1981, my older brother came home from the army with a complete pioneer/ Bose 901 setup. Blew my little mind. I couldn't believe that a stereo system could literally rattle things off of shelves and make the lights dim in the house. It was the start of a lifelong obsession with music.
With respect - The 901's had no bass and what was there was muddy as in a dampening factor of zero. Almost bought a pair about 81 till I heard them/with the eq
My first component system was a Harmon Kardon 330c, Advent speakers, and a Pioneer turntable in 1977. Added a tape player and taped many shows off of the San Francisco radio stations. Loved just hanging with friends listening to the tunes! I mowed a lot of lawns and babysat to get the funds for this set up.
About a year ago I was givin my grandmas Hitachi SR-804 receiver and just recently my dad gave me his 4 Fishers Model STV-9025 with the two active woofers. As a 26 year old new into the vintage stereo world I honestly didn’t know what to expect, I finished hooking everything up, first song I put on was moving in stereo…and woah! that set up changed my life and how I listen to music. The more I read and learn I realize it’s not top tear equipment. But to my ears it’s the best thing ever !
Have a laugh at my expense. I started my audio hi fi journey with a Silver Marshall Stereo from K-Mart. It had it all Record Player, 8 Track, Cassette and a AM FM Radio and two of the prettiest speakers I'd seen. I ( am disabled) was in The Maryland Rehabilitation Center taking accounting courses. My Silver Marshal lasted all of six months. I tried to get it fixed but the repair guy said it was a lost cause after 6 attempts. My tech said get a receiver and components, With a heavy heart I junked my Silver Marshall, brought a Sanyo 2033 and 2 cheap Sonics Speakers. I loved my little receivers for many years. My next life changer my Hitachi SR-2004 with Sony Tower Speakers. Hearing that combo, I caught the vintage audio bug!
LOVED this video, Kevin. I didn’t want it to end. So many of us were brought back to their younger days and could relate with good memories of our own. Thanks man. 👍🏼 We’re lovin’ your Skylabs light in the background, and it’s always nice to see Ken. Good job.
As I've mentioned on your discord server, 50yrs ago I bought a Panasonic R-1493 AM Radio with my newspaper money (I'm looking at it right now). Because of it, I got into music and electronics. Went to college for amplifier design, eventually earning a PhD in analog circuit design. I've had a wonderful life because of that AM radio and my love of music. Thanks Kevin, I thoroughly enjoy your personal story videos the most. ps. My ears ring today because of my late 70s car stereo. Let's just say that this old grandpa's beat up pickup truck still rocks a loud stereo.
I remember putting bookshelf speakers on the back seat of my 1973 Camaro. Also, installing an under-dash FM radio to listen to Casey Kasem's top 100 countdown, all the way to number 1.
My first reciever was a Pioneer SX-440 with 8in Advent speakers in the 70's. I'll never forget listening to every record I owned through that wonderful little system. Thanks for the memories!
My TEAC Z-7000. Perhaps the best… and unfortunately also one of the most expensive and complicated cassette decks of all time. I bought it used and completely disassembled in 1987. At a time, when I would never have been able to afford such a device new or in good shape. It was always the central piece of my hi-fi system... until it eventually broke and sat in the attic for 20 years. I rediscovered it almost three years ago and have been repairing and restoring it ever since. And even now, as I write these lines, it is in front of me on my desk. 🙂
I began getting into vintage audio through my vinyl collection. I bought a Harman kardon 330 b and recapped a used pair of Epicure m100 speakers. That sound is still phenomenal.
The life changing 'stereo' in my life is the Marantz 2238B that my father bought in 1977, it was great back then but it really didn't change my life until I had it and an SL-1500 turntable cleaned and serviced last year. The vintage stereo addiction is real, and I picked up a set of smelly old 4311Bs this afternoon so I now have a vintage stereo system of my very own. Great gear, great music and excellent memories this late in my life is life changing.
I got a Radio Shack receiver/ 8-track player as a birthday gift in the 4th or 5th grade ~ '71 or '72. It had small particle-board single-driver speakers. I'd place one on each side of my pillow and lie there, about as wrapped in sound as I could be. Loved it. For my first three cars, I kept an under-dash Pioneer Super-tuner (google tells me it was a TP-900). The 8-track player required a matchbook wedged under (or over?) the tape to make it play - as they all seemed to do back then. As a teen who could barely afford gasoline, I was pretty proud of that unit.
