"Back in the day", where did you buy your first piece of gear?

Receiver, CDP and JBL's at Myer Emco in Rockville, MD. Turntable and cart at Audio Buys in Gaithersburg, MD....and my Sennheisers at Absolutely Sound in Rockville.....all '88-'89 time period for anything of quality anyway.
 
Sound Company, San Diego circa 1976. Bought an Advent 201A deck and I want to say either a Yamaha CA-400 or Kenwood KA-7100 integrated amp, all used/on layaway. Can't remember which of those two amps, I owned both of them at one point or the other early on but don't remember which one came from Sound Co.

John

In another post someone else mentioned the "Sound Company" in San Diego from the late 70s. Right next to Tower Records on Sports Arena Blvd? I used to go to Tower records there all the time, either before or after going to Foggy's Notion (a bar next to Tower Records), but for the life of me I don't remember ever going to the Sound Company. And I would have gone into it if I'd known about it. Maybe I just forgot. I do remember going to a small stereo shop on the other side of the Sports Arena Blvd, further down the street, but I don't remember the name of that place. I bought a Micro-Seki turntable there in 1978.
 
Frank Van Alstine's basement shop in Burnsville, MN. My beloved and 48 year old, still working Sherwood S7100 receiver, custom Technics turntable, and ADC speakers. He knows his stuff!
 
1980 at the Army’s PX in Mannheim Germany (BFV)... As a private, fresh out of basic training/AIT, I bought a Pioneer all-in-one system, which was a mistake... A few months later, a Kenwood rack system... Another mistake, but paired it with a Pioneer EQ, range expander and reverb. Held that for a year and a half before buying Kenwood’s top of the line integrated amplifier KA-9, tuner KT-9 and turntable KD-9
 
It was a turntable, Akai I think, from the Record Room in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Next a Rait amp via a friend whose flatmate worked at the Rait factory.

Used the speakers from my parents "all in one" system until I went back to the Record Room and bought a pair of B&W DM4's.

All in 1977.
 
It was 1977 and I saved up by bagging groceries and bought my first "real" gear from an older friend who was working at the same grocery store. I got a Kenwood KA-7100 amp, a pair of JBL 4311s, a Sankyo cassette tape deck, one of those top loading kinds, and a Sony turntable, not sure which one. He made me a package deal because he was trying to get up enough money to buy a motorcycle.

The only pieces I have left are the amp, which I recently had gone over by a guy who used to work for Carver, and the speakers. The speakers are what brought me here. After serving me well through high school and later in college, they needed a refresh and I got the lowdown from this site and recapped them. They aren't perfect and have the odd gouge here and there, but I upgraded the crossovers and binding posts and made the cabinets more presentable.

I use them in my office with the amp and a Sony PS-X600 turntable, so they're still rocking. I have my new-to-me Sony SS-M7s at home and they are a much better speaker, but the JBLs bring back memories of college parties at the house I shared with four other guys. Unfortunately, that's where the drink ring on the top of one of the speakers probably came from. Unfortunately, when you are the one who owns the stereo you're on constant patrol pulling half-filled solo cups off your gear.

Prior to this purchase it was whatever console or all-in-one my dad dragged home for my mom, various portable radios and your basic mono cassette decks. But it was all good, just different.

We had my uncle's old Fisher hi-fi console, but every time we tried to play a record it would work for awhile and then start a high pitched whine. Bad tube, who knows, my brothers and I were in elementary school. I ended up being the all-in-one, tuner, 8-track and turntable stand and then later the all-in-one tuner, cassette and turntable stand.
 
1974 in Pittsburgh....Olson electronics for a Pioneer SX 626 receiver, then across the street at Audio Warehouse for a set of small Advents and a Dual 1228 turntable with AT 13e cartridge
 
McDaniel's Hi-Fi in Menlo Park, CA about 1970. Purchased a Kenwood KA-6000, Advent (original) speakers and Garrard SL95 with Shure M-91E. These were my core for about 10 years. I added equipment. Picture shows setup circa 1976.

SYSTEM.JPG
 
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Fisher 400 receiver in 1965 from Pacific Stereo in Berkeley, CA ... ended up working for them for a decade, at the end running their private label business, among other things. Good times and many memories.
 
Laneway Shopping Mart on garbage night. The combined pleasure of being poor and living in the "big city";)
 
Probably at a PX in South Korea, 1970. Bought a Nivico (JVC here) Receiver. I was a lowly Spec4, and thought it looked awesome! Had the tone controls that were sliders on one end. Made it look 2 feet long! :) A couple of officers were looking at it, and another receiver nearby. They would play with one, then move over to the other and compare. While they were over at the other one, I slipped in and grabbed the Nivico! LOL. They gave me a hard look, but I had my Nivico!
 
1974: A & B Sound at 556 Seymour St. in Vancouver, BC.

BSR 6500AX and Lafayette LR-75A to go with the hand-me-down homemade speakers from a kit my dad gave me when he upgraded to Dynaco A-35s.
 
Wow. Great Thread. First significant piece was from Radio Shack. Realistic SCT -3 casette deck. Circa 1970 - 71
Realistic SCT 3.jpg
Not my photo - borrowed from the web.
Then from Pacific Stereo on Wilshire Blvd. in the West Los Angeles/Santa Monica Area. The building is still there.
Purchased by Sony STR 7055 which I still own and use.
I've been digging for the original manual and paperwork that are squirreled away someplace in the garage. Then Sony PS3300 I wish I still owned, Thorens TD-165 which I still do own and other items that I've forgotten about I'm sure.
 
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