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Jurassic Park is what did it for me. My dad is a musician, so I already had music in my soul, but when we finally moved out of a trailer into a real house Dad bought a KLH sat/sub setup. The first movie we watched was Jurassic Park. I remember stopping after the scene where you see the vibrations in the water to go get our own glass of water, rewind, and see the same ripples in our cup. It was a magical moment because for the first time I realized that the sound in movies really, really mattered.
In the early 80s, my dad would visit local HIFI dealers. He saw that I was interested, so he bought me a Stereo Review Magazine from Audio Den in Lake Grove, Long Island. I was only about 10 years old but quickly read everything I could get my hands on. When he was ready to make a purchase he deferred to my "expertise". So I selected an NAD integrated amp, Infinity reference RS 6b speakers, Nakamichi BX300 cassette deck and a Thorens turntable. It sounded pretty darn good and was a lot of money for my dad to spend on a policeman's salary. My dad passed in 2016. We enjoyed the hobby together over the years and I will be eternally grateful to him. I knew that he wasn't buying that gear for himself as much as he was secretly buying it for me. I moved on to better gear but I still have most of the original equipment. To me, it's priceless.
I got my first stereo in the spring of 1979. I came home from school and in my room was a complete Zenith stereo.
The receiver was the IS-4020 which had a built-in fully automatic turntable, and a built-in 8-track player, with the usual silver face front plate and an AM/FM tuner that glowed a yellow-goldish color whenever the power button was engaged. It came with two Allegro 2 (2-way) speakers on small stands. The receiver also came with its own 3-shelf stand. It was all setup for me, all I had to do was hit the power button.
My grandmother bought it for me. I was only 10 and possibly the only kid that had his own stereo in the neighborhood. I immediately used it...listening to AM/FM radio stations and playing records. 2 years later my parents got me a much-needed cassette deck that was used to record music off the radio.
In the years that followed I acquired 2 additional speakers, allowing me to run 4 speakers at the same time, and a 7-band equalizer that made my cassettes sound out of this world.
I kept it for 11 years and enjoyed every minute of those 11 years.
Hi my name is Peter and I got hooked in 1969 listening to my Dads system: Fisher XB100 amp, Dual turntable, Eico R-Reel and Electro Voice Regina speakers. I was completely hooked playing my Zeppelin I and II albums. I’m still hopelessly hooked. Love your videos thanks!
My parents were divorced, so my dad would pick up my brother and I every other weekend to go stay at his house. On the drives there, he would periodically find an awesome song to crank for us. I remember my dad pointing out the production nuances and sound quality of Pink Floyd, The Who, Genesis (and Phil Collins), and others from that era. He then took me to see Genesis when I was 10 years old, and Seal (as a brand new artist on the scene) opened.
I take my girls to concerts so the time we have four concerts coming up this year. We're looking for more as we're making this "the year of concerts". My boy is only 10 but I'm trying to find his first concert. He did say he wanted to see Wu Tang Clan but there's no my wife would allow that, probably an age limit on that as well.
My first receiver was a Pilot with built in turntable. I blew the original speakers and eventually got some Boston Acoustics bookshelf speakers at a yard sale for $20. I was about 13 years old and paid for the kit with money earned by digging graves at a pet cemetery. Seriously!
They used to sell Pilot and Rotel together at the Oklahoma State Fair… made me leery of Rotel for a long time after
Boston Acoustics made awesome speakers! Loved how they sounded.
good story!
My dad always had a complete Pioneer hifi setup. When I was about 10, the folks bought be an all in one Curtis stereo system from Sears. Had a turntable up top, AM/FM radio, two cassette decks, and a 5 disk CD changer, topped off with Sharp speakers.
I've been adjusting and swapping things out ever since.
Current setup:
Kenwood KD-550 TT with a vintage Ortofon vms20e mk II cartridge.
Sansui AU-5900 & TU-5900.
Technics 5 disk CD player.
Suca Audio Tube DAC.
Pioneer CS-605 speakers and some random cheap bookshelf speakers I picked up at Goodwill for 2 bucks.
Sony Walkman II in 82/83 was what really hooked me. Then in 87 I went nuts and borrowed $2500 from my credit union and got a full system with NAD 7175PE receiver, NAD CD player, Nakamichi tape deck, Dual turntable, and speakers (can't remember the brand).
My first system was purchased in 1976. Still have it all except the speakers: Pioneer SX-636 receiver, Technics SL-23 turntable, ADC Sound Shaper Two Mk II Equalizer, and EPI 70 speakers (speakers went to my wife in a 90s divorce). Have completely restored the receiver and EQ. TT still works.
I still remember the first HiFi system that was handed down to me from my father, when I was 14 years old. My father was working in a South Australian electrical retail store at the time called Radio Rentals. He upgraded his Technics system to an SA-GX390 5ch Dolby Pro Logic receiver (which he still has), RS-TR373 double tape deck and a Sony 5 disc CD player with some Jamo satellite speakers and passive subwoofer which he also still has. He gave me his old Technics system from 1983, which consisted of the SA-110 receiver, M226 cassette deck, SH-8025 equaliser, SL-PG100 CD player and the SB-2211 3 way speakers. I remember hearing this system in my room for the first time, and I was blown away with how awesome this system sounded, as I was entering the world of hifi, and how much of a difference it was going to that from my Sharp boom box, which I got years before that! These days I have dived into more professional hifi and discovering other brands that I didn’t even know of when I was younger!
My first stereo was a jvc rx-212 receiver, jvc xl-z441 cd player, and a pair of cerwin vega vs100 speakers that my dad bought me back in 1994 for my 14th birthday. He also bought me alice in chains "dirt" and led zeppelin 2. Great memories with that stereo.
