How Did Your First Audiophile Experience Impact Your Audio Journey?

I started off with one of those Pioneer all in one systems/stacks when I started work in my late teens/late 80s, early 90s. Apart from cheap record players and tape players though my childhood and early teens.

The Pioneer I thought was the bees knees until I was introduced to a friend of a friend who shared my love of music. We quickly became friends, and he invited me around to his house (he was a few yrs older than I, I was still living with my folks 😊) and this was my first OMFG HiFi moment.

He had a full Naim Chrome Bumper set up. From memory I’m pretty sure he had 4 power amps, 2 for each channel, driving tweeter and woofers (quad-amped?)

He had a Linn TT - I think it was a Sondek? I’m not a vinyl guy so forgive my ignorance 🙄😁. I can’t remember the speakers - but definitely Epos or Linn. They were big, black monolithic things sat on his floor.

Anyway, I remember he played me Aja by Steely Dan and Nightfly by Donald Fagan and I was absolutely, well and truly blown away. I’d never heard anything like that. I had no concept prior, of what was achievable with music reproduction.

As I was a single young man, with no responsibilities, a decent job and disposable income, he introduced me to his dealer in Liverpool, UK. About 2 weeks later I had a nice Naim Olive bi-amped system, Epos 11 speakers, Arcam Alpha CD Transport, and an Audio Alchemy DDE v1 (this may be in accurate, it was a long time ago 🙄😁, but it was a DDE)

When Blonde on Blonde was released I was 17.  I bought it on the day.  In mono, because I was using my father's rig that featured a Collaro turntable with downforce applied to a turnover mono pickup with an enormous stylus and what must have been about 5g of downforce.  I played the album over and over and after a couple of months it started making mid-range graunching sounds over the music.  I looked at it through a magnifier.  The groove damage could be seen as a grey mush.  We both had other records but did not play them so many times.

So I bought my own rig.  Rogers pre and power.  Garrrard 4HF.  All used and cheap.  I couldn't afford speakers so borrowed a Goodmans and a Wharfedale from my father.  The Goodmans sounded good.  The Wharfedale not.  I bought a new Blonde on Blonde.  In stereo.  I still have it.

Three quick stories…

In the 60s my folks had the requisite Sears console stereo. Big hunk of wood. One day at 12-13 years old I plopped down on the floor and happened to be centered between the two speakers. A Tijuana Brass album was playing (probably Whipped Cream And Other Delights - frequently on the Jr HS boys’ playlist. 😉) At the end of one track the trumpet ping-ponged from side to side. Whoa!  That was cool!

Graduating HS my folks gave me a pair of B&O 2 way sealed bookshelf speakers, I guess because I was headed off to music school. I bought a used 60s Fisher combo, hooked up to a Garrard TT with whatever “needle” came with it. Bass!  Who knew??

In college, the drummer in a band I was in had a relative who was a Klipsch dealer. He’d bought a pair of Cornwalls. I was at his house shortly after he’d unboxed them and he’d hooked one up to an Onkyo something-or-other and a TT. He put on a Pentangle album with just a female singer and acoustic guitar. It sounded like she was there, inside the speaker, playing and singing. I was dumbfounded. And hooked. 

Took recording and mixing later on to understand about imaging and soundstage. 

Now, one of my favorite things is to have friends over to hear my Sound Lab M1s driven by an MC352. Their jaws literally drop. 

… and echoing a previous post, it’s beyond me why every musician isn’t an audio enthusiast. But I’m constantly amazed at the equipment some truly world class musicians listen to music on. A boom box would be an upgrade.  One respected jazz piano player I’ve worked with for 30 years goes so far as to wonder why I would spend my money on this stuff. 🤔

My first gobsmack moment was hearing a K-Horn mono tube system around 1959 in a large room playing X-MAS music and popular vocalists of the time.

My second GS moment was hearing 2 K-Horns in stereo (same room) the following year (think we were invited over for an impromptu indoor Halloween party as it had started raining around dinner time and it was cold).

I don't remember exactly what my parents played music on @ the time, but I do recall a foreign short wave radio and I had a Red/Yellow Tiny Tim crystal radio with an ear plug (still have it).

DeKay

Freshman year of college. Enhanced. Lady Land. Thorens 125 (?) S.M.E. arm, a Shure cartridge. Mac tube pre-amp with a 275 and a pair of VOT A7s. It was the beginning of a glorious journey!