Big Bean Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 That thread about the Heils got me missing the good old days. I remember L-100s, a beautiful Marantz reciever, Phillips turntable and Maynard Ferguson real loud. Anybody else got some fond old memories. BB eat your vegetables This message has been edited by Big Bean on 01-16-2002 at 09:02 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 I think I remember yesterday having a nice sandwich... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 i started in 1972 (i was a youger teen then) w/ a direct mail order from wherehouse sound co. in san luis obispo(sp?), ca (hey they seemed the best in my rolling stone mag & even offered a free t-shirt). sansui integrated amp (15WX2), garrard turntable/stanton cartridge, & EV bookshelfs w/ 8" woofs. my 1st forray into hi-fi (much better than the cassette recorder ). the sound was unbelievable compared to the cassette recorder & the family console & all my friends compact systems w/ the bsr record changer on top. made a brief & unsuccessful attempt at quad w/ a pioneer QX-747 (never got to where I could afford the 2 extra speakers), got the big ken stereo receiver in '75 & cornwalls in '84. then made the jump to surround in 2000. the turning point was really that 1st sys in '72. been rollin on since then. ain't nothin like hi-fi ------------------ My Home Systems Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bean Posted January 16, 2002 Author Share Posted January 16, 2002 Ah yes the famous Zero 100. Remember the big EPI Towers, Phase Linear, Ohm Fs, Thelma Houston, $4.00 records, the Watts Dust Bug, and Advent speakers. BB fini- You look like a sandwich. eat your vegetables This message has been edited by Big Bean on 01-16-2002 at 10:18 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 yea bb, i was eyeing those ess & ohm speaks. forgot to mention here my infinity 2000, 4-way, w/ the walsh super tweeter. ice cream cone, 360 degree dealy. u ever see 1 of those? kept playin that start to rush 2112 caus it sounded so neat w/ that ice cream cone. those speaks were fused & the 1.5A blew very easily at my loud volumes. ended up outa frustration puttin in fuses from my 72 corrolla, i think 15A. of course everything but the woofs fried eventually but it was great while it lasted. & that speaker from the drive-in theater eventually came in handy to do double duty as both a mid & tweeter in 1 speak. those were the lean years. ------------------ My Home Systems Page Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted January 16, 2002 Share Posted January 16, 2002 Mem'ries...can beautiful but then...what's too painful to re...re, uh...re -- Oh what the heck; guess I forgot. '72ish: Graduated to Radio Shack "Clarinet" compact, all-in-one stereo rig with the turntable on top, 8-track and am/fm AND..."Quatrovox", the Shacks take on quasi, matrixed surround. Yes, you read that right - graduated to. Previously and first stereo was a Midland combo am/fm and 8-track player. '74ish: First component system: RadioShack 22W/channel receiver, LAB100 turntable, RS cassette deck (top loader!), and the Shacks Nova 7B speakers (name sounds impressive) Still have the receiver and a pair of Shack MC1000 speakers from about the same time. (Bought to take advantage of that crazy Quatrovox thang.) around '75: Now we're gettin' somewhere! "New" Advent speakers, Pioneer integrated amp, Technics tuner, Pioneer cassette deck and turntable. I'm a Hi-Fi-lutin' hombre now! '77: ESS amt-1b's. (after owning Bose 901's for a few months. '80ish: Hafler DH-500 and DH-110...I'm off the deep end. dbx 3BX, Pioneer EQ, SAE pop & tick filter, Carver sonic hologram generator...somebody throw me a rope... '84: first CD player: Sony '85: CORNWALLS!!!...and my best looking rig: All Luxman, with 140Wx2 amp, matching pre-amp, CD, cassette, turntable, and tuner. gorgeous. Sold to best high-school buddy. Still has it! '90: Seduced by remote control and DSP; bought all Sony rig based on TA-E1000ES A/V pre-pro. Other gear included power amp, CD player, tuner, DAT. Most of this stuff is still going, in either my music rig, or in HT set-up. '93: Led astray by the pied pipers of Stereophile