My first Fried model C speaker kit.

Sansui AU505/Technics speakers

No idea how to count what is Hi-Fi, what is Hi-End...

2006 - full amp Meridian 505,

2007 - C.E.C. DAC 71mII + TL51X(transport),

2009 - Audio Physic Avanti and 3 units of T+A (amp, pre, CDP). I think that was my start in Hi-End.

So I am only 3.5 years in game. :banana:

Not sure if high end or not, but it made great music to me: ADS Atelier Series Receiver (R1), CDP (CD3), and TT (P2), mated to some Infinity bookshelf speakers. Still have the ADS components and will give to my son. Wonder if Michael Kelly worked on this series?

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2583/4...2d1d808c2e.jpg

Sansui AU-505
 

Not really high-end but major step up in this never-ending route, I was 15 then..

sm19422... Welcome! :wave:

1975: Acoustic Research (AR) 2ax Speakers

Regards
Arnie

Welcome Arnie. I know those well, they were great speakers in their day.

Thanks Tony. That was the time the disease started ... :banana:

Sennheiser HD580 headphones; the first nice thing I bought for myself after getting my first real job right out of college (2001). Unfortunately I purchased them with a Headroom Total Airhead amplifier, which was awful. I had to toss the AirHead and run the HD580 straight out of a discman (:dazed:) to enjoy them.

They replaced a $30 pair of Aiwa closed back headphones, purchased at BestBuy. Those Aiwas were absolutely wretched; even my uninitiated ears could hear a huge difference. I still love the sound of that Sennheiser HD580/600/650 series, and haven't warmed up to the HD800.

So I got my start in hifi via head-fi. The first set of speakers that I'd consider "hifi", that I also loved the sound of (had some prior speakers which failed here), were Tannoy Eyris DC3 (around 2005). That eventually sent me down my present path.