This is making me happy listening to you and reading the comments of people reminiscing about vintage audio gear that means something to them. If I could share a story about my dad, in 1973 he decided to go out and buy a stereo system for the living room. He went to a local stereo store in our town and brought home a Concord CR260 receiver, an Advent 201 table top cassette deck ( with 1 VU meter and a toggle switch for A or B or A+B .. weird.) Garrard 6300 TT and a pair of Audiosphere floor speakers. This system even at the time was entry level for sure but it played the soundtrack of my teenage life and beyond flawlessly which to say was pretty much constantly until I finally could buy a system of my own. My system was a pair of Klipsch Corwalls, a Nikko 220 power amp and matching pre with a Mitsubishi LT5V vertical linear tracking TT ( Amazing piece ) and JVC cassette deck. I've gone thru many pieces of gear thru my 60 years but always had affection for that Concord receiver. Just last year my dad passed away and we were going thru his house sorting out the will when unknown to me I discovered that he still had it, packed away in a closet. I told everyone that I wanted it and I brought it home to clean it up, all the while I was bursting to plug it in and test it. I hooked up a pair of Kef speakers and ran cable from my phone, pressed the power and the dial lit up just like I remembered, blue glass dial and 2 meters ( signal strength and stereo center, the dial indicator needle changes color when it's tuned in.) I don't know if it's just me but the sound of it was familiar right away. Sonically it has a warmth that I don't hear anymore. It seems bullet proof and is currently residing in my garage system powering my favorite music while I work on my cars.. Glorious. Thank you dad !
Probably starting at age 4, I was always fascinated playing records on our family stereo system, which had a Dual CV40 amplifier, Dual CT16 Tuner and Dual 1010 record changer / turntable. The speakers were Noresco - Dual with huge oval woofers. Still have all of this and it still works. My first 'stereo' of my own was a Telefunken 'Opus 7050 HiFi' receiver connected to four Zenith Allegro speakers. That slimline stereo has great sound and an FM tuning scale in 1 MHz increments! (and selectivity to match). I still use it today as the sound system for the computer. Not sure what the power output is, but there is a decent heat sink with four TO-3 output transistors.
I assembled a heathkit AR‐1500 that I got for my 16th birthday from my TV repairman dad. I loved it and it was a training tool for my future job. Also a BSR 5 band EQ kit my step-dad paid for my helping him build a house that summer.
Nice one Kevin! I have a collection of receivers and amps from Sansui, HK and Tandberg. All under 60wpc, most under 30wpc. Easy to restore and sound amazing.
Great video Kevin! The HK 330c has been my dream receiver since I first saw it in the mid-'70s at a Schaak Electronics store in Minneapolis. Seeing that receiver changed my life but I never made the purchase. Recently I put the word out to my family and friends that I was now seriously in search of a 330c. What followed was a slight change in plan when my nephew found an HK 630 in Washington DC where he was training. He brought it back home in his carry-on and is doing some restoration work on it for me. I'll be picking up the 630 from him at his home in Washington State next weekend and bringing it home in my carry-on to Minnesota. Soon it will be a well-travelled center piece of our main system in our living room!
I remember Schaak Electronics. Also Team, which became Audio King and Sound of Music, which became Best Buy. I was a teenager in the late 70s and would go to all three and it started my audio quest.
My audio file journey began in 1977 when my father and I went to a place called Ohio valley wholesale and purchased a complete techniques system including the cabinet. Ultimately my father let me keep the whole system and I have been playing it since very recently. I started by upgrading the receiver and after that I followed the rat hole into about a $10,000 investment. As one commenter said it's like owning a Rolex. I couldn't be happier. I currently have Logan Martin Foundation 1 speakers, Technics SL-1500C turntable, Pioneer SX-1059, RT 909, equalizer and 900 series cassette deck. Thanks to this channel and a few others I have created a lasting piece of analog history that I hope can be passed down to the next generation to be enjoyed and respected.
Like you I saved for a stereo system back in 1982. The store was called the Stereo Shoppe in South Seattle. They sold high end equipment like Luxman, Onkyo, and Sherwood. The salesman educated me on power supply and watts. He had me listen to a 33 watt Onkyo that sounded awesome and was very loud. My budget afforded me a JVC separate setup that I still have today along with a pair of Kenwood speakers. In 1989 I built a Acura Integra with lots of goodies so I know what your talking about. It was the cleanest sound I have ever heard… nothing has compared to it. Love what you do😎
That jukebox is awesome! I had some nice car stereos (used power boosters in the 1970's), including one with a 12 CD changer. Nothing like the one in your truck, but great sound and memories. My first decent receiver was a Kenwood KR-V106R that I just sold recently after buying a Pioneer SX 650 and getting it back to 100%. I added a HK 430 Twin and have 3 sets of speakers to play with.