4 years ago I bought a rega p1 turntable hooked it up to my old Sony surround sound system. Because of you I have a yamaha 301 integrated reciever, emotiva b1+ and an es08 subwoofer. Thanks for all the help
Love the testimony, Randy!! Our influences and reasons for getting sucked into this audiophile hobby is a long list. My first spark was as a young kid in daycare during nap time. Yes, they had nap time back then (I am 49 years old now). There were rows of cots where we would have to lay down and take a nap. During this time, the daycare lady would put a John Lennon album on the turntable, and I remember vividly the song she played, "Watching the Wheels". Something sparked inside, and I was in awe at the sound of that album. Walkmans and boom boxes were a large part of my youth as well. My first (decent) system at 15 years old was my uncle's hand-me-down Marantz receiver and speakers, and I was off and running. 30-plus years later, and here we are. I still remember that day in daycare and can see and hear that moment to this day... Cheers. PS- Coffee is on the ABX community today... :)
I still love a nap
@@jdm-uk-yank me too. And often
My dad bought a lot of gear at a discount when he was in Vietnam. He still has his huge Pioneer CS99s. When I was growing up there was a reel to reel and he has his 45ish year old Sansui SR2050 turntable. I had one of those all in one systems in college which was easy to move, and when I got out I bought a reciever and some blah home theater in a box. As Covid was happening I made an office area in the basement and set up the stero again to listen to music during the day, and then I found CAM. I bought a Wiim, Schitt DAC, SVS sub and some SVS Ultra bookshelves. Last fall I got the Pioneer LX305's Onkyo twin, and last week I got a used Fluance turntable. Upstairs we have a 40's floor radio into which I retrofitted some Elac debut 5.2s, another Wiim, and an Aiyma A07. I guess we are a CAM house!
Audioman I always remember listening to music when visiting freinds in the 70's not watching the TV or playing video games , it's nice to be back !!! 😎👍👍
My first real experiance was also with the walkman, lisening to black hole sun and it gave me a real good time. Recently I found 1 speaker in a big garbige container en I fel in love of how it lookt and took it home. Suprisingly I found 1 other on a second hand website. It is the sony ss 7300 and after cleaning and switch to Polypropylene capacitors by Solen I am hooked! Together with my denon avr 3805 and for now the earstudio es 100 mk2 it sound really good and still on budget around 400,-. I am very pleased and going to check out some nice DAC's. I found a lot of usefull recommendations on this Chanel!
Sorry for my bad Engels..
I love this Chanel!
Randy, I used to work in a small franchise Radio Shack dealer when I was in 8th grade. My first real receiver was a 7 watts 2 Realistic STA-7 and a technics cassette deck and a technics belt drive semi-auto turntable. I had a set of realistic 8” two ways with paper cone tweeters. Also Koss Pro-4A headphones. In high school I worked in another stereo shop near my town in northern Indiana and did car stereo installs and sold Technics, Pioneer, Akai, Epicure speakers, Advents, and Cerwin Vega (the real ones), also Sanyo stuff for the value buyers. My favorite brands were Phase Linear, Philips, Ampzilla……… ah the good old days… This was also my start as a pro audio for mobile DJ guy and now that I’m 58 I still DJ and Karaoke and am building a Schiit System. Just got my Vidar 2 and have had an original Saga pre, Mani, modi multibit, Loki, Emotiva UPA2, and singing through Heco Aurora 1000’s. My turntable is a arena planar 3 with OM2 blue cartridge….. He who dies with the most toys wins I say!!! Party ON!
I just heard about your love of vintage Realistic equipment. When I was under 10 years old, in the early 70s, my dad bought a Realistic receiver and Optimus-5 speakers (three-way with 12" woofer). He also bought from Radio Shack a Dual turntable and Allied reel-to-reel deck. I can remember getting the Aerosmith Draw the Line album for Christmas in 1977 and it sounded wonderful to me on that system. I have recently put the Optimus-5 speakers into my current high-end system just out of curiosity. They really surprised me in a good way. Beautiful midrange and treble, good imaging and soundstage, but bass shy since the enclosures are sealed. Sounded surprisingly good, though, paired with a subwoofer!
I bought the same speakers new back in the day and am STILL rocking them to this day .....
Found this video a bit late, but wanted to share anyway.
My first Hifi experience (and general music experience) was due to my older brother. Late 90’s early 2000’s pioneer stack. Receiver may have been a VSX-4900s or similar paired with the tiniest speakers I’ve ever seen even by desktop standards. I was around 5-6 years old running past his room listening through the door amazed. My brother was into heavy metal mainly which influence me greatly. I can still hear Cannibal corpse, Korn, Chimaira, Pantera, Mayhem, etc blasting through the door. It wasn’t till I got older that he started sharing the experience with me to the dismay of my mom. It sounded amazing to me and they are experiences I’ll never let go of. I didn’t put much stock into the system itself until this year. I have dedicated my life to music, going to school for Music Performance. I built my first system and played what I remembered hearing through my brothers door and nearly wept. I’m sure it was a wild sight for my wife to look at me nearly in tears listening to Cannibal corpse like I hadn’t been blasting it in my Bluetooth headphones just the day before. definitely life changing for me. I made it most of the way through a music degree. Critical listening and sonic searching was my whole life. Not once was I exposed to hifi while I was there. I thought I had a bad ear but it turns out that Spotify through Bluetooth headphones just made me think I couldn’t hear. Nevertheless, I’ve spent a reasonablec, but respectable amount of money (thanks to your channel) and grin ear to ear every time I throw on a record.
Living in central CT in the early sixties, Dad got a nice raise/promotion and decided to splurge on a hifi system for the living room while Mom went for carpet and furniture. The place to go for a high quality system was "Carston Studios" in Danbury (still in existence). Fisher tube amp and tube Tuner, Wharfedale W60 speakers, Elac turntable. The sound quality was captivating. Put on a platter, turn out the lights, crash on the carpet in the sweet spot, only the glowing green lights from Fisher system, and be transported. First LPs were early Beatles and Stones and 45's of all kinds. He had a full fledged FM antenna on the roof and could pull in stations from New York to Boston. Classical Music to Rock Hits to eclectic College. To me HiFI represents the ultimate chillout, unwind, relax experience.
