[yooper]

What did your first system consist of? I'm talking before you knew anything of equipment, your "first" system.

Remembering back when, I'm guessing around 1990, my first set of speakers was actually a Bose Acoustimass system.  I don't remember which version it was back then.  I know it was the cubes, and man...I defended those little guy's with all my honor   

I had a Sony receiver from best buy, paid around three hundred bucks.

An old Teac (or was it Teak?) tape deck.

A hundred dollar Best Buy CD player.

26" Mitsubishi TV, and Mitsubishi VCR.

What about you?

Mark

[PhilNYC]

I was pretty much a boom-box guy until I bought my first "real" system after freshman year in college (1984).  Based purely on walking into a local stereo store, telling the guy my budget, and listening to a couple of pieces.  Ended up with a Harmon Kardon integrated and tape deck, EPI T/E-100 speakers, and a Technics turntable I received from my brother.  A year later, I added a Technics CD player.  Total price was about $1000...

Oh...I did happen to have one of the very first Sony Walkman stereo cassette players when I was a senior in high school (a gift from my uncle)...

[1000a]

very very first OK:

1-rat shack voice recorder w carry handle
1-mini phono plug w a Y adapter to use in the ear plug jack
2- little wooden speakers about 6" tall

the Y adapter was used for my RCA connected speakers and 
to lift my older sister's Woodstock & Wheels of Fire albums
right off her speaker outs on her grey all in one TT-stereo
thru the mike in jack. Of course I could not record stereo or
play it but I had 2 cool speakers that made it look like a......
sTeReO! 

OK: more real

1-Clarion stereo receiver
1-bottomline Gerrard TT w Pickering cart
2-speakers maybe KLH model 32

[Imperial]

A Sansui cd player
A technics Integrated.
Yamaha NS-10M's
Yup That's my first System! And I believe Taralabs cheapest cables at the time!

I remember the NS-10M's because I refurbished them (new innards) and gave them to a buddy that has a recording studio some 15 years later... (wut? They suck!!! but sort of nice might I add...)

Imperial

[hmen]

I got a Sylvania "Stereo Hi Fi" record player with 2 speakers that were hard-wired to it with 6 foot wires in 1970 for my 12th birthday. In 1978 I bought a Panasonic receiver, Panasonic Speakers and a Technics turntable at Crazy Eddie.

[Wayner]

I built a Dynaco Pat-4 preamp and Dynaco Stereo 120 power amp. I added an AR-XA turntable and a pair of AR-2ax speakers.

Favorite album at the time: The Doors (with Light my Fire).

W

[acresm22]

First real one came in 1978 while in high school...a Sansui AU317 integrate amp driving JBL L36 Decade speakers, with a Toshiba SR250 turntable up front.

[warnerwh]

My first was a little suitcase turntable with built in amp and speaker. This in the late 50's so it was mono.

[zapper7]

Kenwood CDP
Sony receiver
Scott tower speaker

It actually sounded pretty good and was great for parties, the Scott's could cook

[eric the red]

1975 it all started with:
Harmon Kardon Reciever
Ultralinear speakers
Pioneer manual TT (after high school I regularly had to replace the stylus after my stoney roommates would leave the record spinning all night after they passed out )
I bought at least 1-2 LPs every week when I was a junior and senior in high school.

My best friend's dad always was upgrading and I must have caught the bug from him.

[some young guy]

the first system we had when i was a kid (late 60's, early 70's)was a telefunken console... that got me into music. i started with a panasonic RA6500 receiver (with the built-in tape deck), a BSR tt, quadraflex 3 way speakers and lamp cord speaker cable. i recently bought another of these receivers on e-bay for nostalgic reasons. it lives in the workshop and makes me happy every time i see it.

[Gaara]

First system ever was about 7 years ago, a Sony Mini system.  I made it a HT by hooking up a JVC dvd player and a a 20in Apex tv to it.

First real system was a Yamaha receiver with JBL speakers and the same JVC dvd player as a source.

[richidoo]

My first rig (age 10?) was a Sharp all in one dynamic cartridge fully automatic TT, radio, 8 track, single paper driver speakers. Oh yeah! I fell in love with music with that thing.

Around 12yo I added a Pioneer boombox which had great sound, 2 way speakers and a mechanically programmable cassette deck to help me practice jazz solos.

At 17 or so I bought an Onkyo 40w stereo receiver, Technics/Shure TT, Denon cassette deck, and radio shack 2 way speakers (still got one of em!)

(Insert 20 years here...  ) Various cheap junk, whatever worked, mostly car audio 

4 years ago I got an Onkyo HT receiver and Deftech surround speakers. 

2 years ago I got Legacy speakers and a little Cary amp. 

3 months ago I got some Snappers  , but still using the old TechnicsTT, but wish I still had the old Onkyo 2ch receiver, it was so beautiful, one of those rare "perfect" products.
Nice post!
Rich

[acresm22]

1975 it all started with:
Harmon Kardon Reciever
Ultralinear speakers
Pioneer manual TT (after high school I regularly had to replace the stylus after my stoney roommates would leave the record spinning all night after they passed out )
I bought at least 1-2 LPs every week when I was a junior and senior in high school.

My best friend's dad always was upgrading and I must have caught the bug from him.

I'll bet that Harmon Kardon receiver was the classic 430, am I right? My brother had of those with Altec speakers back in the mid-70s, along with a BIC turntable. I recall listening to the "Jaws" soundtrack on that rig...

[WEEZ]

My first system wasn't a 'system'; it was an RCA (vacuum tube) all-in-one 45rpm phonograph.

 

WEEZ

[Turnandcough]

My first system wasn't a 'system'; it was an RCA (vacuum tube) all-in-one 45rpm phonograph.

 

WEEZ

Same here. If my memory is good it had imitation crocodile motif on it.  I got it on my tenth birthday(1965) along with The Beatles "Ticket to Ride" 45. It must have drove my mother nuts listening to "She's got a ticket to riiide...but she don't care...my baby don't care" over and over and over again.

[WEEZ]

..yeah, it had a 'leatherette' case with a zipper

(I was 4 years old. Used it 'till I was 10)

[eric the red]

1975 it all started with:
Harmon Kardon Reciever
Ultralinear speakers
Pioneer manual TT (after high school I regularly had to replace the stylus after my stoney roommates would leave the record spinning all night after they passed out )
I bought at least 1-2 LPs every week when I was a junior and senior in high school.

My best friend's dad always was upgrading and I must have caught the bug from him.

I'll bet that Harmon Kardon receiver was the classic 430, am I right? My brother had of those with Altec speakers back in the mid-70s, along with a BIC turntable. I recall listening to the "Jaws" soundtrack on that rig...

That was it. And I still remember how happy I was when I finally bought my (first upgrade) dream speakers: Large Advents for it and my dream Dual TT with a Shure cartridge And 32 years later, here I still am searching for audio nirvana in vinylland again...

[Marbles]

My room mate my first semester had a nice HK receiver..I forget the rest of the system.

The next year I bought an Onkyo TX2500 MKII receiver, a Micro Seiki MB14 TT and large Advent speakers.

2 years later I upgraded to Sansui Sp6900 speakers and another Onkyo receiver.

I still have the Onkyo's and Sansui's.

[richidoo]

My first system wasn't a 'system'; it was an RCA (vacuum tube) all-in-one 45rpm phonograph.

 

WEEZ

Is that like a close N play with tube mod?
 
Rich