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Post by MartinT on Nov 6, 2014 15:08:01 GMT
It's 1973 and I'm in Lindair (later to become Lion House), close to Lasky's in Tottenham Court Road, exploring the unattainable chrome and wooden goodies with a friend. That would make me 15 years old. We're roaming around (having played with an early Moog) when we come across a room in the basement featuring some big Altec Lansing* speakers being driven by a large champagne gold Marantz amplifier. Sadly, I don't remember the record deck. They are playing Rock On by David Essex. I have never heard such bass or such volume before, it's an experience that I am never to forget.
I dare say the system would sound very average were I to hear it now, but for a young impressionable boy it was lust at first listen! That shop was full of hi-fi porn!
* this explains why I've always had a soft spot for the products of James B Lansing, whether from Altec Lansing or JBL. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Nov 6, 2014 15:18:02 GMT
Next door with our neighbour John, around 1963. Lovely guy.
Think he had mostly *Onkyo kit and home made speakers, possibly a Garrard deck
I wanted, no *needed* to hear music sound that good
My first ever sight and hearing of hifi
It was just a bit better than our Stereo Radiogram with speakers at either end and another bit better than the transistor radio I had
So John, it's your fault !
Edit
*Might have been Nikko
Certainly silver and Japanese
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Post by John on Nov 6, 2014 15:29:03 GMT
I guess I am unusual as I did not hear what a good hi-fi system could do until way into my own journey
I used to walk in the stores on Tottenham court road but due to the circumstances never heard the sound at it's best
I guess first time would be at Howard P listening to some speakers pinish 3
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Post by pinkie on Nov 6, 2014 16:57:00 GMT
Hmm First was probably my Dad deciding to upgrade his beautiful walnut valve radiogram (as vandalised by yours truly with my mums lipstick) . He had bought a GL75 deck with G800 cartridge, which we mounted in a home made plinth, and an Armstrong 525 receiver which was "powerful enough to fill the Albert Hall" (allegedly) but probably not with the Kef Concorde Speakers we built to complete the system. I tinkered with this and added to it, (Amstrad tape deck, Koss K6 headphones, and then the Sony MDR3's, G800E stylus) I'm not sure whether before that or shortly afterwards, I went round with my mate Andrew to one of his neighbours with his newly acquired Tubular Bells, and were blown away by Huge Leak speakers - can't remember the rest except the ubiquitous SME 3009 and Shure V15 III. And then, just before Uni, my ex-wifes cousins Dad's system ( I was actually learning to ride horses with her cousin, who lived less than a mile away, before I met my ex-wife) - and he had - Garrard, SME, Shure, Quad 33 303 ESL57's. The rot started there...  |
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Post by julesd68 on Nov 6, 2014 20:36:55 GMT
I remember buying my first system from a shop in Stockport when I was about 14. Dual tt, Marantz amp and Wharfedale Diamonds. I loved it. However, I cannot for the life of me remember why I bought it - nobody I knew at that time had a decent hifi and my family certainly didn't!
Anyway, the most formative and influential early experience was going to a wonderful dealer called The Music Rooms in Manchester. I seem to remember it was three floors of quality gear and it just blew me away! They were incredibly helpful and unpatronising, allowing extended listening sessions in great rooms when demoing gear. Needless to say that as a teenager I was never going to be spending a fortune with them. What also really stuck in my mind was that they always seemed to have a beautiful light oak MRM Source tt as the central focus of their display downstairs. I knew I was destined to own one. Only took me 30 years!
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Post by ChrisB on Nov 6, 2014 20:47:15 GMT
I don't think I could pinpoint one single moment when I first heard a hifi - as a kid there was always music in the house and played on a reasonable system. For a while, we lived abroad in a fairly close community of Europeans and Americans, many of whom brought a decent hifi with them because we were rather remote from civilisation and there wasn't much to do. Also many people used to go to Hong Kong and Tokyo on leave, returning with all sorts of interesting stuff. Often, when people left for home, they would have a sell off among friends, so stuff got passed around too.
Recordings weren't easily available locally, though, so you often only got to hear something new when a new family arrived, bringing their most recently bought albums!
It was mostly the gear that the Americans owned that had the biggest and longest lasting effect on me - Stuff from Marantz, Eico and Acoustic Research are the things that I remember staring and listening to in wonder.
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Post by jammy on Nov 6, 2014 20:53:15 GMT
Probably listening to this Classic on my Granny & Grandad's Radiogram circa 1966.......!!!
Cant remember but Said Radiogram was either PYE or Bush.
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Post by canetoad on Nov 6, 2014 21:17:06 GMT
1980. James Cook Uni in Townsville. One of the guys at the residential college had a Connoisseur TT, Sony R to R, Amcron pre, DIY power amp (he was an electrical engineering student) and a set of AR6 speakers. I was hooked from that point on! At the time I thought it sounded amazing! First time I heard Dark Side of the Moon.
