★ *QOTD: What was your gateway into the hobby?* ★ *REVIEWING: **amzn.to/2ZSnahy** // NEED MORE INFO? ✔︎ THE ⬆︎DESCRIPTION⬆︎* ★ *Love our outtakes? Be sure to watch to the end* ★ *COMMENT RULES:* - No outside URLs, RU-vid links or email addresses - Keep it civil. It’s okay to disagree, just don’t be a jerk about it.
I think it was in the mid 70s my dad would take me to Rodgers Sound Lab on Van Nuys Blvd in the San Fernando Valley, In my early 20s I was really hooked when working as a studio keyboard player and was introduced to Klipsch I was blown away. I have had them all JBLs,Klipsch,B&W, RSL and so on. To this day between my wife and I music is always on at our house.
Paradigm 5se bookshelves. I DJ’d a wedding for a guy who owned a stereo shop and he paid me with those speakers. Best four hours of sweat equity...EVER!
I really enjoy my Fluance Signature Series bookshelves in my den, teamed up with my Fluance RT83 turntable. The sound is just terrific!!! I do use a subwoofer as well. My gateway began as a 7 year old back in 1957 pretty much when rock and roll came into existence. I started buying 45 rpm's at the time and my love of music has never faded since. The vinyl resurgence has been a blessing to all of us baby boomers to relive those good old days that we miss so much.
My first set of real speakers, the Bose 301 Series III, were purchased in the mid 90’s. I still have them and use them in a smaller room. In 2016 I decided to level up and buy a pair of Pioneer SP-FS52 tower speakers. I had read some positive reviews on them and with a gift card and a timely sale, I was able to scoop the pair for $146. I really enjoyed them and they were obviously a nice upgrade from the Bose. Then in July of this year I took another leap and bought a pair of Zu Audio Dirty Weekends. I absolutely love these speakers and they’ve brought me so much listening joy in the short time that I’ve owned them.
Back in the late 60s my dad built a Heathkit amp to power some JBLs then in the 70s he would take me to Rodgers Sound Labs in Van Nuys CA. I got the sound bug later working as a studio keyboardist I was turned on to Klipsch at Wally Hieder studios I was blown away. Now in my 60s I have many different speakers at one time my wife asked me how many more I needed but luckily she loves music and movies even more than I do. Life is good Music is good, thank you Andrew for the reviews and yes VOTE
@@zachariahadams Nice I didn’t know that the schematics were out there, I forgot everything is out there. Thank you for the comment my late dad was a tooling engineer for Lockheed and Rocketdyne. Good luck
My gateway was a pair of Klipsch Synergy B3 bookshelf speakers. They were bassy and dynamic which was fun. My Dad has them now and we just listened to them. Great review Andrew 👍. I also feel like there are lots of good options for starting out now.
Brilliant outtakes! My entryway into audio were Dynaco A25 speakers, Kenwood KA 3500 integrated amp, and Sansui SR-2050 turntable with a Shure M91ED cartridge purchased new in the 1970’s. Although I have newer components, I still enjoy listening to music on this vintage system every day!
My first “HiFi” system was bought from Warehouse Sound by “mail order” in 1974. I lived in a small Texas town with no audio store. Warehouse Sound was cool because they sold packages at various price levels. For around $1000-1200 I got a decent turntable, cartridge, Sherwood Receiver and BIC Venturi Speakers. It was a hug improvement over anything I had owned before. I was 18 years old. This ended up making my first college apartment party central which was not conducive to good grades. Regardless the system sounded great for what it was. It was eventually stolen which still makes me sad to this day.
My first ever truly Hi-Fi experience didn't come from a loudspeaker, but from a special pair of headphones. When returning from a holiday trip in London with my parents, I discovered the several shops in the London Airport. One was a tech shop and they had the B&W P5 Series 1 for trial and I was blown away by their quality. A few years later, I bought the Series 2. Since then, I’ve heard better headphones with and without amp and really great loudspeakers. But my P5s still have a special place in my audio-minded heart.
