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Post a pic of your first Stereo (if you can find it) along with the year
Jimi Hendrix blew this up !!! in 1967
Bill
Follow Ups:
My first audio system back back in 1986 was a compact Sony FH-150R stack with upgraded Infinity Reference 3 speakers and some decent Monster cable. The Ref 3's were large 3-way bookshelf speakers which I recall bent the wooden shelf they were on! I thought that was a pretty awesome system for a student & still have fond memories of all the enjoyment it brought me.
Vitus SCD025, SIA025, Oppo BPD-103AU, Magico S5's, Taoc ASR racks + SCB-RS50g, Stillpoints Ultra 6's/Mini's/LPI's, Furutech GTX-D(G), Gigawatt PC-3 SE Evo, Jorma Prime pc's + xlr's/Statement sc's/Unity pc, Siltech Classic Anniversary rcas + HDMI
Edits: 09/20/15 09/20/15 09/20/15 09/20/15 09/20/15 09/20/15 09/20/15 09/20/15 09/20/15 09/20/15 09/20/15
First system was based on a Dynaco SCA35 built from a kit. I include a pic from the 'Net in case someone has never seen one. It looked simple enough to build, but NOT. Maybe if there had been an option to eliminate tone controls.
The turntable was an AR with a Shure M91 cartridge.
I had a homemade corner speaker (just the one) at first, but scrimped and saved and got a pair of the newly released Dynaco A25 speakers.
That was the first of dozens of systems over four decades. I've had the A25 speakers at least three times in separate systems.
Assembled in 1971: JVC 5550 receiver (60w/ch), Dual 1218 table, Shure V-15 cartridge, home made speakers, 1 Altec driver with JBL 075 super tweeters mounted on top.
Don't have a picture of it, but I remember it till this day. Actually, all I remember is the turntable and the stacker for stacking records. It was a LOT of fun. Don't even remember what it played back on, whether it had a speaker or not, but who cares. I still remember the 'pluck' when the records came down.
I (mostly) remember my first mono and my first stereo.
1. First audio system:
-Webcor (I think) record changer with GE magnetic PU.
-Harman Kardon "Prelude" PC-200 integrated amp
-GE 1201 12" FR speaker in River Edge bass reflex
2. My first stereo system:
-Weathers TT (from kit), Audax Arm (from kit), Pickering PU
-Eico HF-81 stereo integrated amp (from kit)
-Pair of Weathers "Book" speakers (size and shape of the Columbia Encyclopedia of the time).
-University 12" DVC woofer in a DIY bass reflex with a pair of 100Hz crossovers.
And the equipment stack was a vertical cabinet, all in one. Ah, the good old days. I had an audiophile in the family who I never met because he had passed away by the time I was born and I was allowed to mess with his stuff because it was just sitting there as a piece of furniture. Imagine, I could have began life with toys instead, and everything would have turned out differently, perhaps. I would be listening to an iPOD instead of a fine stereo!
Edits: 09/14/15
...played loud and dirty, but freshman year in college, who cared? Can you say, Cars' first album?
Loud was important, clean wasn't.
Luckily, my roomate 2nd year introduced me to Adcom, a/d/s, and The Wall on vinyl, and there was no going back !!
At least 50 amp/speaker combos since then (not to speak of sources)!
Cheers
Middle 60's when I was in high school.
Garrard AT-60 turntable, with a Pickering V-25 cartridge thrown in for a penny.
Lafayette LA-224a tube integrated with 6 "real" watts per channel.
A pair of Lafayette Criterion 50a speakers, a two way 8" ported speaker.
I paid half and my folks made up the difference.
parent's system: KLH model fifteen compact, which had Henry Kloss's only fraudulent speaker (it was ported)
College in 1970:
Roommate's Lenco (L75 I think - wish I had that now)
AR4x unfinished, bought at Grand Central Radio for something like $65-70 new
some Sansui or Lafayette receiver
A couple years later, new roommate and I start buying and selling Mac tube gear. We got pretty much everything in the Sunday NY Times, every week, and had a couple Japanese customers who would buy whatever we had, sight unseen. That changed things - we made good money, and were able to try out pretty much anything, so we did. Some of the more memorable gear from that period:
Infinity Servo Statik I panels (Arnie sent us replacement drivers gratis. He was amused that we had them in a dorm room.)