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Post by ChrisB on Nov 6, 2014 21:17:21 GMT
a wonderful dealer called The Music Rooms in Manchester. Jack Lawson's place - I spent a lot of cash in the Glasgow branch! That's where I bought my Gyrodec, my SP8 and some SD Acoustics speakers |
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Post by jammy on Nov 6, 2014 21:21:14 GMT
Nice fella Jack Lawson - Bought a load of gear from him.....Although all that remain now are my Zingali Overture 2 speakers. (And they shall remain). |
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Post by speedysteve on Nov 6, 2014 22:00:22 GMT
I worked in a hifi / AV shop as a Saturday boy and during every holiday.
I used to rig up various things and demo them when it was quiet. I remember a pair of big JVC 3 or 4 ways that had come in. Either 12" or 15" bass cones - can't remember. I got the biggest amp I could find... Put Another Brick in the Wall on. Owner boss was out for the afternoon - cranked it up and had folk coming in off the street and asking what was playing.
That and New Boots and Panties - Ian Dury was all the rage for demos - I remember the boss needle dropping at some volume to a middle aged Mr and Mrs - out comes Ian with
"Ar******, Ba*****, Fu*****, Cu*** and Pr****
Oh such fun times! The Boss still made the sale!
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Post by jandl100 on Nov 7, 2014 6:26:55 GMT
Must have been when I was 14 or so. Visiting a distant cousin and they had a Philips all-in-1 system - gosh, I was impressed! I'd never heard anything remotely as good. Without a doubt that set me on my hifi journey. Very similar to this, might even have been this model ....  Well, I was only 14 and on pocket money so I couldn't afford anything that posh - I managed to buy a system a model or 3 down the range. Fantastic !!!  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2014 13:14:50 GMT
When my fisrt marriage was in the process of imploding, I made friends with a guy who was a researcher for the Beeb. His wife was a top computer boffin - this was the 70's. They had a Garrard 401/SME/Shure M75ED - Rogers Ravensbourne amp and Goodmans Maxims. It sounded just a little better than the plastic record player that I had converted to stereo with a battery powered amp module and some elliptical speakers of some kind.
I discovered the joys of baroque music and Joni Mitchell there too so I will be for ever grateful to them. Sadly, they split up shortly after having their first child and we lost touch.
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Post by MartinT on Nov 7, 2014 13:48:51 GMT
For its time that would have been a great system, with the exception of the rather small and flat speakers. |
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Post by daytona600 on Nov 9, 2014 15:20:19 GMT
15 popped in to get a LP cleaned on a keith monks RCM they then played it on a linn/naim sixpack with isobarics
bit of a shock compared to my Sony music centre
worked 5 part time jobs for a year & on my 16th birthday bought a LP12 / Nad 3020 / JR149s
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2014 11:40:01 GMT
Many, many years ago when my uncle was working for a well know electronics company he took me to a very well known Emporium in the capital which left a life long lasting realization that all that is Salisbury (audio orientated) needs to be avoided at all costs  Even from that early age the sound of an LP12 / Nait2 / Lin Kans have been etched on my memory as sound best left for those poor souls cast deep into the farthest depths of the lower planes. Truly terrifying worse than episode of early 70's Doctor Who. Still feels like someone has walked over your grave every-time I remember that 'experience' The most memorable was a sound rig our Physics teacher hooked up for a open evening, he used to work on film sound tracks (Alien was one of his) first time I had listened to a tame Phil Specter sound, (Marco would hate it) |
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Post by MartinT on Nov 10, 2014 13:19:01 GMT
Even from that early age the sound of an LP12 / Nait2 / Lin Kans have been etched on my memory as sound best left for those poor souls cast deep into the farthest depths of the lower planes. I know exactly what you mean! |
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Post by jamington2004 on Nov 10, 2014 14:40:12 GMT
Richer Sounds about 15 years ago well before they became giant flat screen TV emporiums. Oh the joys of looking at their speakers and amps  Alas my burgeoning hifi habit is longer satiated by the soft drugs they offer! I probably spent less on my first TT from them - than I just did on Martin's Isonoe feet!!  |
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Post by Chris on Nov 10, 2014 20:20:41 GMT
Ok bit of a long answer but here goes.
My Dad had a Hitachi mini system with a record deck and I used to sit and listen to Duke Ellington and Count Basie with him but never really "got it" as I was around 5 or 6. Then Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy was broadcast (1978) and we would listen to that and I got that alright! Still enjoy the spoken word.
So whether a Hitachi mini system counts as hifi I don't know but that's where I developed a taste for music and listening.
A couple of years later (think I was about 12) there was a HiFi show on at a hotel near me so I jumped on my bike and turned up. Fascinating. There were loads of old blokes with jumpers there making all the right noises but I just couldn't get my head around the small differences in sound compared to the big differences in price. I found a £10000 headphone/amp set up expecting it all to become clear but it didn't!
What I did like though,and what I still look for in my system,was the accuracy and the perfection. Guitars sounded like guitars,tones of voice could be distinguished and it was all delivered faultlessly. (Another reason I'm not mad keen on vinyl - can't stand the imperfections!)
Sorry for the long answer!
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Post by MikeMusic on Nov 11, 2014 8:33:49 GMT
I could go further back and speak abut the horrid transistor radio that gave me music through a horrid little speaker
- and quest for better started
That Hitachi mini system would have sounded way better than that radio
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