This is one of the reasons I follow you and appreciate your reviews. You are realistic and candid. Little bookshelves need as sub and you tell it like it is. Plus you audition them with different equipment to give us a better feel of what to expect. Moreover you add the "family" of their home theater siblings. Great job dude !
I heard a pair of super skinny Totem Arros driven by a Rega Brio R and a Linn Sondek LP-12 playing Van Morrison's Moondance. That was a truly special experience and I promised myself I would get a pair of those speakers. Now my entire home theatre is running Totem speakers, including my own pair of Arros and I am endlessly pleased and more often surprised than not with them on a regular basis. They are an absolute dynamo of a tiny floorstanding loudspeaker.
Enjoy the channel a lot. A lot of good information with a splash of realistic. My stumble down into the rabbit hole was recent with set of SVS Prime Towers I picked up to just to "try something better". They replaced a no name set of towers that were loud and ugly according to the wife. But weren't doing the job I wanted. I've always loved music, movies, and thought I knew something about sound... hahaha I was wrong and loved the discovery that I didn't. Cause now there is so much room to grow. I started looking for something that would last and sound good in my room. I sifted through a ton of garbage and brand maddness.... After a bunch of reading about how to setup a good sound system, how different components worked, and crash course of reviews.. was a bit frustrating. My situation is in super isolation mode due to covid times... so speaker hunting wasn't near as fun as it could of been in person. I landed on the SVS speaker after looking at so many. When the speakers arrived via the magical UPS man I plugged in the SVS and the room the entire room changed... the first minutes made me want to listen to every song in my library again. I was expecting the level of detail and how I connected to the music. Now there is plans to make some other choices for the rest of my gear... Wife along for the ride even loves how the speakers changed the room and experience of listening. She green lit the future plans with the condition of taking my time. Excited about the future. So happy listening!
My first speakers were Gradiente. Gradiente is a Brazilian brand that made very good speakers in the 80s. But my first Hi Fi speakers were a JBL T-88. They were very simple 2-way monitors with 8-inch mid woofer. They made me very happy.
Mine was a set with the Onkyo TS444 (I think) receiver that I bought used from my uncle in 1997-ish. I had a portable cd player that I used in school but I loved taking the earphones off and listening to the space and vibrancy of the bookshelf speakers. I played mostly light rock during the day and classical music or the radio at low volume at night. My dad would still complain about the music coming from my room so much. But when I took them to college, my dad missed having music around and had to go out and get a whole system for over $3000.
Car audio got me started. A concord 515. I bought one but it was not in stock except the demo. Utlimately I ended up with an Alipe deck. Alpine was unknown back then. 8 jvc ribbon tweeter, for mid ranges, 2 10" jvc mid-bass and and 4 cerwin-vega 15" subs and 8 200 watt amplifiers later. Everyone thought i was crazy. Nobody did this in 1981... 10 later I managed the stereo store and ran the largest compitition series in cali... Old stories from an old man . . .
My entry in to hi-fi was a pair of used Boston HD-10 speakers and a 90's Kenwood seperate amp+preamp combo. I can remember the model. Looking back now I really wish I kept the speakers with what I know now about proper placement, they would be fun. Love the videos Andrew!!
My first system was called a quad that came with 4 speakers and had this joy stick that controlled all the speakers . I bought it a young age at my local mall in the early seventies .
I was revisiting the reviews of the Fluance signature speakers and came across this version of the reference. Kristy’s comedy is giving the cheap audio man a run for his money! 😂 she’s great! Love y’all’s reviews! Cheers from Houston 🍺 ✌🏼 & ❤️
My first big moment was in 1974 in High School. One of my best friends was heading into the military and wanted to know if I wanted to buy his stereo system for $100.00. And I did. It included a long cabinet (almost the whole length of my bedroom wall.) , a turntable, 2 speakers and a receiver. Later I added a Dolby tape deck. It was the Panasonic IC Fet AM-FM Multiplex Stereo. Loved it. Still have it and use it in one of our rooms from time to time. In the process I am always looking to upgrade other systems throughout our home with music capability but for some reason I still love listening to that old system that is now pushing 50 years old!
