What was your very first stereo?

[gisgillen]

Hi! Would be interesting to know what people`s first stereo was. Back in the 70`s mine was a Metrosound ST20E amplifier at 10 watts RMS per channel.
Leak Sandwich 150 speakers
Garrard SP25 deck with Goldring G800 cartridge!

 

[iMark]

My first stereo wasn't very good. It was a Dual HS130.

But I was very happy with it when my parents bought the system for me for my 14th birthday.

These Dual HS systems were a big hit here in NL. There were bigger ones with a much better record player/cartridge and much better speakers. Brands like Philips also produced these systems with record player, amplifier and speakers.

The German website http://www.teenagewasteland.de/technik/ps_70er_Jahre.html has some interesting examples of stereo systems teenagers had in the 1970s.

 

[jjbomber]

But I was very happy with it when my parents bought the system for me for my 14th birthday.

You have great parents!

 

[12th Monkey]

Loved it at the time.

 

[insider9]

My first stereo wasn't very good. It was a Dual HS130.
View attachment 2362
But I was very happy with it when my parents bought the system for me for my 14th birthday.

These Dual HS systems were a big hit here in NL. There were bigger ones with a much better record player/cartridge and much better speakers. Brands like Philips also produced these systems with record player, amplifier and speakers.

The German website http://www.teenagewasteland.de/technik/ps_70er_Jahre.html has some interesting examples of stereo systems teenagers had in the 1970s.

Nice! Superb birthday present nevermind mind the age.

Also what a name for the website! Now I've got The Who playing in my head.

 

[Roger_A]

Thorens 160BC turntable with SME 3009 Improved arm, Shure V15III cartridge, Cambridge P40 amplifier and R50 speakers. At that time Cambridge products were manufactured in the UK so a largely UK system.

 

[iMark]

Maybe we could start a topic about 2nd stereo sets.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

About 1991 (I think) from a shop in Peterborough that was closing down cost about £150 I got it for around £75. Can’t remember the make but it had a turntable on top and two cassette players with 2 speakers. Think it might’ve been an Akai system.

Then a Denon udm30.

Nothing now apart from home cinema system. My first Pioneer system was a NSDV990 in 2004. First LCD was the Philips 32Pf9731d.

 

[Deleted member 188533]

My first stereo wasn't very good. It was a Dual HS130.
View attachment 2362
But I was very happy with it when my parents bought the system for me for my 14th birthday.

These Dual HS systems were a big hit here in NL. There were bigger ones with a much better record player/cartridge and much better speakers. Brands like Philips also produced these systems with record player, amplifier and speakers.

The German website http://www.teenagewasteland.de/technik/ps_70er_Jahre.html has some interesting examples of stereo systems teenagers had in the 1970s.

I was also lucky enough to get a stereo for my 12th or 13th birthday. An 80s Sony all in one that sure looked impressive to my 13 year old self. This isn't it but it was similar especially the cabinet design.



It had a turntable, single CD, dual cassette and 5 band EQ. I was in heaven. I reused the cabinet into the early 00s, long after all the original internals had been updated and replaced.

I spent many, many hours laying on the floor reading a book while listening to that stereo through some same era Koss headphones.

 

[Deleted member 2457]

I was also lucky enough to get a stereo for my 12th or 13th birthday. An 80s Sony all in one that sure looked impressive to my 13 year old self. This isn't it but it was similar especially the cabinet design.

View attachment 2365

It had a turntable, single CD, dual cassette and 5 band EQ. I was in heaven. I reused the cabinet into the early 00s, long after all the original internals had been updated and replaced.

I spent many, many hours laying on the floor reading a book while listening to that stereo through some same era Koss headphones.

I can remember studying for my GCSEs with Pan Pipe Moods playing in the background in my bedroom on mine:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p3eOeA1F-w

 

[nads]

This thread got me thinking about my first set up . I had no idea of the model just the brand and a rather unusual featUte. The tape was horizontally loaded. But I found it. I got it in the early 80s

 

[Al ears]

Mine was mono.......

 

[Oxfordian]

A Sanyo music system, deck, cassette and radio, with speakers connected by bell wire.

My pride and joy through my formative years.

 

[AJM1981]

I believe it was this one. Though it may have been a variation on this one. Philips even once produced serious HIFI speakers in the 80s (not referring to these below) .

 

[Gray]

Philips even once produced serious HIFI speakers in the 80s

And not a bad TT in their GA437 model, my first separate TT.
It's still in my Uncle's house .

 

[plastic penguin]

My first proper system wasn't too inspiring.

Amp was a JVC receiver


Hitachi cassette deck



The real cuckoo was the Solavox speakers. Not the worst but...

 

[jonboywalton75]

Rotel rp 830. Turntable
Denon Dr170 cassette deck
Rotel RA 820B Amp
Kef Coda 3 speakers
Luvved it

 

[12th Monkey]

The tape was horizontally loaded

I had a friend who'd lived in Hong Kong and his dad had a mini system that did this - it seemed properly exotic. Very slow eject too, which was (of course) how you assessed hifi quality in the late 70s/early 80s...

 

[abacus]

The first true system (I messed about building various electronic projects first) was a Garrard Turntable, (AP76) Shure Cartridge, (M75EJ) Eagle amp (AA6 (Later more powerful version) Nikko Tuner (FAM300) Akai Cassette Deck, (C33D) Akai Reel to Reel (4000DS) and Heathkit Speakers. (2 way bookshelf using KEF Drivers)

NOTE: The model numbers are from memory (The 70s were a long time ago) so may not be 100% accurate.

Bill

 

[Clarkey_71]

What a great thread!!!!

I suppose the very first "system" I had was my parents hand me down Dansette in the late 70s.
The early 80s saw my first "stack". I thought it was Akai, but having looked on line, it was much more budget than that!
My first proper system was given to me by my dad when he upgraded his system circa 87/88. I was very lucky and my love of hifi remains to this day. Thanks dad! (RIP).

That system was

Linn Axis with K9 cartridge
Arcam Alpha integrated amp
Heybrook HB1 speakers.

 

[The End]

Dad's 1950s Philips record player plus a radio as loudspeaker.

 

[manicm]

The first piece of equipment I owned was a Panasonic mini system. The highlight was a double tweeter system, and it did really sound good. It had 5 disc slots and played DVDs too.

Don't know if anyone remembered, but Marantz once launched a system similar to their current MCR n12 but which played BluRays too. Too bad they've ditched the video market entirely.

 

[aversaurus]

A sansui au 101 a Pye stereo plus 2 a fully automatic sansui turn table and 4 solavox speakers .
I thought at the time that it sounded amazing

 

[Friesiansam]

About 40 years ago my mother bought a ready to go separates setup in a cabinet, as was common in those days. It wasn't too bad listening with headphones but, the speakers were dire. They were substantial floor standers, ok in the midrange, bass was, well I'll say mushy and, I think the tweeters were just for show. Have no idea of the brand, my memory has given all it has...

 

[Stuondrums]

My first actual SYSTEM was the successor to a Dansette given to me by a student of the college I lived in in 77, (my dad was a member of staff) My father didn't believe in Stereos:
"Dad, can we have a stereo?"
"What for? you don't have any records." Repeat until marginally insane.
This Dansette allowed me to build up a small record collection so that for my 15th birthday I asked for and got a "Stereo"
It was a Fidelity UA10. Utter rubbish, but I loved the thing. Soon after I started DJing for my brother's mobile disco and started using a lot of the gear from that because I had to store it as well.

That said, the UA10 got me started listening to proper music.

Pictured: A Fidelity UA10. Being crap. Before eating some records. Probably.