My first high-end kit I owned was a turntable system: A SOTA Sapphire with Premier MMT arm and Talisman S cartridge. I got the SOTA super mat and clamp with it. I got this around 1983. The Talisman was replaced with a Benz around 2001.
My first audiophile kit I owned that started the upgrade path was a pair of Polk Audio Monitor 10s around 1981. I remember going into the local stereo saloon and the salesman asked me if I ever heard the Mark Levinson gear? He hooked them up with a pair of Polk 10s and convinced me that up the chain was where the magic started. Their standard demo source was a Linn LP12 system. I later bought the speakers and eventually the SOTA.
