Same here. I had been reading electronics mags for a couple of years and really wanted to move on from the old portable record player with speakers I inherited from an older sister, and the table radio. I was talking to my Mom about Christmas presents I wanted and told her I’d really like to have a new stereo receiver. Mom didn’t know anything about such gear, but she went to a local department store and a salesman recommended a model. This one — Pioneer SX-626:
https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/pioneer/sx-626.shtml
I received it on Christmas 1971 when I was a month shy of 17. It was pricey — $300! I loved it but had nothing else to attach to it or play it through. For a while I got by listening on cheap headphones, until I gradually fleshed out the rest of the system. The page above states 20 watts per channel, but the manual that came with it read 27 watts per channel. Either way, I was in love with it for several years, until the sound became muddy (I did not know about having caps changed and such) and I gave it to Salvation Army in the early 80’s. That piece got me started. 😊