What was the first hi-fi separates you bought with your own money?

[MrReaper182]

Can you remember the first hi-fi separates you brought with your own money? I can, it was a second hand Yamaha A-320 from the mid 80's I brought second hand from a charity shop in 2000 for 60 quid when I was 16 years old. It was my first stereo amplifier and set my on my hi-fi separates journey. I still own it and but I've not used it since 2004 or 2005.

 

[vinod_david]

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Onkyo PTS 303 - bought it in 1995 - 10 disc player • dual tape deck • tuner • spectrum analyzer.

 

[Edbostan]

Can you remember the first hi-fi separates you brought with your own money? I can, it was a second hand Yamaha A-320 from the mid 80's I brought second hand from a charity shop in 2000 for 60 quid when I was 16 years old. It was my first stereo amplifier and set my on my hi-fi separates journey. I still own it and but I've not used it since 2004 or 2005.

Goodmans One Ten amplifier, Aiwa cassette deck, BSR Quanta 700 record deck and Wharfedale Teesdale SP2 speakers. I then added a Technics SLP222 cd player. In some respects I enjoyed that system more than the one I currently own.

 

[plastic penguin]

Technically JVC receiver purchased from Freemans catalogue. Because I was under 16 my dad paid for it but I paid him back.

This was powering Solavox speakers, only available in the UK from Comet from my own money.

 

[Samd]

I posted mine here in another thread a few days ago - I went down to the local NAAFI shop in Fallingbostel in the 70s and bought just about one of everything Pioneer had on display.

RT 909 Open Reel,
CT F1250 Cassette Recorder,
PL L1000 Tangential Arm,
SA 9900 Int Amp
The obligatory graphic eq

 

[Gray]

I posted mine here in another thread a few days ago - I went down to the local NAAFI shop in Fallingbostel in the 70s and bought just about one of everything Pioneer had on display.

RT 909 Open Reel,
CT F1250 Cassette Recorder,
PL L1000 Tangential Arm,
SA 9900 Int Amp
The obligatory graphic eq

That was an unusually upmarket selection for a first purchase Sam.
You must have been well happy with that lot.

 

[Samd]

That was an unusually upmarket selection for a first purchase Sam.
You must have been well happy with that lot.

I was very happy but there was nothing clever about it. They only sold Pioneer and one other make (forget which) so choice (at special rates) was very limited.

 

[Gray]

Not separates, but a Fidelity music centre from Rumbelows in 1976......
Allowed me to hear Sunday's top 40 in stereo for the first time.

Listening to the top 40 now would kill me.

 

[Symples]

I posted mine here in another thread a few days ago - I went down to the local NAAFI shop in Fallingbostel in the 70s and bought just about one of everything Pioneer had on display.

RT 909 Open Reel,
CT F1250 Cassette Recorder,
PL L1000 Tangential Arm,
SA 9900 Int Amp
The obligatory graphic eq

I'm looking for a reel to reel and the RT909 is on my list

 

[Samd]

Not separates, but a Fidelity music centre from Rumbelows in 1976......
Allowed me to hear Sunday's top 40 in stereo for the first time.

Listening to the top 40 now would kill me.

Arh go on - you know it's only cos you're worried someone might catch you at it!

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I love the fact that the first reply about separates is not separates. Mine was a combo of Marantz record deck, amp and speakers from Kay's catalogue. I blew the tweeters twice.

 

[Nico69]

Mine was a "Studio Standard" Stereo System by Fisher, bought from a shop on the Gloucester Road in Bristol in 1985. Sounded blooody awful when I got it home and listened to my music on it. In the shop the guy demo'd it by playing Sade's Diamond Life LP which would sound great even on a Dixon's Matsui plastic turntable.
It had a turntable, amp, graphic equaliser adn twin tape decks. The sliding volume control constantly crackled and cut out one channel after a while. I was 16.

 

[Deleted member 201267]

Sony 930 CD player, Sony 930 Amplifier, B&W 601 S2 loudspeakers.

Purchased in that order circa 1999 / 2000 as funds allowed.

 

[daytona600]

Dual CS505 £79 , Nad 3020 £69

 

[Samd]

You are all so bloomin' young on here I'm well beyond the 3 score and 10!!

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

You are all so bloomin' young on here I'm well beyond the 3 score and 10!!

We'd never have guessed!

 

[WayneKerr]

You are all so bloomin' young on here I'm well beyond the 3 score and 10!!

I'm catching up with you... a little too fast for my liking

 

[twinkletoes]

Mission 701's with a pioneer vsx 808 and a pioneer mini disc player, already had a stable platter cd player that was later "upgraded" to a NAD c540 which i still have.

Saved long and hard for it with my first job at Debenhams. Around the year 2000. I bought a lot of hifi in those 3 years before uni. Lots of over time! they were still doing late-night blue cross sales then. You could earn nearly a grand doing 3 12hr days back to back and time and half added. that could buy you a lot of hifi back then.

Ended up with a Marantz pm7200 (the amp with a class A switch) and a pair of m74i's and a pioneer DVD player for CD duties. Man, that was a part system at uni! Im surprised it came out unscathed but it did and i still have the amp today. the NAD stayed at home during this time.

 

[Symples]

Mine was a Pioneer SA608 amplifier in 1979 or '80
Followed 3 months later with a Kef Celeste III speakers.
Like 12th Monkey. I blew my tweeters twice!

 

[robdmarsh]

Mine was a Pioneer SA608 amplifier in 1979 or '80
Followed 3 months later with a Kef Celeste III speakers.
Like 12th Monkey. I blew my tweeters twice!

View attachment 4240View attachment 4241

Looks very nice. I had some QED bookshelf speakers I bought in about 86 and a Rotel belt-drive turntable. The speakers were very plain in a wood veneered cabinet and looked like DIY speakers. They sounded good though and according to my audiophile friend were better than the Mordaunt Short speakers I had my eye on. These were added to an Aiwa all in one music system, which was given to me on my birthday, and was definitely not up to scratch with the TT and and speakers.

 

[Gray]

Like 12th Monkey. I blew my tweeters twice!

I blew one too 🙂
There must have been some warning distortion that we somehow missed 🤔
(The music itself 😆)

 

[Gray]

Arh go on - you know it's only cos you're worried someone might catch you at it!

Not sure you could pay me enough 😉

 

[AJM1981]

Tannoy mercury M1

Later on I went for the B&W Dm602/s3 and a Harman Kardon amp

 

[Symples]

I'll try and dig out some old piccys

 

[JoeSoap]

Interesting thread. My first system was a Dynatron. It consisted of a Lenco turntable and Dynatron amp built side by side in one box with a clear plastic lid. And a pair of Dynatron speakers. I thought it was wonderful! I added a standalone FM tuner by Eagle.

The first fully separates system I bought was a Dual 701 direct drive turntable with Dual arm fitted with a Shure V15 III cartridge. A Sugden A48 mark 2 amplifier. Leak 3020 speakers. I thought it sounded absolutely fantastic!

After that it was the classic Linn/Grace/Supex etc..... Which really WAS amazing.