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Heathkit AR1500 receiver JBL Century 100 speakers AR Turntable Sure V15 type III cartridge

Lord, I remember: A Garrard SL-95 turntable (they were out of the Zero 100), with a pair of Audio Dynamics Corp ADC 303AX speakers that I seemed to blow every week (box 'em up send 'em back and they'd put a new driver in—apparently, I never thought of fuses). All of it powered by a big, honkin' Panasonic receiver that was not only a substantial piece of gear, it didn't sound all that bad. Feels like yesterday....

My first components with separate speakers were a Juliete w/8-track player and a Garrand tuntable. I bought this with paper route money. My senior year in high school I bought my Sansui G3000 and Radio Shack Optimus 5 speakers. I still own the Sansui.

Dynaco stereo 70 and PAS 2. I can't believe I gave them away and bought solid-state Hafler gear!

Pioneer cassette, Sansui Eight receiver, Rectilinear Towers. 12" woofer, 5" mid, two 2" upper-mids, and two 1.5" paper tweeters. I later saw them in an electronics catalog for $1 each.

Circa 1988 I bought used for $150 collaro turntable, 1969 pioneer sx1000 reciever w/zenith alegro speakers

Sherwood 7200 receiver, Dual 12-something player with Shure M95ED cartridge, Large Advent speakers, and a Teac 360 cassette deck with VU meters and built in mic/line mixing.

I always used my dad's gear. In the early 80s (I was still pretty young), my parents bought be Walkman. The unit was a tank and it rocked - the purchase marked the beginning of the end . . .

Intergrated amplifier: Audiolab 8000A Mk II CD player: Arcam 5 series Loudspeakers: Neat Petite The whole system costed

The very first system: a hand-me-down receiver, with integrated 8-track deck, a turntable, and some speakers that turned out to be not so bad when I used them near-field style. My first "real" system was a Denon integrated, Polk bookshelf speakers, and a Harmon/Kardon turntable with MC cartridge. This was in 1987, and I had every intention of getting the "perfect sound" of CDs, but my salesman actully talked me out of it. I stuck with LPs for a few more years, even though all my friends thought I was nuts when I said I could hear more stuff on the LP version of Dark Side of the Moon than on the CD. Biggest mistake I've ever made in hifi: I sold the H/K turntable and all my records to help pay for a new Miata. At least I can say the turntable and records went to a good home--the buyer was a dedicated record collector, and needed a real record player.

An old Marantz reciever of my Dad's, a CD player and dual-well cassette deck of forgotten brands, and a pair of Technique speakers.

I'm not sure of the exact model numbers on some of these, but here goes: A $35 retail Audio Techica cartridge on a Pioneer PL-12D manual belt-drive turntable with a captive interconnect. A beautiful console Kenwood cassette deck with big VU meters. Dynaco kits FM-5 tuner and SCA-70 solid-state integrated amp, all connected with cheap stock ICs. Dynaco A-35 speakers with zip cord cables. Paid for by mopping floors evenings and Saturday. In my small bedroom, that system rocked. While my friends had cars, I had music.

Micro Seiki DD-26 tuntable Tensai System 22 integrated amp Goodmans speakers

Marantz 2220B receiver, Marantz 5G speakers, and a Dual 1228 turntable. All of them are still working and in mint condition, with the exception of the foam grills on the speakers.

Back in 1964 or so, I owned the old tube Dynaco amplifier and a AR turntable. In 1967, I bought my first transistor equipment, a Fisher.

My first audio system was a small portable Telefunken stereo turntable with two speakers, which could be unclipped and separated from the turntable. It was a thing of wonder and amazement to listen to stereo for the first time!

Roland Electronics (Pre-Rotel) 30W receive,r Dynaco A-25, and a Garrard SL-35 with Shure M91E.

You said audio, not audiophile. That would have to be a turntable, amplifier, speaker combo, with a carrying handle no less, that my grandmother gave me at age five. It had a needle that looked like a sharpened nail and its tracking force measured in ounces not grams. Nevertheless, this little gem engendered a love of recorded music in me that persists to this day. The equipment gets better with my income and savings but my passion remains the same: getting lost in my favorite music.

Scott S-16 speakers. Sterling 40wpc am/fm receiver. Garrard SL-55B w Shure M55e cartridge.

Sansui AU-4400 Integrated Amp Marantz 6100 Turntable RTR EXP-8 Speakers

Technics SLB2 Turntable Kenwood DC Receiver (65w/channel) 3-way box speakers

sony dual cassette boom box type stereo

Wollensak stereo reel-to-reel recorder playing through a Pansonic receiver with odd little triangle speakers.

Kenwood 4400 (?) receiver Garrard Turntable w/pickering cartridge Altec model 3 speakers College in 1976 I loved it!

I remember it well. Apt Holman preamp, Yamaha B-2 amp, DCM Time windows, and a Micro-Seiki TT. I loved that one!

A $5 Panasonic portable transistor radio when I was 6 (1964).

In 1955 I purchased a reel-to-reel from Allied Radio. Thought it would be fun to hook it up to an amp so I ordered a Bogen 10W amp and purchased an EICO bookshelf speaker system to go with it. Then I ordered a Knight Kit FM Tuner. I was at the San Francisco HiFi Show (I think it was 1957) when stereo discs were introduced using the Electro Voice ceramic stereo phono cartridge. So I purchased another amp and speaker system. Then a stereo amp and better speakers. Then a better turntable. Then more kits. Then the cassette era, which was so much fun with tapes so small that could sound so good with all the new technologies in the '70s ("chrome", metal, etc). I am probably still just as active as ever after 48 years in hi-fi, limited only by the fact that so few companies still manufacture hi-fi components which puts kind of a damper on your hobby! I still enjoy making music compilations to this day but the fun continues with my high end MiniDisc deck instead of tape although I regularly listen to the dozens of cassettes I have made or purchased over the years. I amaze myself that my interest in this hobby has never waned. Maybe someday the interest in quality sound and audio will return, you never know. I am amazed at how many people walk around listening to headphones. At one time that belonged to "us."

Pioneer 1010 Receiver, Sony reel to reel tape deck, BIC turntable, Jensen loudspeakers, Teac cassette deck

DENON DCD 1520 CD PLAYER/DENON DRA-1025 RECEIVER/PARADIGM 11SE DELUXE/ DENON DP-47 TURNTABLE/ MONSTER CABLE 12 GUAGE SPK WIRE AND INTERCONECT

A Sony boom-box. Though it may be a far cry from what I currently enjoy, the memories that this question has drawn forth are still ever so sweet, if not more precious.