Your first hi-fi 'knockout' moment?

Pull up a chair, it's nostalgia corner...

We had our initial, tentative steps into the shallow end of this oh-so-deep hi-fi pool with our first real hi-fi system - but there was always that one moment - it may have been at a show, or in a dealer's showroom, where all of a sudden we were all-too aware of what serious hi-fi could do. And made us realise that what we owned wasn't quite the ultimate in sound reproduction.

Mine was most definitely in 1979 at the Cambridge Hi-Fi show (only held the once if I remember) where there was an LP12 (I'd never seen one before) with Mission 774 arm and MC cartridge going through Meridian 103 pre & 105 monoblocks into Mission 770's - the first ones which were fabulous things.

I was just gobsmacked at the sound; Elvis Costello was there, in that room, singing 'Green Shirt'. Life would (cliche alert) never be the same again.

 

listening to Wish You Were Here for the first time on some decent kit

a bit cheesy I know,but an unforgettable moment

 

There are two that I can think of.

First was when I went into a hifi shop that I frequented (as a bored, broke 15 year old). The guy there said "come and have a listen to this", and we went into the dem room. Audio Alchemy transport, DDE 3.0 and Power Station 3, feeding an Audiolab 8000S into a pair of Monitor Audio speakers (can't remember the model, but had silver-coloured drive units and rosewood finish (long before silver series however)).

The test disc was just some Now! collection (iirc, it was the Gina G eurovulsion entry!), but it actually managed to sound good (as in, it presented it nicely... the merit of the music is recorded by its success...).

The second moment was rather more recent than that, courtesy of one mr WM. The first time I heard that system it destroyed my preconceptions, it destroyed my objectivist cynicism, and with the way the sofa moved, it damn near destroyed me. Certainly my wallet has not recovered from THAT little experience...

 

A couple of instanices stick in mind.
At a dealers 2 years ago, the very first time I'd heard a true 3d layered sound stage, quite something, even if it was all hifi
Audio Physics Virgo 3's/Full DCS stack, Minos subwoofers (2), accuphase mains regeneration, full valhalla, gamut mono's, all the toys, had quite an effect, put me right off DCS
And the full £50K naim system at Bristol last year, it was so enlightening, that so much cash could get so little in return

 

It's 1980, and visiting a schoolmates house I noticed that music sounded different played on his Dads stereo. It wasn't an Amstrad or Sharp stack system that seemed 'the thing' back then but separate bits of kit. An Ariston RD80 Superior with SME arm and Ortofon cartridge, some Pioneer receiver and a pair of Kef Concord speakers.

He played the Dire Straits album Love Over Gold and I suddenly realised that the quality of stereo gear wasn't measured by how many buttons and flashing lights.

The epiphany came when we visited his uncle on Alderney the next summer. George Benson 'Turn Your Love Around' played from a Revox B77 at 15ips through whatever amp and into some ex-BBC Tannoy dual concentric speakers with cabinets the size of a small wardrobe. Detailed yet silky smooth and huge bass that was both deep and yet beautifully controlled. Totaly awsome.

Great memories

Hex

 

first time i realised that there might be something more to this music lark than the cassette / radio that did load / save duties for my zx81 was round at a mates house when i was at collage. no idea what the system was but it was the first time i'd heard 'the wall' - the never mind dolby and all that bosh the helicopter and the 'you, yes you laddie' had me looking out the window for the searchlight.

next was hearing my first naim system (cd5 / nait 5 / b&w's). some have said they find that they just sound 'wrong' to me it just sounded 'right' i went away pretty much knowing i'd buy it even though it nearly doubled what i wanted to spend on hi-fi. the next day i went in put down the deposit and took the kit away and i've not looked back since.

cheers


julian

 

I remember the shock of comparing my first CD player (Mission PCM 4000) to the Thorens TT I owned at the time. The CD player was so shiiiiiiiite my jaw hit the deck. it was fifteen years before I bought another CD player.

My suprise was almost as great when I auditioned the Sony 555es a decade and a half later and found that CD replay had come miles and miles.


Darren

 

for me it was my friend simon's dad's lp12, some quad stuff and i don't remember what else. I must have been sevemteen at the time and some 20 years later i got around to buying the tt.


john

 

Good morning John how are you keeping sir?, long time no see. T.

 

There have been two true knockout moments for me:

1973-ish at age of about 10-11 hearing 'A question of balance' by the Moody Blues played loud on a friend's dad's system of TD125 / 3009 / V15 / Quad 33 / 303 and enormous Ditton 66s. I never realised music could sound so damn big, and from that moment wanted a hi-fi system. That system could rattle the door knob in the rooms upstairs, and as a young kid that is rather impressive.