Love the Channel and Content Randy. Been subbed a while and your entertaining and offer a service to the HIFI enthusiast. I myself 52 Disabled, Fixed income, but Have a Great Home Theater Set-Up I Purchased back in the day when money was good. Yamaha Receiver, All JBL matching speakers and sub, 5.1. Great for TV and Movies. But I Inherited some Awesome Vintage HiFi around 2005 from my father's partner they both worked for Philips way back. It's 1979 Philips Hifi labs Integrated amp, a matching tuner, a Garrard AT60 changer and equilizer. I serviced amp and tuner recently and running with Technics SL3300 automatic and some JBL bookshelves I bought in 92. I'm loving it, pulled out my records from my youth and having a blast. I don't get to buy much gear, but always keep a lookout for a cheapaudioman bargain lol. Keep On Doing your thing 👍
I now have several Yamaha receivers but use a Cambridge Audio AXR 85, technics Al-1200 with Ortofon 2M blue, Fluance rt85, BSR 14 channel eq, pioneer HPM-100’s, Polk audio series 300 floor standings speakers and Sony CS-SS5’s. Love the sound!!
This video brought back so many memories of me as a kid on my knees with endless strips of wire and tape as I'm trying to link all these things together that I would beg for from yard sales. 👍💯
Started with a VM (Voice of Music) mono reel-to-reel with built in amp, 6x9, and tweeter… and a hifi mono fm tuner
Upgraded with a large bookie - Norman Labs model 8 (half of a pair) - a classmate’s Uncle ran the speaker company - all the Soundwarehouse stores had multiple pairs of my same speakers
Hi Randy, you know what? My hi-fi fever started when I was 12 years old... I became addicted to 3 things, that have a distinctive smell: 1) wood and glue of loudspeakers cabinets 2) warm electronic circuits 3) hifi shops, in which there was an unmistakable fusion of the two above.
That was, and is, my drug.
It's a pity that, in Italy but I suppose almost everywhere,, hifi shops are vanishing...
Ciao from Rome
When I was in the Army I got shipped to Germany. I had money saved up to buy a stereo system at the PX audio shop, but unfortunately spent it all on beer the first few weeks over there. When I got out in 1979 I went to the local stereo shop, and bought a Marantz receiver, JVC turntable, Kenwood cassette deck, and AEI speakers. I still am using the Marantz SR2000 receiver, and JVC QL-A2 turntable.
My middle school friend's mom got hired as an accountant at a local hifi store. Soon after, he had a pretty nice stereo, with a Technics turntable with an Audio-Technica cartridge, an Aiwa tape deck, and a growing stack of Mobile Fidelity albums. I was enamored! The following Christmas, I opened box after box of MCS stereo gear (my mom worked at and got a discount from JC Penny's), and I'd buy 10-packs of Maxell Chrome II tapes to record my friend's MFSL albums to play at home on my system. I graduated high school, then college, got my first, second, and third job post college, and a different friend was working at a different hifi store that was running a trade-in special for Adcom gear, so I traded in my MCS gear for an Adcom system and bought a pair of Vandersteen 2CE's and a Rotel CD player. I've recently added a Harmon Kardon turntable and Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge. My current hobby is finding all the music I grew up listening to on vinyl, and I've amassed somewhere close to 400 albums. NGL, it makes me happy.
I'm no audiophile by any means, just love listening to music (vinyl or cd, haven't made it to streaming yet)... Anyhoo, for the last couple of years, I have been getting some 70s/vintage-y receivers (NAD, Sansui, Kenwood) and speakers (pioneer, kenwood, wharfedale) but I've yet to find the 'ultimate' combination.... I just know I do love those Sony SSCS5 you recommended.... First audio equipment we had was a Western Auto Truetone 'all in one' with turntable and 8-track... Me and my two lil' brothers used to dance to the Bee Gees with Mom... That was 'only' 40+ years ago... Good ol' times.... Keep up the magnificent work, cheapaudioman!
born in ‘58, first record I ever bought was A Hard Days Night. Had one of those cheap all in one amps/receiver/record players thru high school. Upped my game in college (Kenwood, Advent, AR TT, Akai tape deck..), bought lots of rock and roll, life was good. Then 25 years went by (kids, job, CDs etc) and only in the past 10 have I started to get back into audio. Fixed up the Kenwood, refoamed the advents, bought a new Fluance TT, got that great sound back! Put a pair of KEF 150s in a Denon based HT, incredible 3D. SSCS5’s, Aiyima T9 and a WiiM for a mini system in the vacay home, awesome. Music is fun again!
Oh, and Realistic connections include a prized pair of minimus 7s I bought at a RS in Rochester NY (currently my office speakers). A Heathkit radio built with my dad (he was an electrical engineer) and a pair of handmade 3 way speakers with realistic components (including their “super tweeter”, Cat No 40-1310……). The finished speakers didn’t sound very good….crossover prob likely…
The system I grew up with was all Realistic separates (turntable, tuner, tape deck, amplifier, and floor-standing speakers), and that thing was fantastic. Certain things were breaking down by the time my father got rid of it in 1990, but at this point, I'm certain those things could have been repaired. I miss it.
Dad had an all in one record/cassette player amp from the 70s, 40w Sony speakers and with a CD player from the early 90s we rocked the basement! The rabbit hole went deep since, but in some ways I am still chasing the sound of that cd player through a vintage amp.
Aunt gave me a big zenith console unit with a turntable that must have weighed 40 lbs. A local audio store had some three-way 12-in AAL acoustic suspension speakers on sale for $58 a piece. I hook them up to the zenith and was somewhat impressed but new it needed something else. This was probably 1982. Went to a big half price sale sponsored by a local radio station. They had my speakers being powered by a real receiver playing Billy idol. I could not believe the sound coming out of those. So for my birthday my father bought me a JVC 30 watt per channel receiver. I was blown away by the sound. Shortly after I picked up a BSR 10 band graphic equalizer and that brought tears to my eyes. How you can dial in the sound?. Since then, many tapes were made on TDK SA 90 via a Pioneer turntable and Toshiba tape deck with Dolby b. That system made it through college and was passed down to a younger brother to never be seen again. But that started one of the greatest hobbies ever.
