what was your first high end sound experience?

[harley .guy07]

This question has probably been asked before but I figured with some newer members on here I might as well ask it. When you got into audio as a hobby what was your first true high end experience and how did it effect your own system after this experience. I know mine was in the 80's when I heard a set of Infinity kappa towers ran by some Pass labs amps and the guy I knew that owned this equipment had several preamps from different manufacturers and amps that he switched back and forth and I can't remember the make and model of every one since most of them I did not recognize at that time but I do remember the Pass amps but he I was doing some work on his C band satellite system and getting his jack arm and dish set up for him after a wind storm and he asked if I wanted to hear his system and I jumped at the chance since my home town of Joplin Mo did not have a shop that sold equipment of this quality so I knew I better jump on it while I had the chance to listen to some quality stuff with out having to travel to a big city shop to hear it and listen to a salesman babble about it being the best. The guy was very nice and me and my friend set there for around 4 hours that day just listening to different music and electronics. I think he had a thorens turntable but I might be wrong and he had the nakamichi tape deck that flipped the cassette manually which was cool to see but he did not play it because he hated cassettes and mainly bought it so his wife could listen to her stuff she listened to in her car. Infinity speakers in the 80's were some awesome speakers and it really woke me up to what I was missing in my own system and from then on it was history. I started my may to building the best system I could afford and through the years have changed things but I will always remember my first high end audio experience.

[pixelthis]

I WAS A KID, used to hang out quite a bit at a local store (until it folded).
MCINTOSH, played through JBL, AR , and other various speakers, with turntables
that looked like something from outer space. HE did have some Duals and B.I.C
stuff, and a few THORENS for general sale.
LATER on there were shops in BIRMINGHAM, Likkus audio, and a place in five points
where I bought a top of the line Denon once.
MOST audio shops around here have folded as of late, I would have to drive several hundred miles for a listening session. SAD, really.:1:

[Jimmy C]

...and yeah, I have said this before... probably '79, '80... went into "Designatrons" in Stony Brook, Long Island.

I heard the Boston A400s (their top of the line @ the time) and I was blown away... it was supple, quick (relatively), great bass, non-fatigueing, and had a quiet black background. One could listen to these all day. I also knew the $900 tariff was waaay too much.

So what did I do? Bought the baby brother (OK, infant brother) the A70s. I was a very happy 13-14 year old!

[E-Stat]

When you got into audio as a hobby what was your first true high end experience...
Fall of '74 when I was 17.

The Atlanta area had a good mix of dealers then and by that time, I was familiar with most of them. Each one carries a story. Then a shop opened near me. Whenever I first walked in a new place, I asked questions for which I knew the answer - just to get reactions and a sense of the salesman. I was really surprised because this guy was sincere and really on the level. I had Double Advents and wanted to see what he offered. He sold FMI80s and the Braun (later A/D/S) line. Ended up with a pair of tri-amped (what today folks would call "active") LV-1020s. More importantly, Julian took me upstairs to hear what was there. Tri-amped Magneplanar Tympani IIIs using ARC crossover, two D76s and a Crown DC-300a on the bottom. Front end was an SP-3a preamp with Linn Sondek LP-12/SME/Ortofon cartridge.

Whoa! Are you kidding me? Everything changed. Bought first pair two years later. Longer story, I ended up working for him.


and how did it effect your own system after this experience.
Profoundly.

As much with the ear-opening moment as with meeting other area audiophiles who stopped by the shop. While the ranks were many, one was the good Dr. Cooledge of The Absolute Sound. Wazzat? I soon learned. He had these funky Dayton-Wright full range electrostats... And from that, many long friendships developed.

rw

[tube fan]

One of my friends had a double set of KLH 9s driven by Marantz 9s. I forget the tt, but the cartridge was the famous London Decca. Have I heard anything better? Not really!

[harley .guy07]

that's some really cool stuff guys. That's what I like hearing how people got into this hobby and why they have such a passion for music and electronics. Its been my passion for years now and even though I might not have the highest end system here it surprises me for what it does for the money involved. This is good stuff and I would like to hear more stories about how all you guys got into this time,money consuming hobby that we all love. Keep it coming!

[pixelthis]

that's some really cool stuff guys. That's what I like hearing how people got into this hobby and why they have such a passion for music and electronics. Its been my passion for years now and even though I might not have the highest end system here it surprises me for what it does for the money involved. This is good stuff and I would like to hear more stories about how all you guys got into this time,money consuming hobby that we all love. Keep it coming!