Mine was Stepdad's Fisher 400 receiver/Olson Coaxial Speakers/Garrard SL-95B/Shure M75 EJ. Before that was my late Grandmother's 1967 Philco-Ford console (in my living room). I got my first system at age 9, kit built a Dynaco Stereo 70, tube power amplifier, PAS3-X tube preamplifier, Dynaco A-25 loudspeakers, and the AR-XA turntable with Shure M75EJ cartridge.
My first Stereo was a Montgomery Ward Soundesign knock off. Cassette, 8 Ttack , turntable all in one. I knew the speakers were crappy but it was the best my parents could do when I was 16. Loved that Birthday present !
What a great idea for a video! I love your stereo memories and reading all the comments. I feel so lucky to have grown up when I did. In 8-10th grade, back in the 70s, my best friend and I built loudspeakers and sold them to friends. We got the idea to use our speakers to put on dances at our school. His mom had a Harman/Kardon 430 and we would borrow it to pair with a Peavey CS-800 power amp that we rented from a music shop. We used the H/K as a preamp for Technics turntables (can’t remember the model but not the SL-1200). Having that much power hooked up to a tiny stylus. That was heaven. Once we fried our speakers so we also rented Peavey SP-1s with horns and a folded baffle. Wow. All of this because my parents gave me a Panasonic tape player for my birthday when I was 7 or 8. And then the neighbor next door threw out an old console TV and I salvaged a 12 inch speaker out of it. It was after much of this fun, probably 11th grade, that I finally had money for my own system. I got a Toshiba SA-850 receiver, a Technics SL-B2 turntable and built Falcon Tabor two-way speakers. (These are similar to the Spendor Classic 2/3, but with 8” Audax bextrene woofers) I still have those speakers in my main system. Today they are powered by an Apt Holman preamp and a Hafler DH-200. The turntable is a Denon DP-47f.And in my office….an H/K 330C that I got on Craigslist. Thank you for the video and the memories, Kevin!
The spring of 1978 I bought my 1st "good" system...a Pioneer SX-580 receiver, BIC turntable with Pickering cartridge, and Advent/1 speakers. It was a package deal from Trader Horn for $499...True HI-FI in teenage hands! Can't get enough of quality sound even many years later, and am grateful to have the hearing and time to enjoy it.
Awesome video Kevin!I had a used console with red velvet looking sliding doors when I was 13 years old.I paid 75 dollars and my dad paid 75 dollars to pay the 150 cost.My entire world was that big long console.Wish I still had it!I’m 62 by the way.
My sister's roommate, Sue, had a full stack of Phase Linear components. I've never seen the amp she had anywhere else. The VU's were early LEDs rather than the standard meters. It was huge, sounded incredible, and led to my sister giving me her little Marantz 2216b receiver and Sansui turntable. Sue and her sister Joy were probably the first "grownup" women that tween me had a crush on. They were both gorgeous and had incredible hair. Second place would be the system that the older brother of a couple friends bought the absolute top-of-the-line Pioneer system in 1984/85. We'd sit in the basement with no lights on listening to "Burning Down the House" at about 100dbs.
col memories! my parents had a Magnavox console stereo and i was 14 and playing The Mothers Freak Out and Absolutely Free all the time after school, 1967-ish. They finally bought me a Sears i think green plastic folding portable "stereo" and exiled me to my room upstairs!
This segment reminds me of my first car -- 1963 Mercury Comet with an 8 track tape deck with door speakers....thanks for bringing back these great memories!!
I still run my 1986 Kenwood KVR-a70R receiver. The specs were way better than what a punk kid like me could have ever appreciated. It still sounds terrific.
I was about 11 when I got my first Soundesign stereo too! It was a turntable/tuner/cassette deck with cool little LED lights and came in a big rack with glass doors and everything. I had that until i hit high school and moved to real components. I haven't thought of that in years. Coincidentally, my first job was at Pizza Hut as well. I always got yelled at for putting too much cheese on and not using the rings.
Well I’m glad you were bit by silver gold because it’s a vacation day every time we come over. I’ve only had 3 systems in my 70 year life and I have to say my best is the one I have now SX1280 with Large Advents. We sit and just soak in several styles of music. We were listening to the Sistine Chapel choir and it blew us away. Live the dream Kevin.
