...high-quality stereo components, of course. When my friends and I turned 15 or 16, we would make regular trips to the former Tech Hifi in the suburbs of Boston, where we would learn about judging speakers and begin building our systems to replace those all-in-one cheap-shit things you'd get at Lechmere or other department stores.
My turntable (which I've been looking to get on eBay at a reasonable price for two years now) was a Technics SL-220. I used to lie in bed at night, throw on a record, and just watch that orange strobe light glow! I miss this turntable terribly; I wish I'd never gotten rid of it, but S-shaped tone arms fell out of favor and I switched to a Denon that works great but to which I have no emotional attachment.
I forgot what my original speakers were, but in college I replaced them with a pair of Burhoe Acoustics, which I still use to this day. At college, I became friendly with Winslow Burhoe's son, and got mine custom made at the factory: Blue components (including the fabulous SuperTweeter) in Dark Green cabinets (Burhoe model names were colors; the cabinets were not actually in those colors).
My receiver was a Nikko; can't remember the model number, but it was 50 watts of sleek metallic power - more than enough for my bedroom. I upgraded it when I got my own place.
My tape deck was an Aiwa; again, I can't recall the model number, but similar to the turntable, I was mesmerized by the green, yellow, and red lights on the digital VU meters. This one shit the bed, and I replaced it with a decent but so-far-enduring dubbing deck from Lechmere.
I got my first CD player within months of them hitting the market. As such, it quickly became outdated and feature-light. I upgraded to a Kyocera that was pretty sweet for a while, but then it shit the bed and the company stopped shipping to the US. My current is a Denon with five-disc carousel. It's serviceable, that's all I'll say. My stereo and my main TV are in different rooms and floors, so I don't have a need for the CD/DVD/surround set-up at this time.
I miss those days in Tech Hifi, when we used to drool over their $10,000 dream systems, including a reel-to-reel player and five-foot-tall speakers. Those were the days.
Linear Mode