When I was a kid I bought this Lloyds system that looked like a stack of gear. It had a tape deck, tuner, eq and a turntable with a pair of tower speakers. I spent hours between them, making mix tapes from songs off the radio and really where the audiophile journey began. The first audiophile speakers I bought were some Energy e:XL 25 that were part of my first home theatre. Like you I preferred the bookshelf speakers when I moved the e:XL16 speakers I was using as surrounds into a dedicated 2 channel setup. Today I've moved on to the PSB Synchrony 1Bs which I don't ever see replacing.
The speakers look nice, really like those stands, very cool Andrew. I started off with wharfdale speakers(doesn't nearly everyone in the UK start with wharfdale)
My entry into the hobby was a pair of Advent A4s (New Large Advents) mated to a Fisher 400 tube receiver. Some will argue it’s Mid-Fi but the combination was absolutely stunning and the midrange was unbelievably smooth. The Fisher is down for a full restoration, which is a work in progress but the Advents get used almost every day!
Thanks for another good video. My first real experience was when I was a teenager. I was just discovering music more than what was on the radio and had been invited over to a friends older brother and wife's place to "learn about stereo" as they put it. They parked me in the sweet spot, played a selection of tracks, and the track Sweet Judy Blue eyes set the hook truly hard. It was like a lightning bolt and from that point on I've been playing around in the hobby on and off for 35 years. My first "good" speakers were a pair of ADS 990's mated to an anemic receiver that did a poor job of driving them.
My first pair were the B&W 685 S2. Great sounding speakers. Still in my office after 10 years. However, my favorite was a pair of Marantz floor speakers from late 80's my dad had. They had booming 12' woofers. I don't know if they were reference speakers or even good, but as a kid they were monolithic and loud. I still have them, but havnt even used them in decades.
Those are still some very nice speakers, and also very desirable on the used market. I often am able to buy the higher end Studio Monitors (similarly sized, but from the reference series, think precursors to the 100s), and even Studio 100 v1/v2 models for less than 11se Mk3! The reference are better speakers, so it makes them far better value, but I wonder if the 11se Mk3 are worth more due to nostalgia as more people had them. Paradigm was my gateway into true audiophile sound (and I haven't left 3 years in) with 2 pairs acquired close together, a pair of Monitor 90p v2 semi powered towers and a pair of Studio 100 v2. I will detail mine further in my own comment later.
I am a kindred spirit in regard to your mention of always coming back to "a good old fashion 2-way loudspeaker" . I grew up in the 70-80's in the days of Tech HiFi here in New England. At that time there were companies like Boston Acoustics, EPI, Advent and KLH making speakers here in New England. At some point the phrase "New England Sound" was coined. Many of the models produced by these companies were 2-way. Not a lot of mid-range drivers to be found, if any, on these speakers. My parents bought a system from Tech HiFi that included a Pioneer SX-680 and a pair of EPI 100 speakers which were an 8 in paper woofer and a 1 inch inverted dome tweeter. I thought they sounded great. Moving forward many years I recently was gifted a pair of EPI 100's and replaced the drivers and cross over with parts from a guy in NH who runs a company called Human Speakers. He is a former employee of EPI speakers and makes upgraded parts for EPI vintage speakers and also makes his own models. Having said all that I would be thrilled to hear your take on his speakers. I like mine well enough but having them reviewed by someone that has listened to SO MANY speakers would be quite interesting. Oh and I have no affiliation other than having purchased parts from this company.