I've said for years that mid 1970's budget priced receivers from Pioneer, Kenwood, Technics, etc. were quality components. Don't forget that 1960's TOTL receivers had under 50wpc and 1% THD/IM. By 1974 most bottom line receivers beat those specs. That these companies built high quality receivers with ample power (sorta), good FM tuners and all the basic controls; loudness, FM mute, stereo/mono, bass/treble and tape loop at el-cheapo prices was a godsend to budget financed (and minded) budding audio enthusiasts like me. My first receiver was an SX-434 in 1975. I currently use an SX-434 in my kitchen hifi system. Ain't that boss or what. Cool video.
Even though Soundesign stereos were cheap, they were surprisingly reliable. Soundesign are still around today - albeit under another name as iLive. As far as the Harman Kardon 330c, I noticed that receiver went up drastically in recent years. I went to a thrift store a month ago and spotted one. How much was the asking price? $300!
I was about 10 yrs old, tinkering with my Dad's old tube Philips reel to reel and threading different tapes through it. Most of it was classical music, which I heard him playing all the time. Then I came across something totally different, something that really clicked with me - The Beatles ! There was music on these tapes that I actually enjoyed! That's a HiFi moment that made a big impact on me, and I still enjoy audio electronics as a hobby.
Great Story Kevin... wow a Juke Box all your own... Your telling these took me back to my little Sears or maybe Pennies unit my dad got for me when I started High School...the top half was 2 speaker jointed by clips that split them and a powered turntable. It was all I needed back then. 1966.
The first stereo that I saved up a lot of money for went into my pickup truck, at 17. I bought cheap stereo equipment for the house, because I couldn't listen to it much at home as my parents would complain. I don't remember all of the model numbers, but it was all pioneer. CD player head unit, when all of my friends were still running cassette. Amplifier, 3 way 6x9s for the doors, 10 Truck Rider subs behind the seat. It was mostly mid-range stuff in the pioneer lineup, at the time, but I to me, it was the best thing I had ever heard.
Awesome story and interesting history. That must have been incredible growing up with your own jukebox! You reminded me of a time during my youth die if I wasn't listening to my albums on my Hi-Fi at home, I was listening to my music in my 1970 Firebird, which I had upgraded the sound system in 1980 to a top of the line Sanyo Auto reverse cassette deck, connected to 4 top of the line Pioneer speakers, TS-X9's in the back, plus had a excellent graphic equalizer and an additional 50 amps. It sounded really awesome
My first stereo outfit I bought myself had a Pioneer SX-580. It powered my Realistic Minimus 7 speakers. The was great, and I wish I'd not upgraded that little system. Because...I still have the Minumus 7s, but not the receiver. Gonna someday buy the parts to upgrade those little speakers and replace the woofers (they rattle...). I recall listening to my first car's stereo. The first tape I played in it was Kraftwerk's "Autobahn." And yes... Being like Air Force dudes...I played that tape on a Blaupunkt stereo...on Autobahn 61 in Germany. Nostalgia... Mahalo for taking me down your memory lane! Aloha!
Great video!! As a kid I'd go to the local strip malls and drool on the components. All I wanted was a set of JBL 3 ways and a big silver Pioneer receiver. For Christmas 1982 my folks got me a pair of JVC SK-404 12" 3 way speakers (The JBL's were out of the question with 4 teenaged boys to buy for). Fast forward 40+ years and I have the JBL's and a bunch of 50 series Pioneers. I still have those JVCs. The best gift I ever received. The joy those JVC speakers brought me is immeasureable.
Great video Kevin! I can relate to the jukebox. I rebuilt a carburetor for a friend and he gave me a 1965 Wurlitzer 200 song jukebox for payment. I got it in the late 70's and still have it in my music room today! I had to do some repairs on it, but she is still playing!
A Soundesign was my first stereo too. It was a model 4126 8 Track player/amplifier. I didn't even have any speakers, so I borrowed some headphones to listen to it.
Kevin, nice. I'm reminded of my first true component system. 1976 was the year. Pioneer SX-650, Technics SL-D3 turntable {I think, too long ago if not a similar model}, BIC Venturi Formula 2 speakers. Don't recall the cassette player at all. I do recall it was a top load something. Loved that receiver, sold it for a Sansui 8900 DB a few years later. Still regret doing that. Then twenty years ago a neighbor asked me if wanted his old radio, turned out it was a Pioneer SX-650. We didn't know each other at the time but he bought it from the same store around the same time when it was on sale for $196. I had it restored, cabinet veneered in mahogany. It is now in my living room with an old Dual 1229. Thank you for bringing back these memories, really enjoy your channel.
