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Thread: How lo-fi was your first "hi fi"?

  1. #31
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: Sunny (occasionally) Devon

    Posts: 1,713
    I'm Shane.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Martyn Miles View Post
    There’s one of those Grundigs in our local record shop.
    Buy it! You won’t regret it.
    Time flies like an arrow.
    Fruit flies like a banana.

  2. #32
    Join Date: Jul 2014

    Location: Shropshire

    Posts: 2,420
    I'm Anto.

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    I had one of those Ferguson decks with the built in amp with slider controls, and the 2 side speakers with din plugs !!
    My mate in the next room at college had an Akai tt , a real beauty and an amp I cant recall the make of and some peachy speakers . It was like going from a tin radio to the Albert Hall
    I only ride 'em, I don't know what makes 'em work

  3. #33
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: North Yorkshire

    Posts: 129
    I'm Mark.

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    Quote Originally Posted by walpurgis View Post
    About 1971.



    It was bloody awful.
    My first was an Amstrad TT and matching amp neither of which can I remember the model number for (but I think I may still have the amp instructions somewhere !!). They were coupled to a pair of Wharfedale Lintons, which I still have. Sadly () neither of the Amstrad stuff survived.
    All of which was bought from Comet.

    A few older lads used to say that the best thing to do was to get a Garrard deck and mount an SME arm onto it. Well, I did buy a Garrard deck - just like Walpurgis's. I remember it had a smoked black acrylic lid (not hinged). That came from one of those second hand shops that sell fishing rods and Bullworkers and electric guitars, must have been less than £5.
    I never did get the SME arm for it.
    At the time I thought it was darn good.

  4. #34
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

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    Hmm. SP25 Mk.III with an SME? Has it been tried I wonder? Possibly. All sorts of 'horrors' crop up in Hi-Fi! (using the term loosely )

  5. #35
    Join Date: Jul 2014

    Location: Shropshire

    Posts: 2,420
    I'm Anto.

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    I think I still have my old unit up in the dusty old loft.
    I shall have to display its charms on the old bay of pigs maybe .

    Either that or shoot it up with an air rifle
    I only ride 'em, I don't know what makes 'em work

  6. #36
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,848
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    Quote Originally Posted by walpurgis View Post
    Hmm. SP25 Mk.III with an SME? Has it been tried I wonder? Possibly. All sorts of 'horrors' crop up in Hi-Fi! (using the term loosely )
    I think the phrase was "a Garrard deck", so I assume Mark meant either a Garrard 301 or a 401.

    Recognising that the most valuable part of my system were the records themselves, within a year of acquiring a Garrard SP25 it was replaced with an SME arm mounted on a Collaro 2010 TT (a "poor man's" 301) with a Shure M55E (the latter being a noticable improvement over the Shure M3D).
    Barry

  7. #37
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: North Yorkshire

    Posts: 129
    I'm Mark.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    I think the phrase was "a Garrard deck", so I assume Mark meant either a Garrard 301 or a 401.

    Recognising that the most valuable part of my system were the records themselves, within a year of acquiring a Garrard SP25 it was replaced with an SME arm mounted on a Collaro 2010 TT (a "poor man's" 301) with a Shure M55E (the latter being a noticable improvement over the Shure M3D).
    I didn't expand on that bit did I ?

    Yes, the older guys obviously meant the veritable 301 or 401, which I was blissfully unaware of at the time. I saw a Garrard deck for sale, at a cheap price and figured it must have been what they were talking about

    I figured it out some years later, much later.

  8. #38
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

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    Ah. You repeated my SP25 piccie, so I assumed that was what you were getting at.

    But I still bet some chump somewhere has tried to fit an SME on one. And if it's a member here, well, you're still a chump!

  9. #39
    Join Date: May 2009

    Location: Stäfa (near Zürich), Switzerland

    Posts: 308
    I'm Richard.

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    First was some unknown 3 in 1 system upgraded by some huge tower Amstrad loudspeakers (my Dad worked at Curry’s service department - their loudspeakers were free ) - I had the speakers either side of my bed by my head, pointed in like headphones - spent many an evening floating around the house to that

    Then a high end Aiwa midi system, then a Q-Deck, Nad 3130 & Mission 737-Rs.

  10. #40
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,776
    I'm Martin.

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    1984 - One of these things borrowed off of my mother:



    Then, in 1985, a Saturday job meant I could afford one of these (except it was an Aiwa not a Matsui):



    Which was, although still utterly crap, a massive step up from the Murphy. It was stereo!

    Then I became a poxy student and discovered Richer Sounds. So in the Summer of '88 bought these Fisher amp and speakers:





    And a Tensai Turntable:



    The amp was a bit more flash than the one pictured, but same basic idea. That lot cost £50 less than the Aiwa midi system but danced on its grave.

    Then I started hanging around with postgrads who already had cd players and NICAM VCRS and were into building their own speakers and subs using exotic drivers like Jordan and Bandor. That opened my eyes and I have only them to blame for where I am now
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

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