the gateway product that turned you into an audiophile

@foggyus91 suggested/pushed/encouraged me to start a thread about this. It was related to Darko's post about 12 audiophile misconceptions. One was that we are all about music - vs gear. I think that subject has been chewed up already a 100 times. I am not sure anyone has anything new to say.

However, that made me think about the day I turned into an audiophile.

It was when I bought my first "gateway" product that was affordable but audiophile quality and led me to explore more and tweak and switch and experiment and never be fully content but always be smiling when I turned the power on. It's been about the sound and not the music and that's fine. But I realize now that those Monitor Audio speakers I bought from craigslist were my gateway drug

Were you always an audiophile or was there such a moment and a piece of hardware that made the difference?

(Lastly, I am very uneasy and on the fence about this forum and starting a thread - for my last correspondence with the moderators. What I learned should bother anyone who cares about fairness or even the appearance of it. I can't discuss it because it will get removed - I tried, my comment lived for less than 5 minutes, )

gano06-12-2025 5:08pm

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nonoise Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 11,195 posts 06-12-2025 at 09:18pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Mine were Magnapan Tympani speaker just like these: I got them from Roger Sound Labs when they had one of their sales. They were laying against a wall in their back room and was told they were the owners personal speakers and quoted me a price. It's been downhill ever since. 😄 All the best, Nonoise
foggyus91 Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 118 posts 06-12-2025 at 09:26pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete 1977 saved all my money from bussing tables at a local pizza joint in Chicago and marched down to Lafayette Electronics and purchased a complete system LR 5555A receiver, Speakers Lafayette Criterion 6 speakers and Lafayette T1000 TT. Man it was the best.
chayro Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 3,037 posts 06-12-2025 at 09:36pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete I was always into stereo since I was a little kid and heard my uncle’s JBL Paragon/Mac system. I went through a Crazy Eddy phase with Cerwin Vega, ESS, Marantz, etc. But then I started reading The Audio Critic and learned about DCM Time Windows, Rappaport, , Janis, AGI, etc., and the worm turned to boutique audio. And it has sustained ever since.
toro3 Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 386 posts 06-12-2025 at 09:41pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Unsure if I’ve always been an audiophile, but I’ve always been attracted to speakers. Starting working at Cineplex Odeon at 15 and the first thing I purchased before saving for a beat up car were these Cerwin Vega VS-120s connected to an old Sony Receiver and CD Player. And to be honest, I don’t think I’ve experienced the same consistency of enjoyment with my current system. Something about the new experience and sharing the CVs with friends in the 90’s digs really deep for me.
jwillox Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 203 posts 06-12-2025 at 11:47pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete mid 70s Altec bi-amped speakers with SAE preamp, modest turntable and I can't remember the cart. Direct to Disc recording really hooked me, and the rest is not history yet. Added a Nakamichi LX-7 cassette. Moved to Seattle in '85, cot the deck serviced and new heads installed. I had purchased some Tandberg monoblocs, and when I went to sell them the tech that serviced the Nak agreed to my asking price on the amps *if I would sell the Nak with it - took my asking price on all, and I was off to the next phase.