Let’s turn the clock back, you’re 17 again or whatever age when your head was turned by music! What system would you go for today at a younger age? We’ve all invested in the finest Naim systems we could/can afford. There are some wonderful options now, we don’t need to buy/own Cd’s /Vinyl anymore.
I love my system, the emotion, that come with music is glorious, and I am in awe of the guys at Naim for their commitment, passion.
Sometimes, I just wonder knowing what I know now (@ 27 years of age…yeah right!!), what route would I take?
I’d read some hi-fi mags before walking into Richer Sounds in Birmingham.
I think I’d go to a proper dealer and spend all the money I’d just had as a windfall (not huge, but would have got something nice) and not “save” any - I drank it all instead.
Would likely have been a Rega deck, NAD 3020 and some reasonable speakers. Who knows, the cash might have even stretched to a Nait 3.
Sorry to be dim - are you asking what we’d do if the clock was turned back to when we were 17 - say 1970, 1980, 1990 or whatever, or if we were 17 today? Clearly the options available today are very different to those available then.
I probably wouldn’t change much in my journey. I soon got to a Linn/ Naim system in 80/81. Prior to that, I had a couple of systems as part of my journey.
Thanks. I strongly suspect that if I were 17 today, it would be an Apple Music subscription and my iPhone 12. As it is, I buy all my music and don’t do online streaming. Both my sons, in their 20s, use Spotify and You Tube.
If I were 17 today? I would have probably have gone for a MUSO. There wouldn’t be a missus pb yet, so the bigger footprint compared to the QB would be perfectly fine. It’s party proof. It streams. My taste in design hasn’t changed much since my 17th. And since I am 17 today with the same bank account I have now, I could afford it too. Not so back in the late 80ties.
I got my first Linn LP12 on my 18th birthday in 1979. Every penny of its £292 price, which included a Rega arm, was paid for by my job at B&Q, which I did for a year between school and university. I had to leave the Linn and my records at home during term time. But just think, with Apple Music and a phone, all the music you could want - well, most of it anyway - is there in your pocket.
I would toss my Kenwood in a dumpster fire for sure, and made better decisions(based on my current knowledge), but what did I know at the time of 1985.
If I could start again I’d like to be so wise to have a source, an amplifier and a pair of loudspeakers…
Like It was in the 70s (I know…tuners, cassettes and reels…)
This is a difficult one to answer, but as @anon4489532 mentioned i don’t think many young people are really familiar with proper hifi, it’s all about convenience and portability these days. That means a lot of headphones, small amps and portable DACs etc.
Also the generation that grew up after the loudness wars may have a very different idea of what is ‘good sound’ than the generations before…
This thought went through my mind couple of years ago when I saw and heard for the first time LS50 Wireless II. The simplicity, and the sound from those “wee” powerhouse was incredible. Also reminiscent of when I first heard Kudos 505’s, divine.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t just about speakers, although my comments beg to differ! A Muso, and or LS50’s would be something I could enjoy into my old age, and take away that burning and yearning ambition……for Statement
Controversial, hypocritical…maybe. But what world would this be without ambition!
Can I just clarify something … do mean what would 17 year old me probably do if 17 year old me was 17 today? Or do you mean what would 59 year old me, with decades of HiFi experience, do if 59 year old me was suddenly 17 again?
If the former, I’d probably make some hifi mistakes, some successes, not really learn from the experience and end up going round in circles for decades to come.
If the latter, I’d probably make some HiFi mistakes, some successes, not really learn from the experience and end up going round in circles for decades to come.
I was 20, 1972, when I bought my first Hi-Fi system from a mail order company located in California. I was stationed in Beaufort, South Carolina at the time while I was in the Marine Corps. It was a Garrard Turntable, Pioneer 747 Receiver, and JBL 88 speakers and the system was fantastic. The system was with me until 1991. It got me through my last 2.5 years in the service, my 5 years in college and my 17 year marriage with my first wife.
The system supported LP’s and FM radio which was the main source of my music during that time frame. I had CD’s but they were used exclusively in the car.
When I bought my Naim system it was a ND5 XS with a Cambridge CD Transport along with a Nait XS 2 feeding a pair of ProAc D2 speakers. In looking at the components it pretty much the same simple system that I had bought back in the early 70’s.
I returned the CD Transport within a week or two and replaced it with a NAS. Ripped all my CD’s to NAS and the streamer with App provided access to all my music along with internet radio.
Today it has evolved from the basic two box system to a eight box system. Probably the biggest reason is my age and financial means which allowed a different configuration with higher level components.
Younger folks today listen to music differently and I don’t think they want all the boxes vs a computer or music player with earbuds or headphones. They listen to songs from artists more then complete albums so it is hard to know If I was to start again as a 20 year old today what a Hi-Fi system would look like.
One thing for sure is there is no truly going back in the time machine and doing things over, you have to work with the tools in front of you at the moment.
At 17 today I wouldn’t have enough money to buy any Naim kit and likely wouldn’t want it if I were like most kids that age so I’d most likely be doing some form of Apple device with a Bose bluetooth device or something similar.
I think that most of us learn, over time to buy the best you can ,when you can. Although it’s fun to pore over the magazines and plan the next up-grade. It makes much more sense to at least try to get end-game pieces, rather than constantly be looking for that next great piece to add.Although I didn’t own too many pieces for the length of time I’ve been involved in the hobby, I could have built a far better, less expensive system by realising. early on the level I wanted and just built that, even if in steps.
I’d buy as much Apple stock as I could. And really revel in all the beautiful women I was with. Get a pair of JBL’s , Marantz receiver, and Phillips turntable! and enjoy it all over again.
Not so back in the late 80ties.