Magneplanar Tympani 1U
AR xa with a jury-rigged Transcriptor's arm
Thorens 150-II/Rabco SL8E
ARC SP3, Dual 76, and EC-4
all the Mac tube amps except the 3500
Mac C20, C22, C26 (C20 was my favorite)
lots of Dynaco - amps, preamps, SCA35, A25
Marantz 2270, some Sansui and Heath receivers
double Advents, then triples
Sony TA-3120F power amps - made magic with the Advents and awful on most else
Ampzilla
Klipsch Heresy, LaScala (it was college - loud was good)
JBL L100's (hated 'em, but fun with the right pop music, like ELO)
Infinity 2000A (another very flawed, sometimes fun speaker)
Rek-O-Kut with Decca arm and cartridge (now we're talking!)
Philips David
Dual 1218, 1219, 1229
some Benjamin Miracord turntable
ADC XLM, Shure V15, Stanton 681EEE. some Ortofon
Braun L300, L710, and the astonishing tri-amped LV-1020
Revox A77, then a Ferrograph
Crown SX724, CX824
some Scully - maybe 280?
QRK turntable
Sennheiser 414, Koss Pro 4-AA, Koss ESP-9
It was great fun, and we did graduate.
WW
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
And now I'm a week late to this post so may not generate much interest.
In the 8th grade I received a Steelman portable (mono) with AM, BSR changer and built in speaker. By the time I started college I "modified" it by wiring up a 10" outboard, full range (!) speaker. Then after school was interrupted by 3 years in the Navy I returned and built my first stereo system.
I don't have any pictures (sorry to say) but many of you will be familiar with the components. Those consisted of Dynakit St-70, PAS-3, and FM-3 (which all worked upon completion), with AR-4 speakers and a Dual 1009 with Empire cartridge. Then I built a "rack" with 12" decorator cement blocks and pine boards stained walnut to match the speakers and tt base.
Looking back I can't say many systems I assembled over the decades gave more musical pleasure. ;^)
"You can't know what the "best" is unless you have heard everything, and keep in mind that given individual tastes, there really isn't any such thing." HP
My first "real" stereo consisted of a Kenwood integrated (can't remember the model number but it looked similar to a KA-8100).
I bought it used from my brother; it originally powered mis-matched no-name speakers which were later replaced by Baby Advents (Christmas present from my brother - again!)
My main source was a Dual 1218 or 1219 turntable with a Shure M91ED cartridge.
*Sigh*... memories...
A Fisher Receiver with a turntable on top and two detachable speakers. Sounded good but my friend's Lafayette sounded better.
Cheers
Bill
my first stereo was a 1966 GE trimline 300 "portable", purchased at age 13 with my summer's berry picking money for $66.oo. It's appearance was nearly identical to your fold-away suitcase, save for it having one of those ubiquitous BSR changers and a dark brown leatherette covering.my first component system consisted of a Kenwood KR3200 receiver, Pioneer PL15 turntable & Cerwin Vega 2 ways(R24?}somewhere around 1972.IIRC, Cerwin Vega's motto was "loud is beautiful, if it's clean"- mine were played loud, not so much clean however.
the first system that I'd assembled that had even the remotest whiff of audiophile-cred was a few years later(74?) and consisted of a Yamaha CA800 integrated,matching CT600 tuner, Luxman PD121 turntable w/Grace 707/ Ortofon MC10 cart and the obligatory JBL Century L100a's and later AR10pi
Edits: 08/24/15 08/24/15
with integrated turntable and 8-track that my parents gave me, the first true "hi-fi" system I purchased was a pair of Cizek Model 1 speakers with a JVC 30 wpc receiver.
Luckily, the stereo store where I purchased them (in Lafayette, Louisianna) allowed full trade-in value within a month of purchase, and I was quickly tired of simply listening to FM, so I upgraded to a Kenwood 55 wpc integrated, with Sanyo Plus Series turntable and Ortofon cartridge, along with JBL L-50 speakers. It was boss, dude :)
My first stereo was a RadioShack all-in-one unit with turntable on top of an AM/FM receiver. The speakers were RadioShack house branded Realistic bookshelf speakers.