As a child, we had a tape recorder and a pickup at home. But the passion for "musical machines" was when I heard Enio Morricoce's music playing on a friend's Sony cassette player. I'm still trying to find that sound I heard back then for Chi Mai (the original version). It seems that the versions on the streaming platforms are not of good quality, so even my current systems still do not compare to that radio cassette player :)
And today, I have found and "discovered" a large amount of music (generally from the 40s 50s 60s) on streaming platforms and this pushes me to have the best possible playback tools.
Enio was genius!
You're right. It started at a family friends place. My folks were never big into the hobby.
This family friend had a pair of Celestion Ditton 66's, and a Luxman M120A, C120A power amp combo. He also had a nice Dual Turntable, Nakamichi cassette and CD players, and a couple of Sony reel-to-reels. Up to that point, most of my experiences with audio were limited to boomboxes and cheap shelf systems.
I remember him putting on Swamp Thing by The Grid and being completely blown away. It was so loud, but so clear, and had bass you could feel! After than, I knew my Panasonic boombox just wasn't going to cut it.
Being 13, and not having much money, my best bet was to start looking in the pawn and thrift shops. And it was in the basement of a funky old thrift store, buried under a bunch of Lloyds combo players and old VCR's that I found my first real decent piece of audio gear. A Yamaha CR 1040 Receiver. A 40 LB monster from the 70's. It was in perfect shape and was tagged $15. Getting it home on the city bus was a pain in the a$$, but soo worth it.
I still have it today....28 years later...and it still sounds great.
For me, that's how it started.
Back in my hometown of Leeuwarden, there was a recordstore called Poort, who in the back had a separate section with audio equipment. I sauntered over once, was offered something to listen to, and that was the bite that got me. I saved money working at my fathers meat factory, and then he and I went together so I could buy the amp, CD player and speakers I painfully pieced together. Whilst there, a little more upscale Denon set was playing on some T+A speakers, and he said, why don't you buy that. I needed about 400 Dutch guilders (pre euro times) more than the ~1100 I had in my pocket, but he offered part of the difference, and showed me the finest negotiations I've ever seen, culminating in him fishing in his pocket for his last spare change, me for my last guldens, and the salesperson laughing. It was both the start of my audio hobby and one of those great father-son memories.
My first year of college in 1990, I took some grant money I was supposed to be living on and bought a JVC RX705-VTN reciever and 4 JBL j- series speakers. I had a Sony Trinitron TV in my dorm and ran a 4 speaker Pro Logic setup to the amazement of my dorm floor. There was a VHS library in the dorm, and it would be a group movie watching once or twice a week. I felt very popular that year, even though I was broke.
I bought my first component in 1975. A Sony TA-1130. Then I bought BIC Venturi speakers and a fully manual AR turntable and I was hooked. Sadly I was in the Navy and could only listen to it when I was on leave. D'oh!
I put my first system together in the early 80's as a sophomore. I had a Sears LXI receiver, Realistic speakers, cassette deck and 5 band equalizer. All used equipment. Got a job and by the time I graduated had upgraded to a Harman Kardon HK 490i receiver, Pioneer PL-S30 turntable, Sony TC-FX505R cassette deck, HK EQ8 equalizer and JBL J216a speakers.
I got a work permit when I was 15 and bussed tables until I had enough money for a 1973 Pioneer system. My friends were saving for cars, I was the first person I knew to own a high-er end stereo. It sounded incredible, and I was hooked for life. I have waited 50 years now for the brushed aluminum front panels to come back, with big, smooth toggle switches and VU meters. I miss this design style and hate the black on black we have had forever now. Today, I can't get excited by the looks of any gear, and the sound quality improvements have been small over the years.
When I was wee lad my grandfather gave me a calf to raise as my own, when it was old enough to go to market grandpa sold it and gave me the money. $263 in 1975, I told dad I really wanted a stereo system so he took me to Toronto and I bought a stereo . took all of my $263 and dad floated me another $8 Got a pioneer receiver, turntable and some Audio Reflex speakers with 12" woofers. Thing was insanely load and sounded fantastic. I later added some realistic super tweeters. the receiver and turntable packed it in around 1998, but I still have the speakers They got damaged in a basement flood in 2019, so now they are my speaker stands for some Polk Rti A3. Sold the tweeters a couple of weeks ago and got enough to pay for 1 of my Klipsch rp-600m ii .
My first electronic device gifted to me by my parents was the Magnavox D8443 Boombox 5-Speaker Stereo AM/FM Radio Cassette. I remember lying next to that thing listening to the radio after I would get home from school. It got me through some bouts of sickness too! I specifically remember trying to hit record when my favorite songs at the time would come on the radio. Take On Me, Everywhere, Electric Blue, to name a few. It was a tricky process. My next actual stereo speaker system was the Sony LBT-D105 Stereo System which I purchased with money I made from a summer job between my high school sophomore and junior year. My first set of real speakers were the 3-way Infinity Reference bookshelf speakers, which I still had until a few months ago. I have fond memories of me and my dad going to Circuit City just checking out new car and home systems. Those were awesome times! I miss Circuit City from the late 80’s and 90’s. I continued to purchase a lot of electronics in my 20’s and beyond!
I had a Zenith all in one kind of thing. Turntable, receiver and cassette deck. Played it everyday from 1974ish until I left for college in 1984. Sold it for a small bookshelf system with a CD player for my college dorm room. Had at least 100 albums that my Mom, God rest her soul, gave away. 😪 First post college was a a Sony ES Receiver and CD player with Klipsch KG 4.5. then we were off.
My first experience was with my grandparents massive stereo/turntable credenza. Then in the late 80s or early 90s we watched Top Gun at my aunt and uncles house and felt the walls shake from the surround sound. Those waist high speakers and that glass enclosed rack with the amp, turntable, and EQ got me hooked.
My first piece of gear was a walkman, and then I got a portable CD player that ran off of 8 or 10 AA batteries. During my time in the military, and for a while afterwards, I moved around and didn't really have the space for a system. Lately I've gotten back into it and this channel has been amazing in helping point out some great, affordable gear that I wouldn't have otherwise known about. Cheap Audio Man is much more my speed than the channels that are devoted to $10,000+ systems that would be wasted on my unsophisticated ears.