I was 11 and my father got me the optimus pro lx5's with the lineaum tweeters coupled with a 12" subwoofer for Christmas. I was begging for a real stereo forever. They had plenty of mixed reviews but I absolutely loved them, especially considering I was moving up from basically a boom box set-up. They started my journey
My gateway was a pair of Fisher speakers that my parents bought me for my birthday when I was in junior high. I believe that was around '78 or '79. I had them connected to a cheap all in one system. When I got my first job I bought a Sansui receiver. That receiver really made those Fishers sing. I've been on a audio journey ever since.
Gateway? Thank you for all your vids and your prompt to go down memory lane. As a teen, I got a stock boy job at neighborhood retailer (Stereoland -- long defunct) to buy better musical instruments. Got hooked. First was Acoustiflex 300 receiver + Bozak Rhapsody B401s + Thorens TT.
My gate was my sister's boyfriend, I was 13ish and he was a record studio owner in Miami, he like showing off to me his stuff, ala JBL 4311s in his office and such, and as such he granted our household with an old sony silverface and a pair of large homemade EVM12 loaded floor standers, I was launched into sonic bliss and alot or noise complaints 👍🎵🎶
Hi Andrew, I thought I would give these Fluance XL8S bookshelfs a go after listening to your review on these, they haven't got to many hours on them yet so they are not broken in, so to speak. Once you get a sub set up to them they are very nice and really come into there own so for the price range, even here in Australia "sub A$500", delivered. they are definitely worth a listen too!
Back in the 70's I had a friend that worked in a high end audio store in Sacramento. He called one day and said I had to come in and hear some speakers they just got in... turned out to be Klipschorn's. He said stand back about 10 ft, and he put on something with a lot of bass (I don't even remember the track). My pant legs were moving like in a stiff wind from the pressure those horns were putting out! I was dead broke but scraped up enough for a pair of Heresy's which I had for at least 20 years. After your review of the Heresy 4's I'm salivating again.
My gateway into the hifi track was a pair of Paradigm Phantom’s if anyone remembers those. Had Paradigm Atom V1’s for surrounds and a matching CC-200 center channel speaker (which I still use today, over 25 years later).
My foray into Hi Fi, if you will, was in the early 80's when I purchased a new and complete stereo system after landing my first FT job. So after months of saving I picked up a Technics SA-425 receiver, Technics SL-D2 turntable, Technics RS-M218 cassette Deck and Technics SB 8" two way speakers all for the princely sum of $660 in 1981. I still have the receiver and turntable which aren't used today. At least for now as I have many different receivers etc. My most recent acquisition is a Dayton Audio HTA100BT Hybrid tube amp paired with Sony SS-CS5's which has become my main BT streaming system and I love it; all for under $250 (Best Buy had the Sony's for $74.99 for the pair just before Christmas...you can't pass that up).
My first pair was a set of B&W 686’s. Looking to build a 5.1.2 system with them as the fronts and matching Center channel. 10 years later and they’re still punching away.
My first system was back in 1977 I purchased a 25wpc Technics receiver and Marantz three way bookshelf speakers. Back then I thought it sounded great. I have several "systems" around the house for my listening needs. One including an older (not my original) 1978 Technics 25wpc receiver connected to a pair of Snell model K speakers. My surround is an Onkyo tx-nr525 surround receiver with Polk 5.2 speakers. And for my "good old" system it's a Hafler dh-200 amp, Yamaha C-2 pre-amp and Paradigm Studio Monitor 20 speakers with a Polk sub. I love the Paradigms.
I built my own speakers after hearing the ones my friend had built himself. They sounded so clean with excellent dispersion and sounded the way I wanted my speakers to perform. I found out what drivers he used and modified the cheap speakers I had to take the drivers he used. They were Gefco 8" rubber surround long throw woofers and philips silk dome tweeters. I couldn't afford new high end speakers but I could afford raw drivers and a simple cap for a crossover. Later I bought some nice much bigger pre built cabinets and added a Radio Shack silk dome midrange that was cheap and so much better sounding than the price or name would suggest. I built them originally in the early 80s and haven't really touched them since the last upgrades. I still listen to them today and have added several subs over the years to get cleaner low end on my limited budget. You can buy complete kits online that include drivers and cross overs and buy or build your own cabinets these days. I probably have maybe 200 bucks in parts over the years and the subs have been cheap or free. I voted the same day my ballot came in the mail.
