A single moment that cemented your HiFi interest

Chumpchops

From the safest places come the bravest words.
Wammer
Oct 3, 2014
2,183
1,573
148
Bristol
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
My dad, who worked for A&M records, installed a pair of huge IMF transmissions line speakers, along with an ADC accutrak TT and huge Japanese amp that just had a huge sod off volume knob. He came home from London after a sales meeting with the second am lp from Joan Armatrading. I was allowed a beer and we listened. ‘‘Twas a sonic dad son moment that I still vividly recall. His previous Roger’s Ravensbook, Golding Lenco and small IMFs were totally eclipsed.

Then punk burst on the scene and his teamed signed this band the sex pistols. He had a few boxes of GSTQ singles that were withdrawn and he had to send back for destruction. Wish I’d knicked a couple…
 

Boris the Animal

Wammer
Wammer
Sep 21, 2019
849
334
83
Wiltshire
AKA
Alan
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
It’s funny that the ‘impressive sounds’ in my memory really weren’t impressive at all on reflection. I’m thinking of my mate’s all in one record player where one note in the introduction to Dire Strait’s Romeo and Juliet resonated with a lovely thrum. Then there was the ‘walking into Our Price’ moment and hearing deeply sonorous bass on Heaven 17’s Let me Go. I know now that these sounds were false. In fact just plain nasty. But they encouraged me to invest in hifi all the same.
 

Jason P

Wammer
Wammer
Aug 7, 2009
927
112
73
Somerset
AKA
Errr...Jason
A number of moments stand out for me.

I was always in to gadgets - so when someone asked me in primary school if I wanted recorder lessons I eagerly said yes. I was bitterly disappointed to discover the other type of recorder...

About ten years old, in Spain at my uncle's villa. He had a stack system - but a good one. JVC or Panasonic IIRC. Played 'War of the Worlds' on vinyl, me listening through some big old headphones. Richard Burton was in my head, the images it conjured up were so vivid.

Spending mornings in Laskeys in Brighton, or upstairs at John King's in Worthing (had a big hifi department, lots of champagne gold components!) marvelling at the buttons and knobs. Laskeys was ace - it had a computer department that had Macs and Atari 800s, as well as all the hifi.

Buying my first ever turntable - saved up, took the train to London to TCR and walked up and down trying to figure out the best place to buy a Dual 505 from. It was like Mecca back then. Eventually a kind man did me a deal on a 505 Deluxe, but it meant I had to walk from TCR back to Victoria carrying a box that weighed a ton... no money for the tube!

Hearing 'Ride On' by Christy Moore in Chichester Hi-Fi. It was a Rega Planar 3, Creek amp and Royd Minstrels and it sounded gobsmacking. I'd never heard anything like it. I know objectively my current system is miles better, but it never captures the magic I heard then...
 

Brown Bottle

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 27, 2005
6,441
2,639
158
The Hoo Peninsula
AKA
Steve
HiFi Trade?
  1. Yes
  2. No
My Dad's cousin was Phil Wood, a DJ for a long time on Piccadilly Radio in Manchester. When I was about 12 we visited his house and he had the coolest turntable I'd ever seen, in hindsight I think it was Trio KD550 with synthetic granit plinth. He also had an attic room that housed a massive vinyl collection, most of them were promotional copies. I'd take loads at a time and tape them at home.

Cheers BB
 

Colinjg

Legend Wammer
Wammer
Nov 1, 2016
7,216
4,485
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South Midlands.
AKA
Walter Fagen.
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
The roots go back to being obsessed, with a few mates, about the chart show on the radio starting about 1970. Then a key moment was early 72 when a friend borrowed a Dansette type thing, and a few singles. We sat on the floor round it and listened to Telegram Sam, A Horse with no Name/ Sandman, Storm in a Teacup. and a couple of others. I was hooked. In 1973 at the age of 15 I picked plums for weeks to buy a record player. Still have my first LPs but never bought many singles.
 
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Andy Stephenson

Legend Wammer
Wammer
Feb 8, 2022
9,227
11,813
148
North East England
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
The roots go back to being obsessed, with a few mates, about the chart show on the radio starting about 1970. Then a key moment was early 72 when a friend borrowed a Dansette type thing, and a few singles. We sat on the floor round it and listened to Telegram Sam, A Horse with no Name/ Sandman, Storm in a Teacup. and a couple of others. I was hooked. In 1973 at the age of 15 I picked plums for weeks to buy a record player. Still have my first LPs but never bought many singles.
I've fond memories of the early 70s, soaking in the bath on sunday teatime listening to the top 40 on Radio 1

Great times.

