiting my buddies’ rooms, and I started to really want to trade up; it became a need!
So my first real upgrade was an Acoustic Research Amplifier rated at a whopping 50 watts per channel. Got it cheap from a dorm-mate whose father worked at AR. Before graduating, I had added the matching AR Tuner, a Benjamin Miracord 50h turntable, and a pair of Rectilinear 3 High Boys. I took them home and they made an elegant ensemble with minimal stylistic disruption in our living room.