I, like you, entered into the world of "high-end audio" with a pair of Paradigm bookshelf speakers coupled with a Paradigm sub. I'm coming up on a year with the Monitor SE Atoms and a 10" Defiance V10 as my home office/desktop speakers for nearfield listening and I love the sound. This spring, I build a second Paradigm system with a pair of Monitor SE 6000F towers and another 10" Defiance V10 for a 2.1 home theatre paired with an LG LCD. Both systems are driven by Sony AV receivers and I enjoy the sound from both systems. The thing I like most about the Paradigms (both systems) is the consistency between the two systems and overall flat frequency response with no notable dips or peaks (using a 'pink tone' and the free 'dB Meter' app) - music, movies, dialogue, etc. come through without any particular bias and sparkle in the highs without becoming irritating while having good bass without being overpowering/boomy. While auditioning speakers at my local AV/Hi-Fi store, I really wanted to like the Klipsch's because I loved their aesthetics, but couldn't fall in love with their sound and resonance - the Paradigms, while rather plain and basic black boxes, just sounded right, for me. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on the current generation of 'entry-level' Paradigm bookshelf speakers and how they compare to your first Paradigm bookshelf speakers. Happy listening!
I enjoyed this Andrew. I love your enthusiasm for these speakers. A lot of performance for less than $200. I started in 1972 with “The Smaller Advent” speakers with a Nikko 2020 receiver that had about 18 wpc and a Garrard turntable. I loved that system with those speakers! They were unreal for $120 a pair. That was a lot more in 1972 though.
My gateway was my stepfathers pair of Polk Audio towers that were almost as tall as me and had a passive radiator instead of woofer cone. First cd player ever paired to that and I was hooked. My father owns a pair of Klipsch La Scalas and I showed him your video on them and he agreed completely with your review.
I love hearing the relationship between you and Kristi. I would say that I’ve never been the build-a-system hi-fi hobbyist. However, I am a music lover. So maybe now that I can follow folks like you who make this hobby make a little more sense to those of us who are a little intimidated by electricity and the cost of the components, I will save a little for a “system” of my own. Thanks for making these videos!!!
Thank you for taking the time to watch! Be well and good luck in your journey. If you have questions just leave us a comment and we'll do our best to help!
The first set a good speakers were B&O Beovox 5000-2...I bought in Germany in 1970...I traded them for smaller Paradigm 7se speakers due to space problems...I sold those later after buying B&W DM6 speakers which I am using now and am happy with..I just ordered the Fluance Signature Series book shelf speakers ...so will see how they work out..enjoy your comments..
I got the Infinity SM 65 and centre in 1999 after a disappointing small pair of JBL monitors in 1996. I powered them with a Sony receiver, then Yamaha, and now a Denon X-2600h
Hi Andrew, my first speakers were Celestion Dittons. This was probably 40-45 years ago, they were great bookshelf speakers and almost indestructible. One fell off the mantlepiece and landed on a solid slate fire surround, it didn't even chip the veneer. I don't think most of today's speakers would be up for that. I enjoy watching your reviews and like your easy going but informative style. For obvious reasons, you review a lot of stuff which is unavailable in the U.K., but there is always sufficient crossover to keep me interested. Keep up the good work, best wishes from Camberwell, London England.
I had a pair of B&W DM110s a couple of decades ago that I loved: I just now entered the realm of 4K TV with an LG CX OLED TV and am contemplating a sound bar vs. a couple of nice bookshelf speakers. This Fluance pair looks interesting! Appreciate the reviews!