I gotta say.. I am watching this video and just heard your read someone's cerwin Vega story. More on that in a minute. I had a REALISTIC receiver, it was 40 or 50 watts. I had these tiny 2 way pioneer speakers. well, they didn't bump like my old man's Fischer 100 watt 3-way setup. I upgrade to Sony, then Onkyo. My friend's Pioneer still sounded better. Ultimately though I had Cerwin Vega's but my Onkyo could not make those woofers sound any better than my dad's Fischers which were only 10's but had more bass. So I bought a used Harmon-Kardon which did finally push the speakers to have "slightly" more low end but that wasn't good enough. Finally, my senior year in college, I bought a Crown Power Base 1 power amp (which had noisy cooling fans) and used the Harmon Kardon's preamp outputs to drive it. WOW. the Cerwin Vegas were INSANE at that point. my college roommate blew out my tweeters however. I was ticked off. I put some Radio Shake tweeters in those speakers but ultimately when I got in to running live sound, I used the Crown amp for floor monitors and fell out of love with home stereo equipment. I sold the Harmon Kardon but had a 80 watt Sony with some small bookshelf 2 way speakers.. but let me tell you with the crown amp no windows ever shattered now let me tell you, I feel like that was around 180watts or so full range on a 120V outlet. It was capable of over powering the speakers.. they were the closest thing to JBL sound I have ever heard.. but not even close to "loud" by my current standards.. let me tell you we are talking 180 watts driving a 150 watt speaker.. 300 watt peak. the peak on that amp was definitely hitting 360+. my roommate would rig it and overdrive it. I wasn't happy but the point is no windows even came remotely close to shattering. Let me move on from the 150 watt speaker range and just talk about some top shelf 2400 Watt program ( 4800 Watt Peak ) full range JBL speakers which are way way louder than the Cerwin Vegas. I have cranked those next to windows many times with no threat of breakage.. oh they will break the window if they tip over and hit the window. Anyways.. I feel like the Home speakers sound "better" but PA speakers are louder. but if you really want something that sounds fantastic and cheap ???? I think I see some solutions in the background in your video so never mind.. I mean the really good stuff isn't cheap.. but you know once you get in to the super high end stuff, sure it sounds great but you're hearing a FANTASY because often times the studio that recorded the music wasn't even hearing what you have setup..... SO MANY studios are putting out top mixes on fairly cheap setups.. I mean they aren't dirt cheap but some of these home stereo systems blow that budget out of the water.
My journey started back in the late 60's as a wee lad. Us kids had a GE portable record player - mono with AM radio. My first record was a Sam and Dave 45 with "Wrap It Up" and " I Thank You" back to back. I'll have to check the 45 box to see if I still have it. Then there was the Console stereo in the Rec Room, it didn't last as long as it should have. But what had me was my father's Motorola Am/Fm receiver and the BSR turntable paired with 2-way 8" Motorola sealed speakers. Man, they sounded good. From there it just ballooned to a bunch of hand-me-down stuff until I could either build my own or eventually buy outright. I've run the gamut of formats, but I refuse to go over to paid streaming. I'd rather listen to radio or the internet simulcast thereof or use my own media. I hate the fact that the streamers and other constant downloadables can take away what you bought if they go out of biz or decide not to carry whatever. In that case you are only renting, not owning.
As for things I've found, aside from my Radio Shack gear that I mostly bought on SPIFF (last gasp markdown before going to the big circular file), are the ADC 404 speakers I bought at a charity sale for $3 for the pair. Made only 1 or 2 years in the late 60's, they are a 2-way sealed 5" that will blow away many of the speakers of the last 20 years. They will never leave my hands while I have a heartbeat. I've got more, but that's enough.
Serious setup? I dont know how serious it is, but the best I ever had. Last year, when I bought a house, I grabbed used Dali blue 8008 and used NAD c370, this year added SVS sb1000 pro. Im happy, but now by far my limitation is my input, which is philips tv...
It happened for me in grade 11 when a guy with a locker beside mine invited me over to his place to play records after school one day. He said his mom worked late and his dad wouldn't be home until 6 o'clock and that his dad had just bought a brand new stereo. I lived a block from school so ran home and got 3 of my albums and caught up to him on my bicycle while he was still walking home.
His Dad's new stereo was a Radio Shack system...all of it. He said it put out 35 watts per channel. OMG! I heard sounds in my own records that I had never heard or experienced before...not even in my headphones hooked up to my Dad's big old console stereo! I knew I needed to buy one, somehow, someday. Just over 2 years later, I was buying a Pioneer receiver with 25 watts per ch, plus a Pioneer PL-15 semi auto belt driven turntable with a Shure M91ED cartridge and a pair of Acoustic Research AR-2ax speakers!! $825 Canadian dollars!! (1975)
I used to hang out at the neighborhood Radio Shack back in the late 70's and early 80's and drool over the powerhouse Realistic receivers and the Mach series speakers. I still couldn't afford them and it was some of the most affordable gear at the time. My first system was a Pioneer Syscom rack system in 1985. I had the one with the SA-1060 100 WPC amp. (That was actually 130 WPC) and is still working great to this day. Best $900 I ever spent.
Old equipment is sometimes better. I'm still using Polk 10 Monitor speakers I bought in 1979-80 on my main system. Crossovers have been renewed. Haven't yet heard anything I could afford that I like better.
I'm quite young at 23, but it started all from my father's Bose Acoustimass series 5 II listening to CDs and cassettes. Now I listen to Polk's Signature Series on a Marantz sr5014 with an SVS pb2000.
Great Aqualung story, love it. I never wanted to admit it that, lol, but when I was younger, I also loved the look of the traditional 2-way and 3-way stereo speakers, a good speaker pair with great sound coming out of was very sexy, to say the least. 🤣🤣
I wasn't that into audio until couple years ago when I heard my friend's Genelec G Two / Yamaha WXC-50 combo, my main speaker setup being a 20yo cheapish JVC mini stereo system hooked up in my TV for the past 15 years, but now I got Klipsch the Fives in my living room (was on sale and it'll do for now, I'll get myself a pair of Genelecs at some point as well) and I picked up Hifiman Sundaras last weekend and got a Topping DX3 pro+ incoming as my first proper set :)
I grew up in a home with a Soundesign all in one. I went into the military and with my leave pay and all the money I save up with basic and AIT. When I arrived at my duty station a couple of guys I met right off had vulgar systems. They took me to a larger base's PX and I came home with a Sansui G7700, Frq-5 turntable and some JBL-l-150's... spent my whole tour collecting gear from there. Still have a couple of the pieces to this day.
