2. speakers
  3. 1162141291

Who Do You Credit For Getting You Into This Hobby?

I didn't know which forum to post this in so I hope it's alright to have done so in "Speakers".

When you look back over this obsessive hobby of ours, who do you give credit for helping you take the plunge? I am extremely grateful to Albert Porter and John Fort, who were salesmen at Arnold and Morgan (Dallas) in the mid-to-late 70s (I believe Albert might actually have been the sales manager), and spent a lot of time with me to assist in finding the best system for my tastes and budget. They also treated me the same as their male customers, and never made me feel like the minority (female) that I was in this particular hobby. Their love of the hobby was infectious, and I quickly became enamored with the quest for getting the sound right. That first small system was comprised of a middle-of-the line Yamaha receiver (1977), Yamaha speakers, and a Dual turntable. I still own the Dual turntable and have kept it for its sentimental value. It is currently not in use although it is still operational almost 30 years later.

So, thank you, Albert Porter and John Fort, for taking the time to help me all those years ago. It's also evident here at Audiogon that Albert continues to help all of us as we pursue this endeavor, a few of us much older than when we originally began the journey.

--Mary
mcrheist
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
My closest friend in high school who introduced me to classical music. We spent a summer attending a Mozart series conducted by James DePriest at the Kennedy Center, and then wandering off to look at the local audio emporiums wondering if there was any way to recapture at home some of that experience from the concert hall.
.
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
agree with Nrchy. Credit or blame???
ashra's avatar
ashra
148 posts
 
Al Lobe. He was the good person who, upon reading in the newspaper of my parents' troubles with a developer's refusal to sell them a home, contacted my dad and became a straw buyer for $1.00. My dad, who had a good job and had served his country during the Korean conflict as a second lieutenant, wanted to raise his family in a new house in a neighborhood near a new school and a public park in the city of which he was the fifth generation born and raised.
AL, who was an attorney by trade, built Heathkit components for relaxation. His system so impressed my dad that my dad took up building his own audio components. He even let me help with a soldered connection or two.
Thanks to AL who helped us to have the home of my father's dreams and who also planted the Audio seed that has come down through the generations.
hammergjh
157 posts
 
Another audiophile who credits his father. My dad got into hifi in the 50's with tube based gear, DeWald if I recall. He had an itegrated amp and tuner. He died when I was little, but left his system for me to use thru college. I'll never forget that warm tube glow and the click click of the atuomatic record changer! My mom bought me my first system as a college graduating gift. Bless her too.
semi
649 posts
 
My dad, who bought me a Luxman integrated when I was in college. It's payback time, I bought him a pair of Sonus Faber Cremona last year even though his true love is Tannoy Westminster but he doesn't have the space for those monster speakers.
More to discover