You asked!! Back in the late 60's when everyone had console stereos I went and bought a component system. It was a Nikko amp, pre amp, turntable and a pair of Roberts bookshelf speakers. (don't ask me who they were!) Everybody loved it! The sound was awesome compared to what we were used to. Within three months four of my friends had component systems!! And I've been into it ever since - now 70 yrs, old! You wouldn't believe how many times I have had to upgrade! Cassettes, then DVD, Then pro Logic Surround. Then Dolby Digital ! Then 5.1 surround! I am now tired of upgrading!! I love what I have so I am sticking with it! I just like to watch and learn what new things are out there. Who knows - maybe one day I will upgrade to a 7.2.4 system!!?? But again - that is a new blue ray player and discs and more speakers! My new amp does all that (Denon AVR-S750H). But I have never heard atmos live and if I ever do - I just might take the plunge! Who knows? My luck - I'll do it and get everything set up and then die! LOL!!Love your videos!!
You really are selling my on the Sony STR-DN1080. I recently upgraded to the Elac Unifi 2.0 bookshelf speakers, and am considering upgrading my integrated amp next. Currently running an Onkyo A-9050. For stereo, my priority is accuracy and detail over over emphasis on any given frequency band. However, i would like to set up a surround sound set up. My question, would you recommend the Sony STR-DN1080 for someone looking for accuracy both in frequency as well as sound staging at its price point? Thank, love the channel and the work you two put into every review.
Fluance service: purchased a pair of their slightly more expensive bookshelf speakers. Arrived damaged in shipping . Fluance replaced them and they sound great hooked up to an old Onkyo 504 amp and a Schit preamp... they fill the room with ease!!
Super duper value is Fluance. Curious how it compares to the Elac for instance. Fluance is a power in audio that some were but priced themselves out of contention. Their turntables and speakers are a recommendation without reservations for my friends. Heck even everyone.
To piggyback on Vince's solid comments...I think we're getting to the point where commenting about the (insert speaker here)'s performance versus the (insert WAY more expensive speaker here). Thanks to Andrew for not falling into this with the Q's bake-off comments.
Thanks for the review. I purchased these last year for our cottage and have enjoyed them so far. I will be adding a subwoofer as the bass is a tad anemic, but the over all sound quality is very good. My first speakers were a set of Ohm's which were built in New York back in the 80's. They were coupled with a 1977 harmon/kardon 730 twin powered amp. Later on I had a Dual CS630Q turntable but bought the Fluance RT80 after it died. I am using that same amp today to power the XL8S's.
My first speakers were a pair of Celestion Ditton 33's. I purchased them in 1977 with paper round and pocket money, I kept them till 2017 and then gave them away to another beginning audiophile.
Back in the mid-80s, when I was a teen, I bought a pair of Realistic Optimus T-120s. I paired them with a Realistic STA-2600 receiver. My Dad knew the salespeople at our local Radio Shack and they'd give us the sales flyers months in advance so I could save up. Back then, I spent almost everything I earned at summer jobs buying either equipment or CDs.
Wow, Paradigm! You took me down memory lane. Twenty years ago some guys in my fraternity brought back some Paradigm speakers from a small home theatre/speaker audio store in Denver. That was the first time I ever became aware of more unique companies than just the big names. They sounded great!
