[jodell1973@gmail.com]

What was the first Audio Moment in your life that put you down this path of being an Audiophile?

[FullRangeMan]

Welcome 
It was when I listened Aqua-Edgar Froese vinyl in the 1970s it was the second album I purchased.

[roscoe65]

I was listening to my first decent vinyl rig in a stereo store on Honolulu.  I don’t remember the full system, but it was a Superphon Revelation Pro Basic preamp, Superphon dm200 amp, unknown turntable, and a pair of speakers that were modular three-ways (don’t remember the brand, but were wood veneer with modules that stacked with the top models triangular).

The setup wowed me with the sense of depth.  My friend next to me exclaimed that it “sounds like a movie theater!”.

[richidoo]

Christmas morning playing "Almost Like Being In Love" from my new Maynard Ferguson LP "Trumpet Rhapsody" playing on my old dynamic combo record player but with the phono out jack going into the RCA aux input of my new Centrex Pioneer cassette boom box with 2 way speakers. I remember blasting the shit out of that song over and over. It was my first "separates" experience, first tweeters and first audio upgrade. And 1st time hearing my fav Maynard record. I was 12yo in 1977. 5 years of happy listening on that rig seemed to last forever.

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC jodell   

[Wind Chaser]

I think I was born this way. My fascination with radios began when I was very young. Eventually I got my own transistor radio at the age of 6. That Christmas my sisters got a HiFi record player with open baffle speakers. I was so jealous. I didn’t get my own stereo until I was 12 - a Sony quadraphonic system I had picked out the previous year. Then I upgraded it continually as I had more money over the course of my teen years; it’s been that way pretty much all throughout my adult years.

[jodell1973@gmail.com]

I guess my first experience was when I heard my brothers Kenwood/Infinity system in the '80s. They weren't really HIFI but CDs were a huge improvement over cassettes at the time. I remember his Infinity speakers rocked! They were SM-12's If I remember correctly. Tall wide floor standers with a 12 in woofer 5" midrange I think and a soft-dome tweeter.

I've never really listened to vinyl that much. SACD and DVD-Audio blew me away when they came out. That was my next big step in the 90's. I have not listened to any of the newer HI-RES products out nowadays. Are most of HI-RES media like SACD or DVD-A all digital now?

[dB Cooper]

My first 'Aha!' was hearing Santana 'Abraxas' on my older next door neighbor's system when I was ~14. Not top-of the-line; it was a entry label Dual with the ubiquitous Shure M91E, a low-power Nikko integrated and a pair of AR4ax's (I still remember!), but I had never heard music sound like that. After a year or so of saving every dime I got my hands on and mowing every lawn I could find, I had enough to buy my Dynaco system (no tuner for awhile). Been hooked ever since.

[Mag]

I don't recall having a Game Changing audio memory until about 2012, when I purchased a Bryston SP2. Then I knew I was listening to Hi-Fi not Mid-Fi.

Before that I was an audiophile in my early teens listening to a home made system that my dad used for PA system in his Old Time Country band. I bought a stereo shortly after high school that got stolen. So I listened mainly to car audio while driving taxi. When I quit driving taxi that is when I invested in home audio which was progressive upgrades as I could afford.

My friend across the street had a new Radio Shack system. I guess that was really my first encounter with a good stereo system. I recall listening to Deep Purple- Rat Bat Blue which was pretty impressive. That however was a good recording, if I play that song on my current system its an above average recording and sounds pretty good.

What I learned is there is always another level of sound quality. Like a few times I thought my audio was as good as it gets. With each upgrade I discovered another level. I feel though I've reached a level that I no longer need to upgrade as IMO my stereo based on audio memory bettered a more expensive system at the Dealer, so I'm done upgrading.

[Phil A]

Welcome!  I guess when I got my first audio separates around 1980.

[sebrof]

About 1993 or so I was looking to get better speakers and I ended up in a B&M store. I asked the guy why would anyone buy an integrated amp or separates when they could just get a receiver for less $$ and more features. He played Tracy Chapman's Give Me One Reason on a Kenwood receiver and then on an integrated amp (can't remember), and the difference was pretty obvious. That was really the first time I compared components.
I ended up buying Paradigm Mini MK IV speakers and a NAD 304 (classic!!) integrated.
Good times

[Russell Dawkins]

Several game changing moments for me. Hearing The Dovells' Bristol Stomp on a good quality console stereo in 1963 alerted me to the possibility of deep bass in pop musiic.
A neighbour who built his own stereo was an eye/ear opening experience. He bought the cartridge and motor and main bearing, made the platter, arm and all the rest of the turntable (thread drive from the outboard motor),made the cabinet (thin woven wood for ventilation) made the preamp/amp (Williamson) mounted two 15" drivers in a clothes closet (clothes were damping) two 12s hidden in an amazing decorative wall for midrange and multicellullar horn tweeter sitting on top of the closet firing at the high cathedral ceiling for highs. This was mono, but it didn't matter—it sounded spectacular. The guy was amazing—he built a photo enlarger, including bellows from the lenses alone. The most influential people I knew for about 20 years. Built three beautiful houses, all the furniture, a guitar and a balalaika just for fun.

Much later it was game changing to finally realizie amplifiers make more of a difference than I suspected after comparing my NAD with a Mission Cyrus with 1/3rd the rated power more usable dynamic range. Also a Sony receiver after being familiar with a Quad 33 on the same system. Ouch.

[Endo2112]

CAT pre-amp with some speakers that I had heard several times and hated at my buddy Dave Beetles house, it was a real Ah Ha moment!! Ironically I don't use pre amps anymore.

Don