My dad's sx1980 and JBL L220 speakers definitely influenced me heavily into a love of hifi and music in general. Now most kids grow up never even hearing anything close to proper stereo separation and imaging due to sound bars and bluetooth speakers. My kid will grow up with my bad ass hifi, and my dad is still rocking his setup.
My journey started with our family stereo cabinet from the 60s. My sister and I would play the Beatles VI album along with Neil Diamond, Tap Root Manuscript over and over again. That evolved to the Grease Soundtrack and eventually 45s as I got into jr. high. On weekends we would go to my grandparents and my uncles who were about 7 years older had a killer system with a Marantz reciever and reel to reel. That stereo changed how I felt about sound quality. When I graduated HS in 87 I took all my graduation money and bought a Proton reciever and a CD player with some Cerwin Vega speakers and thought cherished that system all through college. Then I got married, had kids, divorced and remarried. Basically took a 25 year hiatus from a real stereo system until I found a Harman Kardon 730 twin and inherited some equiptment from family and my old records from my mom...including the Beatles VI and Neil Diamond.
I have to comment , your taste in music was excellent, some of my favorite stuff back then. As I aged some, I learned how good fusion sounded on my good stereo stuff. Spro gyra et al for example sounds incredible if you have the system that reproduces the clarity and dynamics of the recordings.
At 16 years old, I worked a whole summer in 1980 to buy Technics equipment that changed my life. I bought an SA-222 receiver, a cassette deck, an SL-D202 (which I still have and use), and speakers. My dad had a 1978 Sa-500 that I still use today. We used to throw speakers away when the foam surrounds rotted. Now I have a pair of early 70's Ohm Model E's which I upgraded. I use them with a Polk sub and the sound is incredible. I have a newer pair of B7W 606 S2 Anniversary, that are good for what's available now.
I'm 60 and just discovering my favorites now. As a teen, I had a little 10 watt receiver and some cheap vynal wrapped speakers. Don't remember what they were but I enjoyed them a lot. I'd listen to stuff and my heart would race and soar. Until a traumatic event shut down my appreciation for music about 90%. Now I'm working on opening up as much as I can. In service to that effort, I invested about $4k in a car stereo system. Then I discovered vintage gear that reminds me of the cheap system I had as a kid, except now I can afford better quality stuff. I have a Marantz 2270, a Marantz 2235, a Marantz 2230, a Kenwood KA-9100, an old Realistic and a couple of less vintage amps (Denon and Marantz). I have three sets of Original Large Advents. I'm refoaming two sets so I can stack them. Because I missed out on so many years, I'm tying to make up for lost time.
This is SO GREAT !!! You must be very similar in age as myself. So much of these situations and this type of gear mirror my own experiences. It literally made me sail away into yester-year. I get so much education from your regular videos, and I am beyond thankful for them. But this video brought me JOY ! You can't put a value on JOY !! THANKS FOR THIS !!
When I was very young my mom and dad had a bar and a 1967 Rowe AMI MM1 jukebox in our living room. Because of all those good memories I now own two of those jukeboxes. Also, my first real stereo system was a pioneer. Now I have graduated to a Kenwood KR 9600 with a Carver amp running my Klipsch speakers and sub. Good times for sure.
You are so right about the "low wattage", 15-20 wpc, receivers from the 70's. More than enough juice to drive most speakers, "that sound" and looks and tone and loudness controls!
Thank you for sharing your story. Jukeboxes can be mesmerizing for little ones. My daughter (5-6 y/o at the time) was so fascinated by one that was in a restaurant we went. Also, you could say it has nearly gone full circle nowadays with streaming as lots of people would listen to it on a mono bluetooth speaker ;-) My first experience was with (as I suppose many of us did) the family sound system. My parents had an all in one Sony system which had receiver, turntable and cassette deck in one block and some Triangle bookshelf speakers. But my first system, paid with my hard earned money, was a JVC system that had tuner, equalizer and double cassette deck in one block and a turntable separate, this really sounded good. This was in late 80's early 90's. Like you said no internet at the time and when I was a student no TV either so yep this was nearly on all the time. I added a cd player later when some albums I wanted where not available on records anymore. I don't have this system anymore (besides it would not run in the US as it was in France) but I gave it to a friend and I believe it's still running today. And yes you're totally right about "small power" receivers/amps. They would hold their own against recent twice as much (supposedly) power ones.