My first quality HIFI system was purchased in 1968/70 in Germany when I served there with the RCAF…the first thing I bought was a Sony TC-530 Reel to Reel tape deck that had an amplifier in it…then a PE 2020 tt and then a JVC recieiver and eventually a pair of B&O 5000 speakers..all those are now gone but in my late 70’s I decided to get into Vintage stereo components. the speakers I still had but bought a pair of B&W DM6 speakers with a Fluance RT-85 tt…also a Taya LP-100 with a Shure V15II cart.. I also have a Pioneer SX-780 receiver that I have repaired 3 times..(so far so good)…recently I bought a Kenwwod KA-5500 Intg amp..I also have two R-R tape decks an Akai 1730 DSS and a Sony TC-558..along with a JVC CD player (5 disk) and enjoy the beautiful sound that it produces…also a Fluance PA-10 phono amp. My 84 year old ears seem to hear very well and I love listening to my system in my old workshop
My first real audio speakers I bought about 30 years ago. A pair of Kef reference one speakers for 1 500 euros a pair easy to drive 90 db At 8 ohms, powered with a Rotel amplifier 50 watts at 8 ohm. They sounded so natural, open, with a solid but just timed bass. Now I am playing with Audio Physic Tempo speakers, powered by an Arcam AV Receiver, in stereo they sound awesome and also in surround for music . Ludo.
I'm starting off with a pair of Polk Audio T15 ($70~ish on Amazon rn), hooked up to a Micca Origain AD250. Pulled it out, all impromptu, for a party one weekend. I was lucky not to get noise complaints. When I finally got to sit down and listen to them post party, they did me right. I'm going to use them with a Polk Audio PSW10, and I'm hoping they last me a while.
My gateway was listening to my cousins Canton bookshelf with an Akai reel to reel and an old Yamaha CR 1020 …. I was hooked! This was in the mid 1990s…
My entry into the hobby was actually my friends paradigm dipole speakers in the 90s , he had the coolest onkyo receiver too. The music sounded so alive , I loved it before that I didn't know what good sound could be, after that I was hooked .
My first speakers were the ESS Tempest bookshelf. I actually chose them over JBL L100s. I loved how lively and detailed they were. Today, my taste has changed and miss the then affordable JBLs.
Very nice stands on those bookshelf speakers. My first entry into theater was a 5.1 Rocket setup for $1000. That was many moons ago. My 2 channel set up has two integrated amps, one for TV, BlueRay and one for a Rega P1 turntable and my Korg SV2 keyboard. This set up took a while to get together but I am mostly pleased with the results. The room is only 10x12 so not much power is needed. The Yamaha S801 drives a pair of SVS Bookshelf’s and a SB1000 subwoofer. The Rega Brio drives a pair of Tekton Lore towers. The Lore is the star. Sensitivity of 98 Db 1?watt and the Brio (50 Watt RMS) make a very smooth and dynamic combination. I wanted just analog for the P1 and the Piano. Each system is sub $2000. Also, the Lore, in my room, will produce adequate volume on my lowest piano notes, dropping off a bit on the last 2 notes ( lowest note is 27.5 Hz) which means I don’t need a second sub to get full range on the Korg SV2.
My entry into good speakers were 3D Acoustics 3d610b, they were a 3 piece system with a 10" passive subwoofer. They showed me what a well designed system could do. Imaging, detail and dynamics were really good.
My gateway was Klipsch The Fives and a R12SW Klipsch sub. Looking forward to getting some 9's in the future, or a pair of RP8000F II's Have never heard either in person, but from what I have heard here and from other experts on RU-vid, they sound like sure winners.
My gateway into the hobby (1991- junior high school) was all hand me down: h.h.scott 477 receiver, dual 1019 turntable and a pair of Kaye-Halbert 3 way speakers (imitation jbl/soundcraftsman Lancers) from white-front discount store.
My first pair of audiophile speakers were the Fluance SX6, a great entery into the audiophile world at $150 a pair. The SX6's are not huge bass Performancers, but pleasantly makes up for it with clarity of the mids and the highs making listening to music exciting and not fatiguing at all.
Great review Andrew, keep up with the excellent content! I was introduced to them by Z Reviews. I was going to go with the Andrew Jones designed BS-22. However, the more reviews I read about the SX6 and did some auditioning, I found that the Fluance had more clarity than the Pioneers at the same price point.