Ya I remember sound design, terrible but awesome back then, good times
Same for me. Sound Design all in one. Thanks for mentioning the name. I was trying hard to remember it, and failing. I also had Koss headphones with the liquid filled ear pads.
In 1968 my Mother bought a Magnavox cabinet stereo. We had a motel and wanted music for the office part, we stacked 10 records and played them all day. Years later that stopped working, so they bought a all in one unit by Fisher. I in a few years bought a Sansui AU7900 via mail order, then a BIC turntable, Teac 100?....Then my friend bought a AR-xb, I then got hooked.
I had a Realistic EQ and there was a button on it called a stereo expander i believe. Suddenly when puched on you had like a bigger and fuller and more immersive sound. You could dial it even more up but at some cost. By doing so the sound became a bit less play and stop and more wooly. Great feature and makes me wonder how it would turn out today on modern speakers.
I’m with you on the Realistic stuff, more accessible to us poor kids, but they hit the mark with their better items. No pretense at being boutique, just solid underrated stuff. Why, I still ascribe to that approach. The law of diminishing returns, baby, it could legitimately rule the world.
For me it was the folks late night listening and partying. With the beautiful glow, of thr lights! Volt meters and tunning bulbs beaming in the dark.. Hearing Zepplin and the Doors on vinyl was amazing! circa 1980
1977 college dorm at OIT, Technics integrated amp, technics direct drive turntable, Portland built 3-way 10-in with 10 in passive radiator speakers. Scarlet Riviera electrified violin, Karla Bonoff, Tommy Bolin. Good times. A buddy had some original ESS AMT ones and a Philips 212 turntable. Too cool.
I had just recently moved into this town and I love going to sales. There was a neighbor one street over having a garage sale so I just walked over to check it out. I ended up with a pioneer SX 626 receiver, a CT-f500 cassette deck, and a pair of CS99 speakers for $25. For $25. They had asked $40 but I talked them down. I have been flipping equipment for the last 25 years, having been a rep and sales engineer for so many big companies, Carver, KEF, Paisley, DCM, luxman, sae, ADS in many others
One Christmas in the early 70's my folks got me a Panasonic table radio, I loved that thing. Over the years I owned a few other stereos but it wasn't until the mid 90s that I discovered high-end. I saw working in San Diego and went into Stereo One looking for an EQ, or anything, to make my Bose/Yamaha system sound better. They pointed out to me none of their stuff even had tone controls. Then they took me to one of the listening rooms and put on the Celestion SL700. I would have been speechless if I was that type of person. Instead I was more like, how the F... are they doing that. Way out of my price but a couple years later I found the Spica TC50 and I was in love. I've actually not owned a lot of different equipment over the years as I found many great gems in the audio world. I'm actually looking to purchase my endgame speaker now, military pension and disability funds permitting. I love the hunt.
My Mom had a Realistic tape deck in her 1972 Duster, with Jensen 6x9s in the back deck, it rocked. I would always want to be in the back seat to rock out to her music, she had great taste.
A cheap quadraphonic receiver with its four plastic boxed speakers got me hooked in the early 70's--perfect for blasting Iron Butterfly. First major purchase was a pair of Realistic speakers on sale for $59 around 1974. Loved the wood enclosures with lattice grills and 10 inch woofers. Then on to a 17 watt Onkyo receiver, then down hill from there. Wish I still had some of the many components I cycled through during the 80s and 90s. These days its an Emotiva Gen 3 and CSS, etc
My main system from mid-80 till early 90s was Jvc Pc-550 C and a Philip's cd player in 87. Then I purchased a set of psb alpha they were a solid bookshelf speaker. Man I wish I kept the JVC just saw it for sale for 1200 America dollars. Wish I had a picture
I grew up in a small town with limited funds and audio choices. My 'stereos' consisted of all-in-one's (receiver, 8-track or cassette and turntable by brands like Lloyd's) purchased from a store called Gibson's (later Pamida), similar to K-Mart. My Realistic purchases consisted of a pair of Optimus 10 speakers which I no longer have, a pair of Minimus 7 speakers and an 8-track Player/Recorder both of which I still have.
Back in High school days I walked into a Team Electronics speak room, they were playing a new release " Jazz Man" by Pure Prairie League on some JBL L100's. The music was coming at me from all directions. After High school I joined the USAF made a swap to go to Okinawa and I have been listening to good music ever since.
My 1st "good" hi-fi set was 1978: Pioneer SX580 20w receiver, Advent 1 speakers, and BIC Venturi turntable with Pickering cartridge. Also Koss Pro AA headphones. Bought this pkg at Trader Horn in NJ....I really miss that smooth Advent sound.
My first serious system was one I built myself. It was an electronics course as part of an afterschool program and you could pick your own project. I picked a MOSFET, dual-mono power amp. The teacher that ran the course was a nerd and gave me a preamp that he'd built many years previously. I had some speakers that I actually can't remember what was, and a cheapo CD player and a record player. Oh, and my granddad gave me a Sony reel-to-reel that wasn't working, but I managed to fix it. That was in the late 80s, early 90s. A few years later, I found a vintage Kenwood integrated amp and some B&O speakers while dumpster diving. The things people throw away...
My friend had a pair of Realistic aluminium speakers when I was a kid, 40 years ago. they were small bookshelf speakers and the sound was amazing for their size. Realistic had some great stuff.
My first stereo was a Realistic (Radio Shack) am/fm turntable 8-track combo. I remember tuning into one of the handful of Los Angeles FM stations around at the time where they'd play full albums at a time or made their own compilations. FM was where the mellow people hung out. AM was still in its prime and FM the new kid on the block. IT WAS GREAT!