Great story, Vintage audio gear is like single malt scotch (stay with me) Its not about the 30 year old bottle thats 800.00, it's about the 65.00 bottle that tastes amazing! It's about the "find", the underachiever if you will! Keep up the great video's!
Very cool memories. My first stereo was a Helix all in one with a record player. I loved that thing as a young teen in the mid 80's. Now my Dynaco ST400 and PAT-5 I rebuilt keeps me very engaged.
I grew up with classical and opera LP's being played on a Magnavox HiFi. My older brother would buy 45's at the local record store and crank that tube fed Magnavox up. It never failed and the only thing that put it away was the Magnavox stereo console that replaced it. They both influenced me. College in the late '60's and early '70's would introduce me to component sound systems and rock LP's. I started with a Lafayette LR-100, Dual 1019 turntable and built my own speakers using the local Olsen Electronics store for woofers and horn tweeters. Going on a listening at the local high fidelity store, I bought a Pioneer SX424, Technics turntable and Dynaco A25 speakers and Koss headphones. Cost was always an issue with me and I was looking for the best options for my rock albums. I still have the SX424 and it works fine after a left channel amplifier circuit repair. Kevin, your videos were very helpful.
Great Video - love the production value - tieing the mid century tv into the visuals with your story - nice touch!!! And I love that juke box! That "star trex" futuristic design was my favorite!!! Even better, tieing in your Dad's recollection of how you came upon it, and learning about your Tat as a nod to that period of time in your life. Keep up the great content!!! Love what you do@😊 Cheers S😎
Man this video took me back when you got into the car audio, I was huge into car audio mid to late 90s. I had a few hifonics amps, loved Alpine amps but my favorite I wish I never sold were the white precision power art series...I also have my first "real" receiver I bought a Realistic STA-85, I dont use it much today but when I got back into the hobby I really wanted to re-purchase the unit that started it all for me. I still love car audio but now its mostly just for SQ when back then it was SPL, Also todays cars have decent stereos that with just a few tweaks can be made to sound great.
I've serviced/restored juke-box for 30 years. I have very good and very bad memories with them. The first pièce of gear that changed my life was a Eico ST-70 with the matching tuner and mpx my grandfather has. I listened to it all my childhood, and I still have it, but I don't have the speakers anymore. My first "vintage" pièce of equipment was a marantz 2220b that I got almost for free back in the early 90s.
As a kid I heard the Beatles for the first time and wanted a music system! My dad pulled an old Garrard turntable felt covered platter out of console and the mono TUBE. amp. The speaker was a large one in its own cabinet. We set it up in my room, OH how I loved it! The warm glow of the tubes and the rich sound. I would play it till late in the evening and sometimes would wake up in the morning and the record would still be spinning. Replaced it with a Lloyds from Sears when I got my first job. It had an 8 track recorder in it and it wasn't to long before I realized what a POS the old 8 tracks were going to be. So I went back to buying records and still have just about everyone of them. At 66 years old and retired I now collect vintage audio. I have stuff that I could never afford as a young man. What a fantastic hobby.
I lived in a small town in Iowa and the theatre was sold. The guy that bought it was going to replace everything in the place so the old guy that was the previous owner had an auction. I bought a pair of 3 to 5 year old Altec Lansing Voice of the Theatre speakers for $150 that I ultimately hated because my room was WAY too small. I sold them to a hippie for like $600 and that and about allowed me to buy a Marantz 1200, some KLH 5s and a Garrard Zero 100. So, I remember the Altecs, but only because they made me enough money for me to start buying stuff that I actually liked. By the way, thank heavens for High Fidelity magazine reviews. I never heard any of the stuff that I bought before I had it. Everything was through the mail. The wait was unbearable..