I later purchased a used Kenwood Integrated amp very much like the one in your photo along with a pair of used JBL L100 speakers with blue foam grills.
My first audiophile setup consisted of a used Classe 10 amp, Classe CP-45 preamp, Cal Icon mkII CDP, and a used pair of Thiel CS1.5 speakers.
Very true! And I, or my friends, have owned several of the same brands and models as yourself. Remember the RadioShack Minumum 7's that were the rage back in the late 80's? I bought a pair for my girlfriend and a friend had a pair mounted in the front of his Fiat... I've owned a Classe Tuner-1; a friend of mine owned the CAL Icon Mk II back in the early 90's (and I thought it was excellent); and I talked another good friend into buying the Thiel 2.2s back in '93 (before the Bose lawsuit that forced a rename to "2 space 2"). He still has them today, along with a Theta CD transport and DAC and Aragon 2004 amp and preamp - all purchased from Absolute Sound in Winter Park, FL., which sadly is no more. Ah, the good old days :)
I remember reading in the Consumer Reports about their best tested small speakers and the Radio Shack steel minimus came tops. I dont know why but I ended up buying the second, the Lafayette Minimus for $100. A very good speaker that was driven to clean heights by my Advent Receiver playing the Beethoven Nine through Dual turntable and Pickering cartridge. I can still hear it.
Cheers
Bill
I also owned a Dual turntable in the mid-80's - in between B&O tables - - forget the cartridge though...my dream receiver back then was the big Yamaha. Loved the fake ebony case and green lights, with the silver powdered finish :)
Excellent pics!
No kidding... now that you mention it I recall having a pair of those metal Radio Shack Minimus 7. Many years later I purchased a pair of RadioShack Optimus Pro LX5 speakers. Those were my last pair of RS speakers.
I wanted a pair of Thiel 2 2 back in the day but they were a bit out of my price range and the Thiel 1.5 were probably a better size fit for my listening room at the time.
Yep, I love Thiel speakers as well.
In 1980 I swapped my JBLs for these little guys...back when we had to order components from magazine ads and catalogs. That bass computer looked cool, if nothing else :) Have always been impressed with Thiels...I often compared my Acoustats with my friend's 2.2s - they both had their strengths, for sure...
If we don't count my parents' Sears Silvertone console which was the first thing on which I listened to records, the first stereo I owned was a second hand Panasonic RE7670 mini system that I bought from my freshman dorm roommate. It came with a cheap Garrard turntable. I passed the Panny on to my younger brother the next summer when I bought my first new stereo. That rig consisted of a Pioneer SA-8100 integrated amp, Sansui SR-212 belt drive turntable (similar to the classic Pioneer PL-12D turntable but the Sansui had an auto - arm return mechanism), Cerwin - Vega Model 24 speakers (a 12" 3 way ported design with CV's dome - in - a - horn "dhorm" tweeter), and Koss Pro - 4AA headphones. The cartridge might have been a Shure M91ED or an Empire. Speaker cable was some zip cord the dealer threw in for free. I think the whole system cost a whopping $440 which was more than my tuition at the University of Virginia that year!
it was some kind of Sears phono player with a top that opened for access. Played 45s and 33.3s.
Whats interesting about this thread is you can almost? guess the age of the posters by their systems, unless inherited from their fathers
Bill
Yes you can tell a bunch about ages.Its pretty cool seeing this old stuff.
My dad built a stereo.mono of course.But in my late reens i forgot about it and my brother sold it.
I just wished i would have grabbed it.k still regret it to this day.
...or their father had a time machine in which case he could have supplied gifts from the future.
Infamous sockpuppet
EICO HF81 integrated amp, Weathers turntable, G.A. Briggs (Wharfedale) designed column speaker enclosures with Jensen drivers
Dynaco Stereo 70, Madison Fielding Preamp, Dual Turntable with Stanton cartridge and Bozak 301 speakers.
My first bought system was Stereotech receiver and speakers with a Teac Cassette deck and dual 1219 TT.
