Stephen's post in his blog under the title "A first system" intrigued me. The questions he poses later in thread commentary "how did you get into it?", "why did you get into it?" and "how have you gotten to where you are now" are irresistible to new-starters like myself. Could it be that someone with the kind of exposure Stephen has had to the wonderful world of insanely high-end HiFi - actually cares about the lowly budget bottom-end systems that the largest percentage of hobbyists like myself acquire?

Surely not.

At least, that is what I (and I daresay a lot of other HiFi new-comers) would instantly assume. You see, it's somewhat embarrassing to be at the bottom of the ladder. It may be a 'subconscious subtext', but it often feels that in the world of HiFi, people like me (with systems like mine) are imposters - secretly tolerated by those who have been generously endowed with the necessary resources to fund a 'real system'. Yet I feel compelled to answer the questions Stephen posits - 'e-extinguisher' in hand should I be flamed along the way.

The story of how I came to own my first system is one filled with personal shame