What Was Your First High-End Audio System

[MylesBAstor]

It's always fun to look back on our first high-end audio system assuming can still remember!

Circa August 1980.

Speakers: Dahlquist DQ10s (with caps bypassed). Won out over early Vandersteen 2s whose bass just seemed to break-up when pushed.
Amplifier: Hafler DH200 Musical Concept mod kit
Preamplifier: Hafler DH101 Van Alstine modded
Turntable: Rega 3/JVC 7045 arm (arm was so high had to put table on bricks so bottom of arm had enough clearance; what did I know?)/Grace F9E cartridge
Cables: Phono: Super Litz MF1/Assorted Monster Cable

[nc42acc]

Rega Planar 2, Grace 747, Grace F9E, NAD3020, KEF 303.

[BillH]

AR 'table, Sure cartridge, conrad johnson PV-5 preamp (with phonostage), NAD power amp (still use it for speaker design/testing), VMPS speakers (built from a kit). All soon replaced by home brew stuff. All except the turntable, that is. I've never built one of those.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Maybe not audiophile, but it was to me.

Pioneer SA-9500II integrated
Kenwood KT-8007 tuner
PIoneer PL-12 (?) turnrtable
Shure M91ED cartridge
BIC Venturi Formula 4 speakers.

[Steve Lefkowicz]

First component stereo (1976):
Stanton Gyropoise turntable with 680EE cartridge
Kenwood KA3500 integrated amp (still have it!)
EPI 180 speakers
Sennheiser HD424 headphones

First "high end" system. still bought into the the Stereo Review "speakers are the most important part" mindset (started in 1983)
Stanton Gyropoise turntable (soon after replaced by a Rega 2, Grace 707, then by the Linn LP12 I still use)
NAD 1020 preamp (later replaced with a Sumo Elektra then a PS Audio 4H)
Acoustat Monitors (with the built in Servo amps).



Used that until 1988 when I sold off most of my stuff, put the turntable, preamp and records in storage, and moved onto my sailboat for the next 10 years. Wish I still had the Acoustats.

[mep]

PS Audio 4H preamp, Hafler DH-220 with Van Alstine power supply mod, the new AR table with Premier MMT arm and Denon cartridge that came with a SUT in the box. Speakers were my own design 1/4 wavelength transmission lines using Dynaudio drivers. Mogami ICs and Monster speaker cables.

[nc42acc]

Mark glad to see a fellow audiophile who went through the speaker building phase, loved the Dynaudio drivers. I still have a Musical Concepts Hafler DH-120 and a DH-220. What great memories.

PS Audio 4H preamp, Hafler DH-220 with Van Alstine power supply mod, the new AR table with Premier MMT arm and Denon cartridge that came with a SUT in the box. Speakers were my own design 1/4 wavelength transmission lines using Dynaudio drivers. Mogami ICs and Monster speaker cables.

[MylesBAstor]

Mark glad to see a fellow audiophile who went through the speaker building phase, loved the Dynaudio drivers. I still have a Musical Concepts Hafler DH-120 and a DH-220. What great memories.

Thanks! That's who I was trying to remember who mod kit I used for my Hafler amp. John Hillig of Musical Concepts!

[MylesBAstor]

PS Audio 4H preamp, Hafler DH-220 with Van Alstine power supply mod, the new AR table with Premier MMT arm and Denon cartridge that came with a SUT in the box. Speakers were my own design 1/4 wavelength transmission lines using Dynaudio drivers. Mogami ICs and Monster speaker cables.

Ha! I remember that PS Audio 4H with its megaherz bandwidth! One day I was in Stereo Exchange in the village and one of their customers brought in his PS Audio 4H because it was picking up Channel 2.

[Steve Lefkowicz]

Ha! I remember that PS Audio 4H with its megaherz bandwidth! One day I was in Stereo Exchange in the village and one of their customers brought in his PS Audio 4H because it was picking up Channel 2.

As long as you always left the line stage disabled, the PS Audio 4H was a great unit. I used the phono stage out of mine for over 30 years.

[Bruce B]

My first foray into audio was one of these shiny Pioneer rack systems that was about 5' high around '79

I then got wise and went with a Denon TT with Empire? cart. Revox B77 R2R, Apt/Holman pre with Hafler DH500 amp. I also had a Sansui tuner I think.
Speakers were Maggie MGII

[nc42acc]

Bruce that was a cutting edge system in its day. Great system in its time.

My first foray into audio was one of theses shiny Pioneer rack systems that was about 5' high around '79

I then got wise and went with a Denon TT with Empire? cart. Revox B77 R2R, Apt/Holman pre with Hafler DH500 amp. I also had a Sansui tuner I think.
Speakers were Maggie MGII

[JackD201]

If the starting point would be where I fully unbundled the stereo and put them in a separate room from my home theater (I'm a little bit younger than most here so HT was the entry point) if I recall this was the make up and respective progressions (= means in current rotation)

Revel F30>1.6QR>VR-4 Gen III> 4 SR> VR-5 SE> 9 Mk1>9 Mk2> 11 Mk2
Levinson No.s, 380S, 23.5/332/431> BAT VK32SE, 150SE>Lamm L2/M2.2 = CH L1/M1 = KR P130/DX2
TASCAM pro recorder/transport./360s>Wadia 7> Emm > Accuphase DP78> EERA T &CH D1
Aries 2, Clearaudio Sigma I think, anyway, an older hammer head design, Clear Audio > HRX/SDS/Phantom1/BAT P10>TW AC-3/Lamm LP2/Valvet Soulphono> Air Force One/EMT JPA-66
Cables went from Transparent Links>MIT>Cardas Golden Cross> Kubala-Sosna Emotion> Master Built Signature (no change in last 5 years PCs currently held for ransom somewhere in the Far East)

[MylesBAstor]

Keep it coming. Don't be shy!

I'm always amazed--maybe it's just my generation--by how many started with Regas.

[Steve Lefkowicz]

Keep it coming. Don't be shy!

I'm always amazed--maybe it's just my generation--by how many started with Regas.

Early to mid 80s, what other choice was there for a really good not too expensive table? It really wasn't until Project and Music Hall started up that Rega had any competition for under $500 tables.