The speakers were not so great but a few years later I became friends with a guy who went on to start two well regarded speaker companies, Lantana and Qysonic. He took me to Radio Shack where he picked out new drivers and parts for a new crossover along with other things and rebuilt the speakers and stiffened up the cabinet until they sounded amazing.
I had no idea you grew up in Nebraska. Omaha here! The first stereo I ever had was an all in one deal from Montgomery Ward or Sears - hand me down from my sister with a turntable and 8-track player with a tuner. I wish I knew of the model number but I just remember the chrome runner around the display with its blue glow and the stackable spindle for piling up your records. Looking back now it was probably total crap but as a 6 year old with older sisters who gave me their Zeppelin, Kiss, Sabbath, Rush, Alice Cooper and David Bowie albums - I loved it
I saved for my first system for months. I purchased a Kenwood integrated amp, Ohm speakers and a good, belt driven turntable.
I built a Dynaco Stereo 35 tube amp when I was in high school in the 60's. When I had a real job after high school, I built a Dynaco Pas3x tube preamp to go with my power amp. Next came my AR XA manual turntable and the Smaller Advent speakers along with a set of Sennheiser headphones.
Got in on the early 70's when my college roommate had a Lafayette receiver and Bose speakers. My first set up was also a Lafayette receiver, Garard turntable and Hartley Zodiacs.
A KLH turntable/console with a couple nice KLH speakers. It was cool and sounded good for 150 bucks. After that it was a Harman Kardon "Twin Power" receiver and Phillips turntable with large Advents. Then went to Marantz 140 amps, 3600 pre-amp and 120 Tuner. So ran the two amps into the large Advents and KLH 8's. Now....Emotiva mono amps, preamp, Marantz server and Magnaplanars......easily drive concern levels.
I purchased a floor model pair of realistic speakers in 1976. The were probably 40 lbs each with beautiful wood veneer cabinets. Unfortunately I don't remember the model number but I paid at least $400 for the pair
They were 12 inch 3 way design with non removable grills. I loved the speakers and unbelievable about bass they produced. I had a sears receiver with 40 watts per channel, I believe based on the look the receiver was built by Harmon Kardon with the sears name on it. My turntable was a Lenco manual model. Although I had owned other assorted electronics. That system hook me for life
I even got a job selling hi fi in a long forgotten electronics chain called Pacific Stereo. I've been a main line junkie for over 50 years. One day the world will go back to listening to music at home
Heard “Concert for Bangladesh” on an all-in-one KLH system (receiver/Garrard turntable) in a HUGE bedroom (with the KLH speakers about 20 feet apart. KLH systems were big in Maine at the time - 1972.
Done. Hooked.
🆗️ ... You asked - my 1st system was an NAD 3020 integrated amplifier, a pair of Genesis V6 ported loudspeakers with lime green foam surrounds around the woofers, and a Thorens TD-318 turntable, which I still have today. The 1st cartridge was an Ortofon MC-15 super, but now there's a Nagaoka MP200 aboard.
I got into the hobby as an audiophile in 1977 after hearing the album Songs to The Key of Life by Stevie Wonder being played on the Sony Stereo 350 Reel-to-Reel tapedeck through the JVCJA-S44 Stereo Integrated Amp at a whopping 45 wpc into 8 ohms stereo. My very first album was the Johnny Mathis Christmas album being played on the JVC QL-F4 Quartz-Lock Fully-Automatic Turntable and made my first professional young adult pause-button-recorded mix tape with the TEAC A-150 Stereo Cassette Deck and started listening to my first FM stations through the JVC JT-V22 FM/AM Stereo Tuner through some "WACK-AZZ" Fischer speakers from the '70s. That was the family system. My system, my baby was a long time in the making; all of my gear at the time was all TECHNICS SUV-8X Integrated Amp 120wpc, SH-8075 33 Band Graphic Equalizer, all the music being played through the Technics SB-10 Speakers.
As a teenager (~1985) my first system was a Yamaha analog receiver, a BSR turntable a Fisher CD player and Yamaha speakers. The only Realstic item i've ever owned was the APM-500 power meter which made a cool little LED show in the dark
Got hooked listening to my pals setup as a teenager, but had to wait till my 18th birthday (1991) for my Mission Cyrus 1 amp and Wharfedale 505.2 speakers. I then bought a Rotel RCD965BX with my own hard earned cash not long after. I’ve been on the Sonos train for the last few years for its convenience in my family home, but having built a garden office/workshop, I’m getting the speakers and CD player out of the attic to make a small separates system to enjoy. Unfortunately I sold the amp when short of cash as a youth. I don’t have many, but definitely one of life’s regrets! 👍🏻 Noddy
Before I start, the picture on my profile is my 5yr old son and I'm 51. Now what got me started was my brother-in-law when I was about 10. I know, my sister is much older than me, but he had a real to real, a carver amp and much more. His whole wall was covered with components. I was hooked! My first stereo was a soundesign, I know.
Built my first speakers with drivers etc from the local Radio Shack back in 1983 in woodshop. Built my first car sub using drivers etc from the local Radio Shack in 1985. I remember seeing Cerwin Vega speakers in the Cruthfield catalog but could not afford them. Still have my old Realistic car stereo and separate eq/power booster. Brands I could afford were Sears, Sparkomatic, Audiovox and JC Penny (MCS)
I got started back in 1989 . My neighbor had a Marantz Pm 5 integrated amp. That I traded him an Atari 2600 and a bunch of games for. Two Sansui 12 inch three ways and a Realistic cassette deck with Realistic Eq. Man I miss that amp !!
I still have a Realistic STA-2600 Digital Synthesized. I as well use to hook up any new pieces of gear when the wifey was asleep or gone and say to myself "she'll probably never notice" 😂 She's always noticed when the speakers suddenly became larger.
My first real system I purchased in 1978. It consisted of a Sanyo receiver, Sanyo manual turntable, technics M-63 3 head cassette player/recorder and a set of speakers (don’t remember the brand)! I would record every album I purchased and only play the cassette tapes after that!
