My first two "systems" were not really systems. In 1969 I got my older sister's hand held RCA AM/FM radio that no longer had an antenna. My dad fashioned one out of a metal coat hanger. I used to listen to music under the covers as to not have my dad come in and demand that I turn it off.

By 1975 I had saved enough to buy a Panasonic AM/FM/cassette player. It had a 4 inch speaker and could play much louder than the old RCA. I soon started recording songs off the radio one by one.

In 1978 I received an actual system as a graduation present. It was a Panasonic receiver with an 8-track player built in, and 2 Pioneer Project 100A speakers. I later added a Panasonic cassette player that had a new tech called Dolby. Then I added a Gerard turntable. (I still have this receiver. It can even still play 8-tracks)