Andy
 
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cabbages

Wammer
Wammer
Oct 22, 2012
260
4
38
London
AKA
Derek
It was early '80's, and I was out shopping for my first system. I went into an odd little shop near my home that had no mainstream brands at all. Everything was out of my price range at the time, but the owner sat me down in front of a Creek system. I don't recall the turntable or speakers, but he played a live recording of Goodnight, Irene, by the Weavers. I remember the sound of the audience in the background, gaining momentum as the song progressed, and I realized right there that there was so much more to listen to on a music track than the lead guitar and vocals.
 

mykeldg

Newbie
New Wammer
Apr 28, 2021
6
2
8
Late 90s. I was probably 10. Heard Bose Acoustimass from a neighbor playing Live music from a Laser Disc source. Sure Bose is a joke these days especially for hifi enthusiasts. But back then -- for a Kid, seeing those tiny cubes sound so huge and sound coming from all around you was magical.
 
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Von Krolock

Wammer
Wammer
Oct 30, 2012
4,317
2,843
158
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Annie Lennox - 'like she was in the room' at a dealer demo many years ago, thanks to a Gyro.
It's the good trick of hifi - convincing imaging.
 
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tackleberry

Wammer
Wammer
Jan 28, 2010
4,176
1
2,315
158
Leeds..ish
HiFi Trade?
  1. Yes
  2. No
I’ve heard lots of hifi prior that I’ve really enjoyed, but honestly the system that really enthused me was a demo from SP acoustics. He was/is an ex engineer from ae. Brought out his own range of big totr scanspeak floorstanders still one of the best things I’ve heard.
 

Cable Monkey

Moderator
Staff member
May 16, 2006
9,069
2,089
158
Birmingham, UK
AKA
Henry
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
1980/81. A family friends house. I’d just built some speakers which I was rightly proud of. While talking about them the friends husbands eyes lit up and he invited me into his ‘snug’. I saw what I later realised was an LP12. He switched the system on and played some classical. After a few moments of wonderful sound I noticed the deck wasn’t spinning. I buy vinyl, play it once to check it, play it again to record it then put it into storage he said. He then pointed to the cassette deck, made by a Japanese company called Nakamichi. (Pre) amplification by Naim, speakers were active large stand mounts. Oddly enough it never made me a fan of the brands. Or even the method (I hated cassette). It just made me aware of what a good system could do. His Wife was my Mums life long friend. We are still close even though my Mum is no longer here. But he went after serial infidelity and “the huge amounts he spent on HiFi”! They were both mental health Nurses so not rolling in wealth. It is possible that was the most important thing I took away from the experience!
 
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Chivas

Wammer
Wammer
Dec 29, 2011
878
226
58
Knebworth, Herts
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
As a student 20+ years ago, my dad let my new girlfriend and I listen to music on his system. Nina Simone’s Sinnerman I will never forget and was my first experience of what high end truly means!
 

Chop

Wammer
Wammer
May 12, 2014
149
20
38
West Midlands
AKA
Wayne
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
Late 70's, Ellis Marketing in South Norwood and they play Bob Marley's Natty Dread on LP on old Quad ELS57's .
Correct, not much bass but ... oh that midrange and top end. And that clarity. And that...definition. Jut soooo believable. From that moment I was hopelessly, hopelessly lost.
 

Freddyflybuttons

Freddyflybuttons
Wammer
Jan 19, 2020
492
251
68
Cornwall
AKA
Steve Powell
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
My father was a jazz violinist but in the early '70's an almost unknown bloke by the name of Rod Stewart asked him to play on an album he was making. We got a copy of it and while my parents were out I went into the sitting room (it had carpet and us kids were not allowed in) and put it on. I turned the big Tannoy speakers in to face each other like giant headphones and listened.
Every picture tells a story came on, and between Maggie Bell and Rod Stewart singing I could hear the metronome ticking away quietly. That totally blew me away and started my fascination with music and listening. I now have a big pair of Tannoys...
 
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