GOOD gear is not always why people get into this hobby.
I used to listen to a 9 volt radio in bed, was quite happy, then one CHRISTMAS
I got a cheap CHINESE radio, and was amazed at how different the music sounded.
Some music I used to love, I decided was not so good, once I could hear it(sort of).
A love of science and the way things work , and a fundamental love of music,
and its off to the races.
So it was not falling in love with any kind of gear, really, it was the utter coolness
of such gear, and the amazing sounds that it produced.
ONCE I visited a distant relative, he had a Sansui receiver, other kinds of gear, I
was a young teen, but decided that this was something I wanted.
Its kinda like my love of cars, its so ingrained and has always been there, really.:1:

[Hyfi]

I can't pinpoint one instance.

My oldest brother was building Heathkit, Hafler, and Dynaco gear on the kitchen table since i was a toddler. That gear was coupled with AR speakers. My second brother eventually got some Sumo Separates to go with the ARs which was also nice.

I do remember a store called Sassafras where I first heard Luxman gear with Maggies which was way cool at the time. It was also the first place I saw the Boston Sat-Sub setup.

As I got older my brothers took me to Soundex in Willow Grove PA where I saw monsterous Dunlavey speakers, McIntosh gear along with BAT, Dynaudio, CAL, and lots more.

The best system I ever heard was the complete Dynaudio Arbiter setup from Pre to Monoblocks to speakers.

[harley .guy07]

I can't pinpoint one instance.

My oldest brother was building Heathkit, Hafler, and Dynaco gear on the kitchen table since i was a toddler. That gear was coupled with AR speakers. My second brother eventually got some Sumo Separates to go with the ARs which was also nice.

I do remember a store called Sassafras where I first heard Luxman gear with Maggies which was way cool at the time. It was also the first place I saw the Boston Sat-Sub setup.

As I got older my brothers took me to Soundex in Willow Grove PA where I saw monsterous Dunlavey speakers, McIntosh gear along with BAT, Dynaudio, CAL, and lots more.

The best system I ever heard was the complete Dynaudio Arbiter setup from Pre to Monoblocks to speakers.

I hear you. You guys have heard some good stuff and it has shaped you as a person and as an audiophile. seeing that your brothers were building their own gear with Heath kit stuff must of made you want to explore the audio world. A little before my time but none the less very good stuff. I wasn't quite paste the heath kit phase when my dad had a friend that built one of heir kit amps and he brought it over and it sounded good with what we had to work with and he was really into the DIY thing back then, he would build speakers out of no reason and have us try them out to see if they were any good. some of them were and some of them weren't but he tried and give him credit for it.

[Glen B]

My first high end experience was at a Stereophile Magazine high end show back in the late '80s. For years I had always tossed their magazine subscription offers I received in the trash as nonsense. This high end with all the strange brands had to be a joke, or so I thought. Finally, I read they were having a show in my town -- giving me a chance to do what I love -- look at stereo equipment. The systems I saw and heard at the show opened up my eyes and ears. The rest is history.

[JohnMichael]

My first experience with high end components in a stereo was a pair of Apogee speakers driven by Ed Meitner amps and the source was an early Sony SACD player. I was very impressed at the time and think I still would be impressed if I could hear that stereo again. Next would have to be the Wilson Watt/Puppy drivenIi by Spectral amps and source was a record player. I remember they used the Rotel RQ 970bx for the phono pre.

[Hyfi]

My first experience with high end components in a stereo was a pair of Apogee speakers driven by Ed Meitner amps and the source was an early Sony SACD player. I was very impressed at the time and think I still would be impressed if I could hear that stereo again. Next would have to be the Wilson Watt/Puppy drivenIi by Spectral amps and source was a record player. I remember they used the Rotel RQ 970bx for the phono pre.

I got to hear the Wilson Grand Slams driven by some huge Krell Monoblocks and Mark Levinson CDP. Wilson makes nice speakers if ya can afford them.

[frenchmon]

Well for me it was in the late 70's. Sad to say...me and a buddy would ride around in his 56 Chevy smoking weed with radio always blasting hard rock. I loved music any ways at an early age, Dad would always play the blues on the old cheap stereo we had at home. One day while me and my buddy where smoking weed and crusing, we decided to stop into a local hi-fi shop and thats where I first saw what music really sounded like. We listen to some Marantz gear and thats all it took. I'm still a Marantz lover today.