Yeah, my first stereo, circa 1970, was a real system, (lucky me), not a tacky portable changer. I don't have pictures I took myself but there are some decent ones on the Interweb.Dynaco PAT-4 pre and Dynaco ST-80 amp ...
Lenco L75 turntable ...
Shure M97 cartridge, (an earlier version than this one) ...
Dynaco A25 speakers ...
I love the music of Dmitri Shostakovich
Edits: 08/31/15
My 1st college system had a Dyna SCA35 integrated amp, which I replaced with a PAT-4 and ST-80 I built from kits. But I couldn't afford the Dyna A-25 loudspeakers. I had to settle for the bottom of the line KLH-32.
Russ
Got one of these my freshman year at the US Air Force Academy, Spring 1970. It was the cat's meow in the 6th squadron dorm.
My parents had some Magnavox "suitcase" model with a detachable speaker (one speaker was in the base unit, the other was hinged to that base unit but could be detached and moved 4-6 feet on a cable) that I used as a teenager.
MY first stereo (which I got in 1970) consisted of:
Dynaco SCA-80Q integrated amp (built from a kit), with "Quadraphonic" sound
AR-XA turntable and whatever cartridge (Pickering?) it came with
Dynaco A-25 speakers
Wire from whatever the "Home Depot" of that day was
I stayed up all night building the SCA-80Q, powered it up - and FLAMES shot out of it! Turns out I had some big honking resistor installed backwards. I was crushed! But we took it to some electronics place, who replaced the resistor (no other collateral damaged) and it sounded great. I think I had it until 1978 or 1979.
rlindsa
Dont have pics,Sony str 7065,Infinity Monitor juniors,Philips 312 1975
Roberts 1057 tube tape recorder and separate Roberts speakers. 1962. Stolen in 1967.
well my first 'real' stereo...bought everything in Okinawa, Japan '83, actual photo taken circa '89 with my daughter and son. Original Advents purchased at a swap meet in Alameda for $40/pair.
...and this one, but it was a Zenith in 1965 - green - with 3 speakers in each side. They were detachable for better stereo separation in my dorm room.
...in the summer of 1964 before our senior year in high school, one of my best friends got the first component stereo system I had ever seen for his birthday.
Scott speakers, a Fisher receiver and maybe a Garrard turntable.
It was awesome - I recall sitting on his bed listening to the Rolling Stones 12 X 5.
Turntable- Technics SL-Q200 with an Audio Technica cart (P-Mount, can't remember model)
Amp- JVC AK-300B (it wasn't so hot, but beat the crappy suitacse record player of my childhood)
Speakers- Paisley Point 5 (small bookshelf with Vifa 6.5" woofer and 3/4" tweeter)
CD Player- Emerson CD-160 (or whatever the first model in '84 was?)
Tape Deck- Technics RS-B12 (or whatever their entry was at the time with Dobly C NR)
I guess I miss this stuff only for nostalgic reasons; my system today would stomp all over it (and even that isn't all that hot/expensive)!
Dman
Analog Junkie
Inherited Emerson tube console, with a Garrard changer.
Next was an AM-FM receiver with 8 track and a Radio Shack/ BIC crystal stylus turntable
Next was a Heathkit AR1500 receiver, crazy eddy house brand speakers that kept blowing tweeters- upgraded to a pair of AR5 speakers, DUAL 1229q TT empire 3000/eee cartridge and BIC T2 cassette deck.
And from there down the rabbit hole of this hobby.
Actually I have pix of most of my systems
Bill
Similar to yours. Second stereo was much more interesting. Marantz 8b/7c combo I bought used for 50 bucks.
The cartridge is stuck inside my Magnavox CDB 586. There is one CD in the cartidge. I can't get the cartridge to eject. I've taken the top off and still can't get it to eject. Can anyone help?
Bob
Did you blow your right speaker playing Third Stone From the Sun??
That would be weird
Bill
Next to my bed on the floor bed:A pair of CV 3 way 10 in. Speakers (pic not mine) driven by an original NAD 3020 and a Dual CS 505 with matching Ortofon cart. The CVs were really efficient and in my small room Kansas and Pink Floyd could blow your brains out.
Edits: 08/23/15 08/23/15
Yep- I too started out w/ the CV AT-12 model. An excellent speaker for Rock music!
