I've been a hi-fi fan ever since the age of 15 when a close friend bought a Lenco/Hitachi/AR system, and another older friend let me hear his IMF Professional monitors through Dynavector monoblock power amps and a Micro Seiki direct drive turntable with Dynavector DV-501 arm. I was hooked, and finally realised my dream of buying my own Dynavector arm just a few years ago. I was also introduced to classical music at this time (and also earlier, when my primary school teacher played me The Planets by Holst) and bought my first two albums: Vivaldi's Four Seasons with Marriner and the ASMF on Argo, and Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Waters.

So it was that I started down the road, building all my early components as I was a poor student - using a Connoisseur BD-1 turntable, SME3009-II Improved arm, Goldring G-800 cartridge, Linsley-Hood 75 amplifier and a pair of Cambridge R4 speakers made from liquidated stock carcasses and KEF drivers.  That was a great system for its time!

Fast forward to now and I have a system I couldn't have even dreamed about.  It plays any kind of music, really well, and that is what I always wanted.  My collection has grown to a couple of thousand each of records and CDs, mixed classical and rock/modern.  As another friend so emphatically said not so long ago: music isn't a hobby, it's a passion.

Oh, I nearly forgot: I do go to lots of classical and rock concerts as often as I can.  It teaches me a lot about the real sound of acoustic instruments and the vibe of live rock music, both things that I use as a measure of how good system components are.