Another great post Kevin. My ah ha piece of equipment was when my parents brought home a KLH stereo when I was in probably 6th grade. I was already into music, mostly the Beach Boys at that point, and top 40 radio because that's really all I had access to. That KLH had a turntable with, if I remember right, just an FM radio and two speakers that weren't in the same cabinet as the turntable,,,,,OMG! My folks listened to classical music, but the first chance I got I went out and bought a Beach Boys album with my paper route/lawn mowing money. Never looked back. My first stereo was a used Lear Jet portable 8-track tape deck that the guy threw in some early Jimi Hendrix/Zeppelin/Stones/Who 8-tracks. How do you say epiphany!!!! I discovered the Blues!!! The guy changed my life and he had no idea. Next it was car stereos. Then in college my first real stereo was a used Sansui 1000A tube receiver with a cracked dial and a lot of the lettering worn off the front, and a pair of used JBL 4311 Control Monitors (which I still have and they'll have to pry them out of my cold dead hands). I don't remember what turntable I had, I think it was a used Garrard. Only recently I've come to understand what I really had. Apparently, there are a lot of people who think the Sansui 1000A was the best tube receiver ever made, by anyone. Young and dumb. Now I'm kicking myself every day for tossing that old beat to crap receiver. From there I went to a used Luxman R-1120 receiver and a Technics SL-D2 TT which are still my daily drivers. My current finds are a pair of ADS L810 speakers. a pair of JBL 4408 bookshelf speakers {for the bedroom), a Yamaha CR-1020, a Sansui G-6000, a Sansui 881, a Kenwood KR-7600, and my most recent find is a Harmon Kardon 430 Twin. I've been infected by the bug, and I don't want the cure. Still on the hunt for a particular Pioneer receiver and turntable, and if I ever found another decent repairable 1000A for less than stupid money I'd try and scarf that up too (loved that tube sound).
Toshiba Boombox, next a giant Zenith console from my aunt with some Bruce LPs. Had to buy speakers so picked up some AAL 12" 3 way sealed. They sounded good but the Zeneth didnt have the guts. Dad took me to Kelly & Cohen and said pick out a receiver. I liked a $99 HK and a $99 Scott. He said how about that $199 JVC RK 22. Digital was just coming out and this thing was state of the art. Brought it home, and my god. Those speakers opened up and punched me in the chest. That was the point of no return. I added a 10 band BSR eq, a Toshiba auto reverse cassette deck, and Pioneer turntable. All this by age 15. Life was grand.
That jukebox is one of the best designs. I have a Rockola that you just inspired me to get working on again. But you're right about servicing them. You really need someone who has the experience. And many, like vintage audio techs, are sadly passing on.
OMG Kevin. What memories came flooding back to me. My parents gave me a graduation gift stereo to head off to college (1973). My beloved Superscope R-340 12 Watt receiver with a pair of BIC speakers. I was the man on the dorm room floor. We blasted Doobie Brothers, Led, Boston, Fleetwood Mac. And the chics loved to come down and listen. That stereo was my wingman!
Realistic 8 track stereo with a bad power supply and a "Back To The Future" hand made speaker box made from a Big Wheel box, complete with a 8 track cassette tape adapter (made by Kraco!) to a brand new Realistic stereo with dual tape decks and turntable, to a Technics stereo, Realistic 10 band EQ with Dot Matrix display, Optonica tape deck with hand me down 3 way Award speakers with 12" woofers, to a 1997 Chevy S10 SS with a Sony head unit, Infinity Kappa speakers all around and a 10" Punch sub, to a updated Sony component 5.1 home stereo with JBL Studio series speakers, to a Cambridge Audioworks 2.1 system with Paradigm speakers and Ultracube sub, to now setting up my father in laws 1969 rebuilt Marantz Model 22 and Sansui turntable running through a set of JBL L1's, and I swear I've never heard anything better than his new old set up. We're planning our trip from Minneapolis to Des Moines. ;)
Another addict, Pioneer 7500 was my first almost 50 yrs ago, currently McIntosh C-28, MR-74, 2105, 2120, JBL L100s, Boston Acoustics HD9s, Philips 312 w/Shure V15 III.
Love you brining up the 90s car audio scene. It was crazy and so much fun. Once great brands like Clarion, Blaupunkt, Rockford Fosgate, Alpine, Kicker, Cerwin Vega, MB Quart. Some personal favs: Eclipse, Orion, JL Audio. Then things like the isobaric and band-pass enclosure crazes. Good times!!!
My first time hearing a decent hifi setup was when I wanted to try a tube receiver. I bought a Pioneer SX 34B about 2.years ago and restored its functionality and then shortly after that a buddy with a Marantz that wasnt working wanted me to work on it. That Marantz sounded amazing as well so I will now be getting a Marantz!
Buying the Emotiva A2 amp and TA1 as a preamp running the 1983 Acoustic speakers that are totally redone has been exciting. Even playing the HK T40 turntable thru the Emotiva set has been life changing! Every time that I expose friends to the sound they are amazed. At 63 music never sounded so good.
