Bitten by the bug.(Looking Back)

I was bitten by the Hi-Fi bug in college in the mid-60s, where my GE record player no longer seemed adequate against the Heathkits and Dynakits of my friends at the college radio station.

My first real system was a Dual 1019 changer, H.H. Scott solid state integrated amp, and a pair of full-range (probably 6") Scandinavian speakers that I bought used. The amp was soon replaced by the new Dyna PAS-4x and Stereo 120, and the speakers by the classic AR 4x--and I entered the bottom end of the State-of-the-art.

Parts of that system stayed with me for several decades, as the amps were rebuilt by Audio by Van Alstyne and the AR speakers became the rear channels to Dyna A-35s via a Dyna Quad box [Hailer circuit]. And it always sounded good.

But the strongest memory of that system was the certainty every time I moved it that there would be some gremlin that would keep it from working until I had put in sufficient hours in tweak-purgatory, cleaning contacts and dressing wires until the missing channel came to life or the phono hum was exorcised. Despite the wonderful opportunities of upgrading one component at a time, I can really appreciate the reliability of all-in-one AV receivers where all the connections are inside the box!

The most exciting component purchase was the upgrade from the Dyna A-35s to Vandersteen 2c's. Real Hi-Fi speakers with real bass and extended highs--there has never been a step up in my system that matches that change.

The most missed audio publication is the Audio annual equipment directory, which provided a comprehensive snapshot of the entire Hi-Fi industry ...