Funny about trends/styles and such (speaking of my equipment rack now). Early 70's, my wife & I "built" our first stereo rack which consisted of cinderblocks covered w/black burlap fabric, which in turn supported a 10" x 3/4" x 6' pine board (stained a beautiful shade of walnut). So elegant!!!! Well, at least it was very cool thought we. It was probably 3 boards/cinderblocks high. As far as equipment, and not sure it was my 1st, but was close, it held a Sansui integrated amp AU717 & tuner TU717, along w/AR TT & a Pioneer cassette deck. Speakers were Maggies, MG1 maybe?. We used to walk by the rack, stop & be blown away at how cool that cinderblock & wood rack/stand looked. But we were young, freshly married and after partaking of some of my wifes "special" brownies, heck, a diy doghouse would have looked just as cool. knowhatimean?
Everyone thinks I'm strange except my friends deep inside the earth
In stylish white! Circa 1977.
With a Teac A350 cassette deck and Pioneer headphones which were housed inside a separate matching media cabinet.
The Zenith I inherited from my brother when I was a freshman in H.S. in '63. The KLH 24 was the first stereo I bought with my own money, circa '68. Loved it.
It was likely this unit.... The image states it's an Aircastle SE-1200, but I think mine was badged with a different brand name and model. It had a tuner and 8-track player. (Picture shows 8-track tape inserted on the right side of the "left" speaker.) The stereo speakers clipped together, and had a handle up top (rear of "left" speaker) to carry like a lunch box.The first "component" stereo I had was a small Lafayette integrated amplifier with "ARX 444" speakers (from the infamous Cal Stereo in Los Angeles).
Edits: 08/22/15
marc g. - audiophile by day, music lover by night
Wasn't the output like 1.3 watts/channel?
nt
Dman
Analog Junkie
No pics available, but it consisted of:
Miracord 10H turntable w/ Shure cartridge
Fisher 500 receiver
University 312 12" triaxial speakers in homebuilt plywood ported enclosures.
It replaced a mono Webcor "portable" ceramic-cartridged record player.
Jim
http://jimtranr.com
1977: Craig Series 3000 receiver, 17 W/channel
Realistic Optimus 1B speakers (still have)
Realistic changer (upper-line one with the umbrella spindle), forget cartridge but probably Empire
Thought this system was amazing as my friend only had an all-in-one unit. UNTIL he got his Pioneer SX-650. He was on top of the world. UNTIL I got my Pioneer SX-880 (still have). Sadly, he died this past year, never having quite caught up. Of course, he HAD moved on, a long time ago, to other things.
Mark in NC
"The thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts and our brains" -Paul Simon
Don't know how to do pictures. Mine was the wood version, but it went from room to dorm and room. Sandy Koufax had the suitcase version that he took on the road.
Great pics!
min 1980s GPX boom box, it had a tape cassette player and it could record the radio stations too, it was great.
been downhill ever since :)
Dynaco PAS2 kit
Dynaco Stereo 70 kit
AR2a speakers
AR turntable/ADC Point 4E cartridge
Scott LT110B tuner kit
Edits: 08/22/15
In the early-80s, as an elementary school kid, I received personal stereos from relatives. Thus, I did the majority of my music listening via headphones. I also had a plastic Emerson record player, which scratched and raked the hell out of my vinyl collection.Indeed, my generation grew up on Walkman-type portables.
The top photo was from the Spring '87 semester, while I was a high school sophomore. My friends/classmates said I had Slayer's Reign In Blood in that Sony WM-F107 Sports Walkman. No. Since I was with CT (the girl with the blue collar), I can tell you that I did not have thrash metal in my Walkman. I most likely had Steve Winwood's Back In The High Life . That cassette had a clear plastic outer shell. As my old friend Larry said, "How can we be back in high life, when we were never in it, in the first place?"
As I've written repeatedly, there were only two types of girls who went for me. #1, the sports hacks, 'cuz they liked kicking my butt in athletics. #2, the 4.0+ GPA super nerds, who kicked my butt intellectually and academically. CT was part of this #2 group. She thought my being dumb and wacky (and audio was a part of that) was cute. Since I was not remotely in competition for grades with these super nerd girls, they did not view me as a threat. They especially liked tutoring/helping me in the natural sciences and advanced math. For their efforts, they just got Lummy's blank stare, as my brain froze, when trying to picture and comprehend the unit circle, and trig functions/relations.