1982, the system of a friend's uncle or someone, a LP12 / Grace / Supex / Naim 32 / SNAPS / 250 and Isobariks. This system totally annihilated anything I had heard previously – he played some jazz and it was the first time I'd ever had that 'bloody hell, there's a drum kit in the room' feeling. It was at exactly this point that the upgrade bug bit, prior to this I though that just having a nice system was enough…

Tony.

 

My first would have to be hearing an LP12/Ittok/Asak at Spaldings in Crydon in the early Eighties. I'd never heard anything like it and sold everything to have the same at home!

Sadly the last few times I've heard an LP12, I've been floored for all the wrong reasons - I guess things move on.

The most recent case would have to be the Tact demo at Heathrow 2002, the infamous Sheffield Labs drum track.

 

First ever..


Was:

Epos ES11
Audio Innovations Alto amp
Rotel 965BX CDP

This system (especially the speakers) floored me with their transparent and involving presentation in a demo at Lintone Audio (metrocentre) about 10 years ago.

I was blown away by what I'd heard, and immediately began saving. I was also intreagued (and still am to this day) that changing components changes the sound in such an interesting way..

I bought the Epos speakers, and they sounded ''wrong'' at home. It was my first indication (although I hardly knew it then) that the room is the biggest factor in any system (IMHO)

Other ''Eureka!!'' moments..

1) First time I heard good phono stages (an EAR 834P, a Rotel one, cant remember model)
2) Living Voice Auditorium/Avatar demo at Definitive Audio
3) Deans Border Patrol amp at my house!

 

After this week of astounding nostalgia - how come most people have such safe stylish [boring] systems now...? Kids-n-mortgages I guess.

2 stick in the memory. Listening to real Sansui gear in the late 70s, as a kid. And, one of the old Harrogate shows, a room on the top floor you could hear from the ground. When I found it...reel2reel source, big phase linear poweramp and some serious Chartwell speakers in flight cases..probably 12" polyp bass drivers. Giving it some heavy loud 'Yes'. The audience all looked like the old memorex logo - hair blown back, hanging on to their chairs!

 

Hearing John Watson's system for the first time, about three years ago.

I had no idea that CDs and records were so well-recorded and produced till then.

 

It would have to be the day I heard the Arcam Alpha 9 CD player for the first time and realised that CD replay didn't have to be forward, harsh, rough and ear-bleeding. That it was possible to have spine tingling detail wihtout that sharpness that makes you want to turn the volume down. Here was a player that positively screamed 'turn it up'

That was 5 years ago and I haven't found anything signifcantlly better at anything near the price ever since.

The next would have to be the day my beloved Arcam got the Tony treatment - a Townsend Seismic Sink, Eupen and a Trichord Powerblock

 

'eek' is bloody right... He did the same thing to my system with disastrous results. You must like it smoooooth 'n' sleepy, my good bear. A 'cocoa' system.

Each to his own, I guess.

 

Smooth and sleepy? Ahem! If you lived closer I would have you eating those words. My system is only smooth in the sense that it does not add harshness that was not present in the recording. As for sleepy? No, quite the reverse. I would have bought MF or NAD for that. No, no, no. The Arcam Alpha 9 can rock in some style and the Trichord just makes it even more rhythmic and groovin'. Sleepy!

 

Woah - he must have had a time machine, as that LP didn't come out until 1982 (sorry to be a pedant but it's one of my favourite LPs!)....

My first times (don't laugh!) were in 1984 in Comet in Plymouth (I was 8) seeing a Philips CD player and being blown away by it ("wow Dad - it costs 500 times what I get in pocket money!"). Don't forget this was the days of my mono radio-cassette, and my folks' record player was truly HIDEOUS!

The other time was in 1987 when we all went on a school trip to, err, our Domestic Science teacher's house. She had everything - burglar alarm, hifi stereo VHS, microwave - you name it. And an effing HUGE Sony seperates system with another CD player in it - and it sounded ACE to an 11 year old who was still 3 months away from his first stereo twiin deck portable! (I did have a stereo "personal stereo" - a dreaded Philips Skymaster IV with no antiroll and a stupid 3-battery arrangement. Grrrr.

My first REAL hifi shock though was a Sony midi system. For real. My first halfway decent stereo (and for a midi AND 1991 it was very very good - even had source direct), and it had a CD player (which I later dubbed "Brillo pad" for it's flamethrower treble - even though Henryt'll disagree!) AND a turntable.

