It wasn't a component, but a system. My first real audio components were the Kenwood 4070 40W receiver, a Sharp RT-3388 Computer-Controlled cassette deck and a pair of the Large Advent speakers with the rounded real wood trim.
The cassette deck was the coolest thing at the time because it sensed the blank spaces between the songs so you could program it to skip single or multiple selections. It had three heads and was bi-directional.
The speakers sounded great. They were an acoustic suspension 2-way system with sweet highs and well-behaved bass.
The receiver was a great performer for the price. I later gave the Advents to a friend and bought a pair of Klipsch Kg4s. A very nice beginning to a very fulfilling hobby.