In 1967 my family lost almost all of our possessions and had to start over. After a while my Mom entered and won a contest and the prize was a console stereo and records from a record club. Some of my fondest memories were stacking up records on that turntable and listening to hours of The Association, Pop Go The Classics, CSN&Y, Andy Williams, Blood Sweat & Tears, Big Band Hits, Roger Miller, The Band, Simon & Garfunkle, Glen Campbell, Jethro Tull and Cat Stevens. I can’t remember the brand name of the stereo, but it survived years of use and moves with zero maintenance!
I am 63 years old and had a few nice late 70’s receivers my last system was a 1983 HK680i twin powered Harmon Kardon lasted for 30 years than would never stop humming. Had it fixed several times but it was over. I still have my Acoustic 636 speakers which were totally redone just beautiful sound. T40 Harmon Kardon turntable. I bought a used refurbished 2270 receiver to replace the HK680i guess what the heat and hum was awful took it back got my money back and bought Emotiva TA1 and 160 watt A2 Amp for less than the 2270. Added a Rotel CD 14mk2 and I am so happy no hum never any heat just beautiful sound.
Kevin that was a lot of money back then, a person could buy a used running no smoking pickup if you shopped long enough. Stereos were a must have item.
I just bought my best friends parents old stereo from the 90’s. It’s a pioneer cx-770 with the amp, cassette, cd, and speakers. Everything works great except half the buttons on the remote work. I’ve heard not great reviews about them but for the price I couldn’t pass it up and I want to incorporate it into the 70’s system I’m putting together.
For me it was in 1985 when My local hifi chain store was selected to receive one of a very limited number of Marantz PM4 integrated amps that had been found in one of their warehouses. I boght it on first sight, when I got it home and listened for the first time I fell in love with it. I still use it in my main set up and will until I expire. It was the best £230.00 I spent.
When I was 14 my grandfather gave me calf to raise for market. I sold it in 1978 and Dad took me to Toronto ( a big deal for a farm kid back then) to go stereo shopping . Mom of course wanted me to get a small radio and put the rest in bank, but Dad let me spend the whole thing on a stereo and even threw in $10 bucks to cover the taxes. I came home with a Pioneer SX-680, PL-200 TT and some audio reflex speakers with what seemed like massive 12" woofers. All we had at home was a little mono radio in the kitchen and a suitcase turn table from the '50s The first time I fired it up, Oh my god! I never knew music could sound that good and that load. It rattled the windows. I played the crap out of that thing all the way through High school and university. It finally packed it in in 2002. A life altering piece of gear.
The Quad ESL57s did it for me, almost 50 years later (I'm age 71) I use four pairs of them stacked from floor to ceiling (because I love loud) backed up by a quarter wave T-line (because the old Quads don't go down low). Four water cooled Pass F5 Turbo V3 class A amplifiers drive the Quads, it's a sound you could listen to all day long and not be fatigued by.
Mine was a Sony TA-3650 and ST-5066 AM/FM tuner with a pair of 12” 3 way speakers. I bought the setup for $150 at a garage sale in 1991. I only wanted the speakers as I thought the silver was ugly. My dad insisted I buy the set and he spotted me the money. I mowed the rest of the summer to pay him back. Without this purchase I would have never gotten into vintage audio. I was so mad he made me buy the amp and tuner. But when I heard it I fell in love.
I bought my first stereo setup back in the 70's while I was stationed in Germany. I had a Marantz 1200B Amp Nakamichi 700 cassette deck with Bose 901 series 1 speakers. I still have them but they need some restoration done to them.
Thinking about life changing audio equip that I've had. My first memories and my mother can confirm, was that I had suitcase record player in about '67, I was born in '61. So somehow I had a 45 of "puff the magic dragon". My only memory is just playing the record. My mother says I played it over and over. And over and over. And over. Apparently I wore everything out - the vinyl, the stylus, it all stopped working according to mom. As I now think of it, I bet she just got so tired of it, she took it away and told me it was broken, LOL.
First audio memory was parents’’ Zenith Console. I fondly remember the wall of sound, the lights and even the smell from those tubes. To free up their system they bought me my own Lloyds combo system that likely came from Sears or Kmart. I spent hours listening to all kinds of music. It sparked a love of music that continues to this day. I wore that thing out until they gave me a Panasonic combo system when I was in high school that included a tape player. Dad in 1974 or so replaced the Zenith with a Marantz 2220 with EPI 100s and Dual turntable. I think it came from a place aptly called Stereo Town. I fawned over that system as Dad was frugal and didn’t splurge so rarely had something so hip. Those damn blue lights! After college I finally bought my own Marantz, a used 2285b and have been chasing the dragon ever since. Viva la vintage audio!