magazine. Convinced Cornwalls "not accurate". Sold too cheap and bought Amrita Reference Standards too high.http://216.37.9.58/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm10.gif '96: Bought Sony 80W mos-fet integrated amp. Nice and smooth! '98: KLIPSCHORNS, baby! uh, sorry this was so long. kind of got carried away. ------------------ JDMcCall This message has been edited by James D McCall on 01-16-2002 at 11:48 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bean Posted January 16, 2002 Author Share Posted January 16, 2002 We had a pretty good Radio Shack over here in the 70s. They dabbled in some of the better stuff in the back room. Altec, Pioneer, JVC. Remember the horrible Utah speakers? BB ------------------ eat your vegetables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Utah speakers? I recall the name, but I can't recall the sound or look. How about Gale speakers? Or Bolivar's? Synergistic? Genesis? Gee, maybe I should just dig out an old AUDIO buyers guide from about 1978... Remember Burstein-Applebe? That's where I bought my ESS speakers. I remember lusting after those big, fat JBL's they always had. (S300?) Huge woofer and a big funky horn tweeter (I think) with diffusors of some kind in front of it. Those WERE the days; a golden age of hi-fi. ------------------ JDMcCall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bean Posted January 17, 2002 Author Share Posted January 17, 2002 Those are JBL L-200s. Only made them for a little while. They didn't sell well. BB ------------------ eat your vegetables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boa12 Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 i remember thinking James B Lansing were overpriced in the 70s. main factor probably being i had no cash. for bookshelves i preferred the EV or wish i had gotten advent. but nooo, for floor standing i had to go w/ color - the infinity 2000. still got my vac-o-rec, though i think it's dying. ------------------ My Home Systems Page This message has been edited by boa12 on 01-17-2002 at 03:06 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc1091 Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Pre-high school, listening to Elton John on my brother's Scott tube amp while he was away at college through his Koss Pro-4AA headpones. Sweetest sounding Headphones ever. Highschool. We used Altec Voice of the Theaters at the performances of the school's "swing" choir. The instructor would sometimes take LOOOOng breaks at rehersal retreating to the other end of the school. The Altecs made 200 watts of Led Zepplin pumped from a casette player through the mixing board seem like a live performance. My ears have never been the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bean Posted January 17, 2002 Author Share Posted January 17, 2002 I had probably three sets of the Koss Pro-4AAs, they sounded good but the wiring inside always fell apart. I had one of the first outboard Dolby processors for my Panasonic cassette deck. That was pretty bad. Remember the little DBX expander you could put in line, that was interesting. I must have blown four tweeters in my Braun 810s with my two strapped Crown D-150s, IC-150, and OC-150. I loved meters. We need more meters on things today, just for the fun of it. I used to sell my old equipment to my high school math teacher. I liked him but he was still a tough grader. At least we didn't have to argue about wires though. Wasn't much to pick from. ------------------ eat your vegetables This message has been edited by Big Bean on 01-17-2002 at 02:53 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 let's see..1972..10th grade..I modified my dad's old "hifi" -the great wood cabinet looking thing with the hidden turntable..built in speakers etc..added a couple of Akai reel to reel fold out speakers..the more the better right? After all, Led Zep and Deep purple needed more volume, and more volume needed more speaks! Right..ha..after that, 1973..I heard my first set of kHorns at Shimeks (Anchorage, AK) and swore I'd have a set sooner or later. 