My first were a pair of Jamo D265. Nothing audiophile about them but they would shake the silver in my mum's cabinet and at the time that was double thumbs up for me ha ha..👍😀
I literally just ordered the bi polar surrounds (XL8BP) last week, and am integrating them into my system as we speak. They were on sale directly through fluance's website for $202 CAD
my first pair of audiophile speakers was very recent, a set of micca RB42s i bought to go with my vintage stereo equipment that i also recently acquired. sound fantastic for the price and ESPECIALLY for the compact size
'and while you're down there' - that's what she said So I had an Amstrad all in one hifi system back in the UK, and a buddy sold me some Technics bookshelf speakers for 5 pounds (about $7). I listened to the new Enigma CD and discovered a little thing called bass. Been a basshead ever since. I have an old old AKAI separates system that was all digital, with the record player the bottom of the stack, slides out like a CD player! Want to bring that over to the US and restore it. What a system that was!
Your lady is really cool and you should let her give her opinion on equipment as well. Two is better than one and you can play off each others' viewpoints for a better evaluation.
My first taste was getting a job at a hifi store in the mid 2000's. I got hooked on Paradigm and Mirage back then. Just got around to buying some Paradigm Monitor Atom SE a few months back and love them with an old NAD 3140
It all started at a once a year 24 hour sale at the local audio store called Sound Center back in 1986 with the purchase of a pair of JBL L86 speakers. Still have them and them sound fantastic!
I enjoyed my entry into audiophile listening with the B&W DM302 and a Cambridge Audio A3i. I got many years of great listening from that setup. My brother now enjoys the B&Ws while I have moved up to the Castle Inversion 15, Creek 5350se, with higher end sources. And the most recent addition of the SMSL SU-9 DAC, which you should look at and review if you get the chance. It seems to perform beyond its $400 price point. Or maybe I’m just too used to the CA DAC Magic 100 that preceded it. Lively and musical, detailed and quiet. I’m loving the thing.
EPI 100. When I got them I was wishing for something bigger and better, but I enjoyed them thoroughly. They were the first loudspeakers I had that produced good high treble. I wished for Polk Audio Monitor 5 at the time but I was in high school so I just couldn't afford them.
Gateway? There were some skirmishes earlier-on, but the big one was around 1971, in the listening room of a shop in Middletown, NY around 1971, and I was mesmerized by the sounds and dim-lit sights (I was all of 15, okay?). It was, as they say, all downhill from there.
My gateway gear was the Nakamichi CD Player 2 in the early 90's. I purchased my first CD player used for $50. I was expecting to make another cheap purchase, but I couldn't resist buying the Nakamichi after I heard it because I knew I would be missing something in the music if I went with a cheaper alternative.
I’ve never owned bookshelf speakers. Am I missing something? I did own Totem Arro for 15 years which are really just 2-way bookshelves with a built-in stand and they were great in a small room. Hello Kristy, from all of us. Looks like you were herding cats again on this one :)
Great review! I actually shopped the Fluances, but the sensitivity rating scared me away. My (very recently) entry point to good audio was the Q Acoustics 3020i. Really like them so far. I need to add a sub, but the Qs just sound very natural to me.
My Gateway into hifi was pretty low end with a pair of free, very beat up, Realistic MC-1200 speakers with an entry level Teac receiver. I thought the system sounded amazing as a Junior in High School back in 2006.
Great review as always. I wish you would share the pictures that you put on your TV. For the life of me, I can't remember what my first speakers were when I put my first stereo together when I was in high school in the late '70s, but they would have been something sold at Lafayette Audio. I had a Lafayette Receiver and a Technics turntable. Akai cassette player. Later moved to Pioneer receivers and then started my way up the audiophile ladder, starting with Caver electronics and DCM time window speakers - I should have stopped there and saved a crap ton of money, but I kept going up the ladder.
My first gateway to audio gear was a 5.0 set of FERGUSON EX650 II. In retrospect, they were not great, and pale in comparison to what I have now, but nevertheless, they are what got me started and I will always look back on them fondly.