Randy my first real audio system was a Realistic system as well. Mine like your's had a black receiver, something like 22wpc? I remember it had a distinctive white dial. The speakers were also Realistic, Optimus 21? with a 10" woofer and two 2" cone tweeters horizontally arranged above. The changer was Realistic of course but I think it was made by Dual or Garrard. I used to pull the grills off to impress my friends with those woofers bouncing violently back and forth, bass cranked to max! I caught my bug from hearing Toto's "Hold the Line" on my parents Magnavox console back in the late 70's. I was simply in awe of how the guitar and drums sounded on that old hifi!!!
I popped the amp in my STA700 - it's still in the box to be fixed, if I can find the chip or equivalent.
Used both the loudness and Bass Boost to shake the walls with my Optimus 30's. I think it was the fact I also had MC1800's in parallel with the Op30's for 4 ohm load and Yes Roundabout cranked tight that fried it.
Hey, fellow Nebraska boy! I started with a crappy CD boombox I bought from a local Ben Franklin's store (RIP), graduated to a slightly nicer shelf system a couple years later, and eventually added a turntable. I've been watching your video, and others, the last few months, trying to figure out the best way for me to upgrade my setup. I like my turntable, but I need to be able to also do CDs and would like Bluetooth, so I'm trying to figure out how to do it all on a limited budget.
''So that's how it really sounds!'' Is how I feel now with a combo of FLAC/USB Eastudio ES100 DAC/Budget AKG K92 headphones. Cheapo setup for sure, but the music I grew up with in the 90s now just sounds incredible compared to cassettes. Beastie Boys, Super Furry Animals, THE PRODIGY.
ha ha Here we go.
It was 1984. I was walking through a department store. This was when stores like Sears, Montgomery wards and even Kmart sold rack systems. I had a large 80' boom box, which was the norm in that decade. I was listing to a fisher rack system.
Amp,preamp,eq and dual cassette deck... and even a turn table. I was only 14 at the time so I had to look and see how to get this system. A year had half later, I got one.
It was not good, had no real high end sound. But it planted a seed and I have had many mid-to hi-end systems since .
Today I have two wonderful systems. My favorite is a Sugden A21 with set of QLN speakers. Qutest put is all together.
My first system was a Denon receiver with Kef floor speakers, and a Tecknics table. Eventually I added a Nakamichi tape deck. A while after that the CD was born and I added a Yamaha cd player.
Randy, I'm older than you. Stereo was new when I was kid and we kids had a child's mono record player for the 45's we bought at Woolworth's. My Dad bought a Stromberg Carlson stereo (a big piece of furniture like you might have seen in the show Madmen) that I was allowed to use with his permission when I bought my first stereo Beatles albums (their early ones were mono). I got my own small Technics receiver, turntable using part time job money at Crazy Eddie's (old commercials are on TH-cam). Added a Teac cassette deck with two tape mechanisms to make mix tapes.
Well, lah dee frickin' da Mr Fancy Pants realistic 12 watt receiver!😁 My first system was a portable cassette recorder (probably realistic as well, or maybe Sears). It was one of those mono deals with a single speaker and the big piano keys. I hooked up a couple of $15 car speakers directly to the earphone jack and voila- "stereo"! That was how I first listened to Genesis Wind and Wuthering. I was in heaven😁
I had a Cerwin-Vega subwoofer that I used with a pair of Bose 301s and a Sanyo 85 watt(whew! per channel RMS into 8 ohms!). Then, I wasn't happy with the tweeters, so a buddy gave me a pair of JBL dome tweeters. My living room was very small, maybe 12 x 12, and it was like sitting inside a giant pair of headphones. Hearing you mention that brand brought back memories. They made some excellent speakers 😃
Back in eighteen hundred and frozen to death went to a hi-fi show, Bolton. UK. Listened to a demo of Vega speakers as big as a wardrobe and made of paper-mache.Blew all the walls out with a Yellow track. Also a demo of tiny Bose speakers on stands with a hidden subwoofer, totally convincing. Happy daze 🙂
I literally just sold a really nice pair of 1978 Realistic Mach1 liquid cooled speakers . I grabbed them at a thrift store about 1 year ago for $40 , I had them paired with my Klipsch RP600m's and they sounded decent as I used them for a year .
I just sold the Mach Ones last week for $350 as I bought an excellent condition pair of A/D/S one owner L810's that sound incredible.
The realistic did dish out some decent Bass due to having 15 inch drivers but the Horn mids and tweeters were a bit harsh at higher volumes although they had knobs controls to tone them down . Overall they're a decent underrated speaker .
ADS are awesome! I had L710s for 36 years until I foolishly gave them away in a fit of downsizing insanity. I miss them and have been looking for another pair for a couple of years. They come up infrequently around my place. I bought L780s. They’re nice but not 710s.
You having Richard So do them?
@Steve Zeidman Yes , I've been emailing him . Very reasonable price as well . The speakers really don't need the rebuild, but I just want it done as he won't be around forever .
No, he won’t. Smart move. He was already temporarily closed for a period not long ago. He’s an ADS legend. May I asked where you scored them?
I was hooked by the Nashville station dancing around the kitchen to maybe a 10 transistor or more radio when I was four..long time ago.
My first real stereo system was an all-in-one from JC Pennys. It has two cassette decks, an 8 track player, tuner and phono player. Later upgraded, bought a component system from a friend by Sherwood. Had a seperate amp, tuner, phono, and cassette deck with an Aux connection witch I would use for a CD player later. It was a strange system, proprietory connections to the Amp for the tuner and cassette deck and phono, but RCA for the Aux. Wish I had kept it.
My first system, if you want to call it that, was an Emerson turntable, amp, speaker combo. My parents bought me it for Christmas one year. I moved up to a Superscope A260 integrated amp, a PE turntable and the speakers from the Emerson set-up. I bought a set of Videoton 8" two-way speakers used from a friend. I had that system for quite a while. I'm now into PS Audio S300 power amp, PS audio Stellar Gain Cell DAC a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 300 speakers, an older Denon DVD/SACD player a Technics SL-D2 turntable with a Nagoaka MP-110 cartridge and a Schiit Audio Phono stage.