Sticking on this battered old Elton John live LP that a mate had given me ages before, and that I'd never played on my folks' record eating machine, I had a Naim Forum-style "my jaw has just hit the floor" moment - it ROCKED! Form then on in, I realised just how far CD had to come to get anywhere near that musical enjoyment - pure bliss.

The most eye opening though, was 1998's Heathrow(?) show - hearing the Michell Orbe with Henryt's classical music - the first time I've been able to hear a whole side of a classical LP without wanting to garot myself - it sounded so good I nearly got up and applauded at the end. Oh, and John Michell (god rest his soul) allowed me to play Meredith Brooks' "Bitch" (7 inch) AND Tori Amos' "Icicle" without throwing me out!

 

Not many "knockouts" to report here, but here goes anyway...

1. Replacing my Cambridge Audio A500 to a Rotel RA-01. Sidestep move, many would probably think, but an amazing transformation in the right direction, after the A500 proved to be a step in the wrong direction from a Kenwood minisystem

2. Replacing my Cambridge Audio DAC3 (I see a pattern emerging here ), which was being fed with a Videologic Sonicfury or Pioneer DV350, with my TerraTec EWX 2496 soundcard. Despite my feeling that the result was going to be a harsh, thin and weak in the bass sound, I was surprised when all of the areas I had predicted it to be weak, were actually better than what I was using at the time (a DAC, which was, and still is, pretty well regarded for its price, so I see). The Terratec simply sounds better in every area bar none.

3. Beyer DT531 headphones. Here was headphones costing £60 that could not only compete with headphones at a significantly higher price than these cost, but quite often beats them too.

4. Sony MDR-CD3000 headphones, the cans that were to become my overall favourites, and the first headphones that suggested to me that really good sound was possible from headphones. These headphones, for me, have everything. They are lively, dynamic, punchy, detailed, clean, clear and musical. All of the things the disappointing HD650 should have been.

5. Sony MDR-CD1700 headphones. Yep, a lot of headphones here, but these are worthy of a mention because, to date, these are the only headphones that can compete in sheer VFM terms to the Beyer DT531. Not only do they compete on lesser systems, but on better systems, they can completely surpass their lower cost siblings.

OK, so are these knockouts limited to being knocked out by high quality? Or can I mention the bad ones as well...?

Actually, not too many to mention here, but...

1. Cambridge Audio A500 amp. Went for this because, as a newbie, I obviously believed the more watts is better hype. I went and chose this amp above the only other amp I was really looking at, at the time - a Kenwood KAF-3030R. Imagine my disappointment then, when it sounded worse than my old Kenwood mini system amp. Not impressed.

2. Quad 11L speakers. I have not had the benefit of hearing these in better systems than the one I heard it, but in this system (which many have reported to have great synergy with these speakers), I felt it was extremely light in the bass, and overly smooth and polite, and definitely not worth the extra £300 or so that they cost over a Wharfedale Diamond 8.1, which uses all but identical drivers.

3. Sennheiser HD650. For a £300 headphone, these are EXTREMELY disappointing. Although thats not what I felt when I first got them, when I actually felt they were wonderfully accurate (tonally) and detailed headphones. My opinion for this stands. However, they sound slow, muffled and lifeless, at least in the context of £300 headphones. The Sony's are cheaper, and yet sound far better to these ears its just not funny. The Sony's can attempt to image, have far better dynamics, more punchy bass and sound far clearer, even though they arent any more detailed. They are also more comfortable and better built. If you need a £500 amp to make these sound good, then I'll pass thanks!!

4. AKG K271 Studio. This is a £100 headphone. And its also pretty poor for the money. Unless of course, you like having sweaty ears, a midrange that sounds like the recording has been done in a cave, clinical highs, a fake sound, and weak, boring bass. To add insult to injury, its also pretty devilish to drive too.

5. Most budget level CD players (sub £300). I am constantly told that my soundcard source cannot be any good. So why dont I hear a dramatic improvement with any half decent CD player? In fact, why do I often hear a dramatic decrease in SQ? Maybe it is because of outdated myths that soundcards are no good. I think so. High end CD players? Fair enough, they will sound better, but surely it is possible by now to have really good sounding budget CD players? If there is, then I aint heard it yet...

 

The first time I realised hifi could play "real" music was 1980 + something in Toronto, the speakers where B&W 801 Matrix, I have no idea what the rest of the system was, TT for sure, too early for CD...