What was your first hi fi equipment?

[dangermouse]

I didn't even know Cambridge existed in the 70s. There were lots of manufacturers around Cambridge but I thought they were much later

Cambridge Audio - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[slartibartfast]

Cambridge Audio - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I wasn't really aware of them until Richer Sounds got involved.

 

[AlanB]

My first system, bought in 1975, comprised an Amstrad 5000 receiver, Garrard 86sb turntable and Wharfedale Linton speakers.

Something like this except for the speakers,



Which looked like this.



At college a couple of years earlier, where I was studying electrical engineering, I built a stereo amplifier from a kit, but never did get it to work. I did however learn a lot about soldering and unsoldering components...

 

[Yoku-San]

I wouldn't consider it hifi. But man was I happy when I got my first stereo for Christmas when I was 11 years old. I had saved all my money in the months before christmas to be able to buy this. Had it for a few years. I loved the EQ to adjust it to my liking.

 

[cc_rider]

Garrards were not in the portfolio of many dealers in Germany.

I've had MANY German Dual TT's over the years, but my favorite still (and I have it to this day) was the ELAC, marketed in the USA as the Benjamin Miracord. Performance? Meh. Durability? Built like a tank. Super simple to operate, even worked as a changer with a different spindle (which I don't have).

 

[Woody]

My first decent system was purchased shortly after I got a full-time job after college.
A pair of Klipsch Cornwall's driven by a Son of Ampzilla power amp and a Sound Craftsman 10 Ch equalizer. Dual comes to mind for the turntable, but not 100% sure.
I was always amazed with the Cornwall's efficiency. I toasted my amp tinkering with it and all I had was a clock radio. I used the aux out to give me a little bit of tunes while the amp was being repaired. Not pretty but it worked.

 

[guy48065]

Unfortunately I have no old photos...

When I moved into the dorm in '78 I slid my Pioneer Supertuner from it's underdash mount in my '72 Plymouth Duster and placed it next to a 12V power supply, hooked to a large pair of crummy-but-loud Pioneer speakers. That sufficed till I got an apartment and needed to step up. I bought a Harmon Kardon HK670 receiver and a Rega Planar 2 with Grace F9e cartridge, connected to some Polk mid-size boxes I don't remember. Soon I got a pair of Shahinian Obelisk speakers and was in audio heaven for awhile till my house got robbed.

 

[Slosh]

I wish I still had it. It had a phonostage. I would buy LPs and record them to Type II cassettes with Dolby NR the very first time they were ever played. This was in the early 80s and many of those cassettes still sound great.

 

[cooky560]

Images Snipped

Still have my SL-7 in my growing technics collection, lovely turntable.

Never heard a C03 though!

 

[ABAstroUK]

Still have my SL-7 in my growing technics collection, lovely turntable.

Never heard a C03 though!

Awesome, I wish I still had mine. It may turn up one day, I definitely didn't sell it. Great little amp too

 

[cooky560]

Since I have a stupid amount of audio gear and I hardly remember the dates I got all of it (And hence which was my first), I'm just going to dump a list of it here, as I really don't have the time to list everything some units might be missing.

--Focal--

XS-Book

--Pioneer--
A-400

--Sherwood--

S7200

--Sony--
Some turntable I forget the name of

--Monitor Audio--
Bronze 2 bookshelves
Bronze 5
Silver 200

--HMV--
Console unit model unknown

--Hitachi--
Opus MX-W30 (non working)
Opus MX-W50 x2

--Technics--
SU-800
SU-V505
SU-V5
SU-V1X
SU-V2X
SU-V4X
SU-V7
SU-7700
SL-7
SL-10
SL-P350
There's more than this I'm sure

--Wharfedale--
Lintons 85th Anniversary Edition.

--Wiim--
Pro Plus
WiiM Amp

 

[SilverSound]

The first hifi I remember hearing was a family friend who had built a Linsley Hood 75 Amplifier going into some Wilmslow audio kit speakers. Can't remember the source, but it sounded ace.

Saving from some saturday jobs etc as a teenager, my first hifi was a phillips CD player, Arcam alpha 3 amp and Heybrook HB1 speakers. Really loved that setup and should never have sold it!

 

[slartibartfast]

The first hifi I remember hearing was a family friend who had built a Linsley Hood 75 Amplifier going into some Wilmslow audio kit speakers. Can't remember the source, but it sounded ace.

Saving from some saturday jobs etc as a teenager, my first hifi was a phillips CD player, Arcam alpha 3 amp and Heybrook HB1 speakers. Really loved that setup and should never have sold it!

I built a Linsley Hood 10W Class A amplifier from an article in an electronics magazine. It was only a PCB wired to transistors on a heatsink with no case but it sounded very good

 

[castalla]

Dansette Major

 

[Mike60]

I bought my first decent system in 1980, it was all JVC. I know the receiver was a R-S33 but I don't recall the model numbers of the turntable, cassette deck or speakers.