The first stereo you personally owned?

My first grown up stereo was comprised of a Yamaha receiver and speakers with an AR turntable. The newly released Shure V15 III cost almost as much as the AR.

 

Back in 1966 (when I was 16!) I wanted my own stereo system (my parents had a console
in the living room) for my bedroom. Two companies had come out with what would
eventually be called "compact music systems", KLH and Harmon Kardon. Hands down
the best of the two was the HK, but it was pricey (I believe $500). Got a loan from my
parents and I was good to go.
This wasn't some cheap plastic record player that surfaced in the 70's, but a true high
quality sound system. Walnut wood, Garrard turntable, sensitive tuner, and two of the
best two way, floor standing HEAVY speakers I had ever heard (HK 40's). Crystal clear with simply incredible, and clean bass.
At any rate, I used that system for at least 10 years, and to this day I miss the quality
of the sound of that system.

And here's a page from the original promotional booklet which has the original Stereo Review
write up about it which I had already read in my subscription copy of the magazine.

 

And here's a pic of the HK-40's that came with my above system. (I replaced the grill cloths
on mine with a darker, brown cloth).

 

Around 1970. Lenco A50 amplifier, Canton three ways loudspeakers (can't remember model), Technics SL2000 turntable with Stanton 681EEE, Sennheiser 414.
Very satisfied at that time.

 

My first stereo system was an embarrassing Sears thing with Omni-directional speakers, forced onto a dispersion cone to accomplish the Onmi effect.

I was building a Heathkit tube amp, but I could NOT wait any longer. I had to have some tunes going, NOW!!

 

A Panasonic music centre. Turntable, radio and cassette. Bought for me by my parents in the 1980s and I still have it! I pull it out of storage occasionally and play through my boxes of 7 inchers. Has a straight fixed tone-arm with no adjustments. I still have the original Panasonic speakers but tend to wire it up to an old pair of Wharfdale XP2s to get a bit more bass.

 

In 1977, I was 17, had my first job, and had $500 in my savings account. Went to the local "hi-fi" hut, and purchased a HK-430 receiver, Garrard TT, and a pair of Wald 12" 3-way speakers in nice wood cabinets. Part of a package deal for $399. The HK lasted for 20 years, and I moved through different TT's and speakers as money allowed. The HK was probably worth $200-250 at the time. The table served it's purpose, and the house brand speakers allowed the shop to offer the package price and still make some money. Still see the HK-430 online as vintage gear. Thought about buying one for posterity. Thing was bullet proof. Good looking to boot!

 

Nice looking amp. I'd like one of those or similar.

 

had it way back around 1976/1977/1978 sounded good picked up at the local Goodwill for $60 I remember that well>
Apollo 861 Stereo
pics below...not mine long gone>
The CANADIAN DESIGN RESOURCE - Apollo 861 Stereo


sean

 

HK receiver (35 wpc), Luxman CD player, Paradigm 3SE speakers.

 

Kenwood KA-701, Technics SL-1800 MKII, JBL L40. Still have the TT!

 

My Dad and I went shopping in Liverpool city centre in the late 70's and he bought himself a National Panasonic SG-5090 Music Centre and some Mordaunt Short Pageant 2 speakers. He made me promise not to tell Mum how much it all cost.

My first was a JVC RC 656 Biphonic Stereo 4 speaker boom box quickly followed by:
JVC L-A11 turntable
JVC AS5 amplifier
and some cheap bookshelf speakers I can't recall the name of.

 

In 1969, I bought a Columbia Masterworks "component" system. Happily, one of my girlfriends, the drug-addled one, moved out, came back later while I was at work and stole it, along with a handful of her favorite albums.

 

Telefunken w230 record player

 

Mine was a mid-80's all in one stereo from Hitachi. It had a tuner, cassette and record player from BSR I think. Worked OK, but sound quality was not super impressive. I think my parents got it for me at Fedmart.

 

As a teen in school I had a Sears (I think) all in one system with a bubble top, plastic all around and plastic bookshelf speakers. I would put the speakers on either side of my bed, lay in between them and listen to This is the Moody Blues and Supertramp. No drugs(okay a little later one) - way cool. Out of school I finally bought a Sansui amp, a turntable, a Sansui (I think) cassette deck that had a nifty flashing light thing going on with the tabs to operate it and the coolest speakers I could find - they were mirrored. Amazingly I thought they sounded very good. Soon after I traded the speakers for giant monster speakers with a 15 inch woofer. Those speakers would end up at parties all the time. I wound up selling the whole set a year later and then reacquired the speakers years later by accident.

 

Elac turntable, Marantz 1060 and a pair of speakers that came on a baffle board and you had to make the speaker cabinets. Speakers had a 12"-6" and two tweeter domes.
It was 1971 and I was poor!

 

It was an early 1970s Philips cassette player/amplifier with speakers to which I added a cheap plastic turntable all acquired during my first term at uni.

 

Around 1965, I got a Sears Silvertone portable stereo with removable speakers for Christmas.

 

Mine was a Christmas present, not what I really asked for. Portable stereo record player made in Japan for the Singer Company

 

I was about 12 years old. It was a tube phonograph. In 1962, it was stereo. And, I had records, of course.

 

In high school I got a cheap Radio Shack system where the turntable did not have any adjustments. No VTF, VTA adjustment etc. It is a miracle some of my vinyl from those days still plays reasonably quiet.

 

First “real hi-fi” was a Dynaco SCA-80 amp kit, Dynaco FM-5 tuner kit, AR turntable, and some Infinity 1001’s. Bought it all from Pacific Stereo in 1974. I was $100 short and had to finance part of it (my first experience with credit). T’was a nice set up ... still have the AR.

 

A hodgepodge of pieces and parts -- A Realistic STA-100 receiver, Garrard SL95 turntable, TEAC A-400 cassette deck and Fortura 10 tower speakers.