I was actually employed as the Audio Guy in the wood paneled Audio room at a Newmark & Lewis store. Demoing the very first CD players for an amazed audio public. At one point I started to believe my own bullshit and I hopped in with them.
I remember we had something like three component units all to meet some price points. I’m also remembering the small portable detachable speaker stereo units.. Also created to get the new technology in the house at a price point. It was definitely a step up from a boombox. It was the boomboxes slicker and more sophisticated younger brother!
The only one I’m kind of remembering was a Sony player and I was piping it through a then current Sansui integrated ( I remember liking the Sansui equipment because it was very handsome and modern looking) into either some Cerwin Vegas we had or the world famous Bose 901s. Great looking and I sold a lot of them, but they sucked. That's another story for another post.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only guy in a stereo store doing the ’torture the compact disc’ schtick. ’Can you do THIS with vinyl??’ as you’d fling it carelessly like a frisbee..
I’d be a liar if I didn’t say I was kind of smitten with the sound of a couple of CDs. They all didn’t sound good by any stretch. There was a Doors disc. Alive She Cried. It was very dynamic and I’d use it on just about every demo but that wouldn’t be the one I was fking up for the demo.

