Personal speaker evolution

"pre-audiophile"

Motorola stereo phono with little integrated foldout speaks (first stereo as a kid)

Sanyo am/fm/cassette/phono integrated as an older kid (1st stereo "system")

Then:

Lafayette Criterion short floor-standers with Heil tweeters (model??)

Ohm L (still have these though custom tweaked /upgraded)

Tall, square, shallow Radio Shack/Optimus (model?? these had no bass but otherwise were not half bad) also Optimus, Minimus 7's (still have these), other decent sounding Optimus

Ohm Walsh 2

Magnepan MG1.3c

B&W P6

Triangle Titus 202 (still own these)

Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mkII (still own these)

Ohm "Super" Walsh 2 Series 3 (still own these)

Ohm f-5 Series 3 (still own these)

Sound Design from Spiegel catalog, total system including 8 track $99.99 circa 1970 when I was 16.
Bose 501 in a quad system $600
Pioneer HPM-200 $1000
Kef 103/3 $1500
Martin Logan Scenario $750
Martin Logan Aeon I $2300

Best Buy - JBL rectangular boxes with 12" woofers - $600
NHT 2.5i - $1400 a pair
Canton Vento - $3500 a pair
Krell Resolution 2 - $9500 a pair
Aerial Acoustics 20T - $29,000 a pair

I think I am done for a while. Maybe Wilson Grand Slams used one of these days...

Longines Symphonette plastic shoeboxes (part of a "record player" system) > Emerson Electronics plastic shoeboxes (part of my first "real" stereo system) > Panasonic (part of an all-in-one reveiver, turntable, 8-track player package) > Mission 717's > "better" Missions (model # long forgotten) > Miller & Kriesel Satellite/subwoofer system > B&W "600 something" stand mounted monitors > Vandersteen 1C's.

1964

Foldout phono - Family record player, speakers were detachable from main unit and could be 'positioned' to improve the 'sound'.

1973

Small Advents - Boston Tech Hifi, used

1983

B & W DM23* - Berkeley, new

1990s

Second System, JBL satellites & subwoofer from box store.

2000s

Second and Third Systems, Thriftstore Potpourri:

- Large Advents*,
- B & O S60*,
- PSB satellites*,
- Energy subwoofer*.
- Boston A100,
- Infinity RS-100 satellites,

(Total expense around $100)

2008

Interest in sound quality is revitalized.

Second System DCM-400* - Thiftshop
Primary System Usher CP-737** - Craigslist
Third System ADS L730* - Craigslist

* = Still own and use
** = Will "ALWAYS" own and use!

My primary system drives speakers through an Adcom speaker selector so I can trace progress over the highlights from the past. It is a guilty little pleasure to demonstrate, usually to myself, how much improved the quality of the sound has improved.