In turn, those nerd girls loved my knowledge of popular music, always wanted ME to choose what to listen to. As if regular peer pressure weren't enough, being looked upon to satisfy their musical cravings would make me extra nervous. I did not want to let them down, let the party fizzle awkwardly. Oh well, that experience is why the audiophiles turn to me for popular music suggestions, history, and background.
As for home stereo, starting in 1986, I started putting together a system, which would fit into an "entertainment center." The bottom photo is from either summer or fall '87. The audio portion consisted of:
Sony ST-7TV MTS stereo TV tuner
Sony STR-AV780 receiver
Sony CDP-520ESII CD player
some Sony APM loudspeakersOkay, okay, I did use Monster IL-400 interconnects, and Original Monster speaker cable. Yes, that is a Nintendo NES on top of the left speaker. After turning off the NES, we probably listened to the Breakfast Club (Madonna's old band) and the Cutting Crew.
Too bad we did not have a device such as the audiodharma Cable Cooker back then! Such a product would have fired up my friends/classmates. Since we had identical 1-meter pairs of the IL-400, we could have done that experiment, where we Cook one pair, and compare it to an untreated pair.
The Audiophiles' DJ,
-Lummy The Loch Monster
Edits: 08/22/15 08/22/15 08/22/15 08/22/15
which is pretty good, and the homework help musta been nice.
She's probably got a cushy, high-income job. Probably a grandmother by now too. Guess you'll find out next class reunion! :)
Let's go back to the summer of 1986. Peter Cetera's "Glory Of Love," from Karate Kid 2, was ubiquitous. Because of this song, I assumed that I'd go back to Honolulu, and get a girl from Punahou. After all, many of the Punahou girls looked like Tamlyn Tomita.But then I went home to San Francisco, for the 86-87 school year. I met CT through clubs and common friends. Around Halloween, I traipsed through the courtyard. It was an odd mix of food wrappers, haze, low-lying yellow-orange light, warm sun, and cold ocean air. Under the walkway, the hoops punks and their hoochie girlfriends were rapping to the Beastie Boys and Run DMC. On the outdoor tables were the modern rock fans, who were playing material from Erasure, New Order, and The Smiths.
One of CT's girlfriends came bouncing along, Tigger-style. In a sing-songy voice, she teased me, "CT likes you, CT likes you, CT likes you."
And she was right. All of a sudden, I felt this huge weight or burden on my shoulders.
A couple weeks into November, about a dozen of us sophomores and freshmen were taking a break from playing sports. As was common, we were discussing (popular) music. I don't know what brought it up, but I argued that, instead of listening to what the media kept playing over and over again, you need to dig into those artists' "secondary" hits, which are often better than the #1s.
Someone mentioned Robert Palmer. So I argued that, instead on hearing "Addicted To Love," play Palmer's killer "Hyperactive." Or, if you are a true fan, go back to his Powerstation days, and select "Communication."
Our friend Andy happened to have these, and he said something like, "Damn, we can always count on Lummy to find the good stuff."
CT had this amazingly logical, analytical, organized, structured way of thinking and writing. Even in speech, she was cognizant about using proper grammar. She did not split infinitives, use indefinite pronoun reference, botch subjunctive mood, or misuse who/whom. On top of that, her hand writing was neat, uniform, legible, and pretty. Even when she'd slip love notes into my locker, they were grammatically correct.
One phenomenon which did trip up CT was hormones. One January afternoon, on account of clubs, about ten of us were discussing a weekend field trip. Um, let me use today's jargon. About me, CT said something sexually inappropriate, made an unwelcome advance. Of course, our schoolmates were giddy. And that's really when CT and I had to confront the girlfriend/boyfriend thing.
Remember, because she took honors and AP classes, CT's weighted GPA was well north of 4.0. No dummy, she didn't just ask her friends for advice. Since she was a favorite of several teachers, she turned to them for guidance. As a student with bad grades, I was toast.