1974.out of the house/my new stereo..Bose 501's/Marantz intregrated amp (with bass treble and mid! controls) and Garrard turntable.. moved again (1977)..new system..JVC-QLY5F turntable (which I still use today!) Harmon Kardon amp, 2 sets Klipsch Hersy speakers, and a TEAC 4300SX reel to reel. Realized my dream when in 1982, bought a pair of K-Horns and since then (20 years already??!!) have only changed amps etc. Speakers are for life! Current system (music only) Adcom GCD-750 CD player Adcom GFP-565 pre amp (best they've built IMHO) Adcom GFA-545 (driving pair Heresys for fill-in) Assemblage 8 watt tube amp (driving KHorns) Klipschorns..ahhhhhhh.... and the beloved JVC-QLY5F TT and it never sounded better..old horns/old tubes.. Steve ------------------ Happiness is coming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Ahhh... sound processors from the 70's. I still have an original DBX 3bx and SAE 5000 (click and pop) that I bought in 1978, and also a DBX 3bx Series III from around 1990. Back then you had to have a EQ as well, mine is a ADC Soundshaper II that was purchased in 1980. I haven't used these things in years and have been thinking about selling them on eBay, but there was a time when they used to get a workout... Mike ------------------ My Music Systems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 First "system". It was some fold-up portable record player that was blue and green, that's all I remember from 1966. Then 1969- The Sears all in one unit, tuner and turntable. Speakers looked like cigar boxes on end with sewing thread coming out the back. Oh yea, that was the speaker wire. 1975- The Hitachi all in one unit. Tuner, turntable and cassette. Purdy brushed aliminum face and blue neon lights. Then there's the unit. Was givin to me by the owners in 1980 (my parents). Developed an unexplained loud squeel, till I slammed the unit down on my dresser top to make it quit. Mean while my two brothers are building there monster systems. One system was mounted into a DIY desk/console that, honest to God, looked like the f**king starship Enterprise. Man I wish I had pictures, most of it was rack mounted. It had BGW 202 preamp, SAE 2700b EQ, SAE active crossover, dbx 118, SAE 5000, 2-Phase Linear 400's bi-amped, Technics SL-1200 turntable, old H.H. Scott receiver used for a tuner, an Ampex 300 six head reel to reel and JBL L-300 speakers (the size of a small stove) with Altec Lansing woofs. Does anyone remember the EV Interphase D's? Some of this stuff came from good ol' DAK Industries mail order. 1983- I stared working for a local department store, Swallen's. Started out buying a Technics SA-411 (45 wpc) receiver, Technics SB7 spekers (flat aluminum drivers with Heil tweeters, still got em' in storage), Numark 2100 EQ, Teac V-33 and Technics RS-M236 cassette, SAE 5000 (in storage and in perfect shape!), dbx NX-40, Sony SB-300 switch box, dbx 200, dbx-3BX II, H.H. Scott 830z analyzer (won't part with that for nuttin'), Technics SL-D350 turntable (a P-Mount mind ya!), Sony CDP-111s CD Player, then Technics SB3 rear speakers. Sounded good to my not yet quite tuned ears in a bedroom that was 10' x 12'!! Oh yea! Koss Pro4AA's for $24.99 in 1982 (still in storage, good wiring but deflated ear cups)!! And finally a pair of Yamaha YH-1 headphones. I was only there 18 months?! Went to run the Gun Dept. and started another expensive hobby. 1988-Graduated to a Yamaha PF-800 turntable with a Sure V15 Type V, a Carver MX-150 Receiver, BSR w/rta EQ, Yamaha K-1020 cassette (getting overhauled as we speak), Yamaha NS-W1 subwoofer, and some other remnants of the above system. 2000-Now at the system listed below. Does it ever end!!!! ------------------ Tom KLF-20 Mahogany (Cornell Hotwired) McIntosh C33 Preamp McIntosh MVP-841 CD/DVD Rotel RB-1080 Amp Yamaha PF-800 Turntable/ Sure V15 Type V Cartridge Ortofon VMS-30 mkII Cartridge Stanton 999SS Cartridge Yamaha K-1020 Cassette dbx 1231 EQ H.H. Scott 830z Analyzer Monster Interlink 400mk II Monster Interlink 300mk II Monster Video 2 (DVD to TV) Monster Power HTS-5000 MIT Terminator 2 Bi-Wire Speaker cables Studio Tech U-48RW Cabinet Vibrapods Enough empty boxes for a fire hazard! This message has been edited by tblasing on 02-05-2002 at 03:48 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Lindsey Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 