RIP Eddie Van Halen. What was your first stereo you rocked to VH on?

I had just bought a Linn, my previous tt was Garrard Lab 80.  That played into a Ferrograph integrated amp and tall Cambridge R50 transmission line speakers.  Good English system.  I particularly liked the speakers.

In the early 80s I bought a used Simon Yorke Zarathustra and sold the Linn; even then Linn was becoming B grade.  I added Musical Fidelity's first product, the Pre-Amp and Krell's, the KSA 50.  I still have the iconic Krell but the build quality on the Pre-Amp killed it off and I replaced it with the also iconic Audio Research SP10.

Never did move much to Eddie VH but RIP in any case and meet some of the real giants from before in the band in the sky.

I was not a VH fan at first, I mostly listened to Jazz, Blues, Fusion, and more "Classic" rock. In later years I became a big fan of both the Van Halen and Van Hagar years.I remember vividly the first time I heard "Running With the Devil" which was the first time I’d heard Van Halen, though I can’t say what it was being played on. I can attest that whatever the rig it was more than up to the task. Most of us had decent stereos back then, a lot of Pioneers and Advent speakers. I was going to a house party on the East side of Detroit one evening. It was early summer 1978 and it was hot. No one had AC back then and the windows were all open. I had to park down the street and as I walked up I could hear and see the house was packed and "Running With the Devil" was playing - LOUDLY. The neighbors must have loved it.
That’s still not my favorite VH song, not enough texture. But it left quite an impression on me, I can still remember it in sweet detail, 42 years later.

I was in 7th grade and Running With the Devil was my anthem. Music was everything though I did not anticipate a lifetime of immersion in it and joy from it. I saved enough money from neighborhood handyman jobs to buy something. So after seeing an ad in the newspaper, I took the bus to the department store and plunked down a few hundred for an all in one Fisher hifi. Speakers, receiver/amp, turntable all in one huge box that I schlepped back home on the bus. Took that kit to college. Played an awful lot of VH on it and still haven’t heard a better guitarist than Eddie. RIP, man. 

1978 , VH opened up for Black Sabbath at Mchichols  Arena, in Denver,, Colorado,I was 18, , I was blown away by Eddie's guitar playing, I have seen VH 15 times over the last 42 years, audio equipment I had  at the time was a Marantz 2500(still have it, and everything still works, ) Pioneer HPM 150's, a Akai 570 D2 , cassette player, still have it , a HK turntable, with a ortofon mc cartridge,  I still have over 100 albumns, and over 125 tour shirts, 

VH 1st album was all you heard from car stereos when I was in high school...and clouds of smoke pouring out the windows. I saw them in 80, row 7 on the floor smack in the middle, Edmonton AB. He was a true master of his craft....RIP Eddie and thanks for the music and memories.