One of the counselors sat me and CT down. Yes, the counselor said that she and the staff provided information on sexual health. But she really wanted to have me and CT discuss relationships. My instinct was to clam up, but the counselor somehow got me to put down some of the barriers (okay, so I couldn't get OMD's "Forever Live And Die" out of my head).
CT said she loved watching me play sports, lead underdogs, take on bigger, older, faster, tougher opponents. "Someday, he'll fight for me." She said she admired my "crafty" and "devilish" way of thinking. She said she aways looked forward to me writing notes or letters, which would make her heart beat faster, and blush with excitement.
I looked at her like, 'Wha?!" Finally making eye contact with the counselor, I said in a boyish tone that when I was with CT, I felt as though I were walking on eggshells. I was afraid to make mistakes, afraid to let the bad Lummy slip out, afraid that nothing I was or did could ever be good enough for CT. One of the toughest things I did (which makes writing about audio a piece of cake) was drumming up enough courage, to tell the counselor that I did think about CT as the mother of my children, and that those thoughts were intimidating, confusing, distressing, AND interesting and exciting.
Bless that counselor; she told me and CT that what we were feeling was perfectly normal. There was nothing wrong with me and/or CT. We just needed to be armed with the right and appropriate information, and be mature in the proper setting.
CT and I were "fine," definitely got along as friends, found common ground and halfway points. Hint: the music helped find that common ground. By telling each other what we liked and disliked, by being open to different genres of music, CT and I developed good chemistry.
After that counseling session, CT and I made Steve Winwood's "The Finer Things" our song.
In April or May 1987, despite being underclassmen, CT and I decided to go on a tour of Sacramento area colleges. Though still spring, it was in the mid-to-upper 90s. I wilted in that heat. Man, we could not escape hearing Atlantic Starr's "Always," Kim Wilde's "You Keep Me Hanging On," and Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now." Our jitney bus had left UC Davis, when I stood up and said, "Since we're in Sacramento, why don't we play Tesla, who are from Sacramento?"
I handed Tesla's Mechanical Resonance to the driver, who popped it into the jitney's cassette player. I pointed out that Tesla preferred to use tube amps, and avoid, as much as possible, synthesizers and signal processors. Though unfamiliar with Tesla, the students on the bus loved and rocked out to "Modern Day Cowboy." CT was proud of me.
Several of my classmates (but not CT) would go on to see Tesla in concert. In fact, in 1990, my brother got to see Tesla do the "Unplugged" show at Slim's in San Francisco.
We ended that 86-87 school year with Heart's "Alone," Motley Crue's "Girls, Girls, Girls," and Simply Red's "The Right Thing." With music that good, how can you not become an audiophile? Oh, we already were audiophiles :-)
Music = life. Regardless of what our first stereo was, when writing about audio, I do not separate music and life.
Every now and then, I do see and communicate with CT. She was so stellar in biotech, her employer made her a lawyer, to protect intellectual property. Sheesh.
Okay, of the guys here, which ones actually did marry a woman who looked like Tamlyn Tomita? For the gals here, sorry, Punahou's Barack Obama is taken :-)
Edits: 08/23/15 08/23/15 08/23/15 08/23/15 08/23/15
I can't relate well to the music choices -- you're half a decade behind me --
but the romantic entanglement problem is universal, applying to all times & places. Heehee.
Thanks for taking the time!
Otis
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NAD 3020
Micro Seiki table
Yamaha T-1 tuner
The Advent Loudspeaker
If you don't become the ocean, you'll be seasick every day.
- Leonard Cohen
Funny - just saw that same photo on eBay.
My first stereo was one of these...had to put a nickel on top of the record player so it wouldn't skip. Forgot what kind of tubes it used.
Dynobots Audio
Music is the Bridge between Heaven and Earth - 音楽は天国と地球のかけ橋
My first stereo was our family stereo
JBL L65
Sansui 8080DB
Sansui Casette Deck the model I can't remember
Technics Turntable was it a 3350 or was it a 1600 can't remember.
Yes, the 'ol coin tweak...many audiophiles' first tweak probably!.
It's a solid copper Lincoln tracking enhancer!
rlindsa
I agree...pity I was too young to think about marketing schemes!.
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