Well, since we are posting our chronological equipment history... I bought my first system while stationed in Germany in 1978. It took me 8 months of savings, but I purchased all of this at the same time: Dual CS-721 TT w/Shure V15 III (still own) Sansui G8000 Receiver (a beautiful mother of a receiver - wish I still owned) SAE 5000 Noise Reduction (click and pop - still own) DBX 3bx Noise Reduction (still own) Infinity Column II's (these died after 18 years of hard use) While saving for the equipment, I bought about 100 albums, knowing I would need them at some point. It took me almost 2 months to hear all of them at least one time each. During the 4 years I was stationed in Germany, I bought over 600 LP's and have not bought one since. I would really like to get back into listening to my vinyl. In 1980 I upgraded the cartridge to a Series IV In 1982 I sold the receiver and bought the following: Yamaha M-4 Amp (still own) Yamaha C-4 Preamp (still own) Yamaha T-7 Tuner (still own) ADC Soundshaper II EQ (still own) Nakamichi deck (still own) In 1986 I upgraded the cartridge to a B&O MMC2 Stopped listening to music for a while and then in 1996 bought some Epic CF-2's. In 1998 I purchased another DBX 3bx, this time a Series III off of eBay. It wasn't until I moved to Florida that I jumped head-first into this hobby. Just this past year alone I some how got my hands on: Klipsch Chorus I's Klipsch Chorus II's Klipsch KLF-C7 center Klipsch RS-3 surrounds Klipsch Heresy's from 1976 SVS 20-39CS w/Samson S700 amp Denon 4800 A/V receiver Acurus A200X3 amp Dual CS-5000 Turntable w/Shure V15V-MR Panasonic RP-91 DVD player Monster HTS-3500 Line Conditioner You would think I would be happy with what I have but I am constantly looking to upgrade. I am now looking at an all tube system for my bedroom utilizing the Heresy's I picked up at a garage sale... Long live Klipsch... Mike ------------------ My Music Systems This message has been edited by Mike Lindsey on 01-17-2002 at 11:58 AM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundog Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 University speakers ... Diffusicone 12's and tweeter horn in corner enclosure kits ...15" dual voice coil sub woofer in seperate enclosure kit. (not called that then). EICO tube kits ...HF85 stero preamp and two HF30 amps ...HF90FM receiver and Rec-o-kut turntable and arm, Pickering cartridge, VM reel to reel stereo tape recorder. ------------------ Soundog's HT Systems Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Bean Posted January 17, 2002 Author Share Posted January 17, 2002 Anybody remember Yamaha speakers with a woofer cone shaped like a grand piano? It was advertised to reproduce the highs and the lows just like a piano. I always wanted one of those massive Crown open real machines. BB ------------------ eat your vegetables This message has been edited by Big Bean on 01-17-2002 at 03:49 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Palm Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 My fondest memory was hearing K-Horns for the 1st time!They were blasting Rod Stewart's "Cut Across Shorty". THUNDERING bass!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted January 17, 2002 Share Posted January 17, 2002 I started out with the old suitcase/foldup job as a kid, then bought a Fisher rack system in high school (you know, one of those $600 systems with the slave cables and the cheap boomy speakers). I got a job selling audio while going to college, and learned about Klipsch. I first saw them in another audio store (Klipschorns) and I found out what high end audio was really all about...at least to my ears! I got "attached" to my buddy's Cornwall II's as well - I was simply amazed by their sound...but unfortunately started a twelve year period of dissatisfaction with my audio system (since it took me that long to get a pair of my own). I've got a set of Cornwall II's now, and I'm finally happy....well, almost. As soon as I get a set of Oak Chorus to complete the HT, then I'll be happy! ------------------ First we Rock, then we Roll! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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