So it's not just me.....I'll postpone the session with my therapist. I really believe there's some science or other logical explanation for this anomaly. Like a newborn animal, maybe we were 'imprinted' with the sound from our first system. I'll never forget hearing Paul McCartney's album 'Ram' on what was to me at the time, a good stereo system while I was overseas in the Army. It was almost like a religious conversion (think Saul on the road to Damascus), and I knew right then that I was hooked. Fifty years later, that sound is akin to what you referred to, an old friend.
Aging Gear for Aging Ears
A couple of weeks ago I picked up a Kenwood KA-501 integrated amp to power a small system that's primarily used for background music in my combination mini-den/computer room. Since space is at a premium, a set of Totem Mites was chosen to pair with the amp, and the sound wasn't bad at all. Then I found myself wanting more bass than was possible with the Mites, and decided to hook up a pair of Genesis 1 speakers.Talk about serendipity....it's like the amp and speakers were made for each other. The 65 watt output from the KA-501 definitely helps the 8-inch woofers on the Genesis' deliver the goods. The sound is solidly mid-fi, but to my vintage ears, there's not much lacking. A Sansui TU-217 tuner is the source, and I found my toes tapping to the sound these pieces from the late 1970s project into the room. Sometimes it's good to let technical aspects and critical-listening practices take a vacation, kick back and enjoy the music.