My first Naim was the Nait XS… About 10 years ago. Seen here with Music Hall MMF 5 turntable, Teac VRDS 7(?) CD-transport, Cambridge Audio DacMagic, Rega Ear and XTZ 99.26 speaker(s).
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First of all I had a music centre, before my first separates system. Which was a Technics SL-Q202 turntable, bought new from one of the shops on Tottenham Court Road:
into a 1970’s Pioneer receiver that looked like this (not sure if it’s the correct model):
and Bang and Olufsen speakers that may have been Beovox 2700:
.
The receiver and speakers were bought from a schoolfriend. However, I don’t really count this system as proper hi-fi.
My first “true” system was this, bought in the mid 1980’s from the Sound Organisation, when they were by London Bridge:
Manticore Mantra + Linn Basik LVX Plus arm and Nagaoka MP11 cartridge:
Rotel RA-820BX amplifier:
and Heybrook HB1 speakers:
The speakers were supported on these:
and the turntable and amp were on one of these:
The Mantra was only replaced just over two years ago. Unfortunately, my now wife didn’t like all the black tubular steel and my HB1’s, so they didn’t last so long.
All library pictures, unfortunately.
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I had a Music Hall MMF TT as my last TT before I gave up on vinyl. I think they are great VFM. It had a Madrigal cartridge in it that cost more than the TT that a friend gave me!
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I’m with your wife on that one - so many racks seem to look like oil rigs sitting in the corner of the room (not implying yours did, just a general comment - I don’t think yours looks that bad - to me, it’s more like a coffee table. With something more interesting than coffee on it).
I’d had a few before my wife said “it’s got to go” about the last one, and she was right; there’s lots of nice looking “racks” - like the Fraim, Hifi Racks, Attacama, etc that fit in much more nicely with the rest of the furniture most people have.
Not sure about the HB1s though - can’t see what’s wrong with them assuming you can cover the “made for music” slogan.
My first amp, a Sinclair Project 60 kit, it sounded pretty good when it worked, but unfortunately it was a bit unreliable.
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My introductionto Hifi was the Project 80 kit. Again pretty good, but the slider pots soon started to crackle. Strangely mine was very reliable (only Sinclair product I ever had that was).
I still have it stored away at my mother’s place and I htink it still works !
Well to be fair I did not give it much of a chance, I was too lazy to box it up properly, it just stayed on a breadboard, probably not the safest thing to do, but this was the 1970’s so it did not matter.
I remember the amps running very hot, I doubt if they were properly heat sunk 
my dad still runs a pair of these. I was always teased as a child - why do you have washing machines in your lounge! ha! they still sound amazing on the end of his vintage gear quad/leake/thorens/sony/marantz. They did inspire me quite a bit i think.
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My wife used to call them washing machines too! Being white didn’t help.
My father had a pair also but his were in Walnut and were actually marketed by Sony as SS7000. They were the same inside though and said B&W on the back.
Best
David
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in hindisght, i know for sure Dad wishes he had bought the walnut finish as it would fit perfectly with the direction the lounge has gone but in those heady stylised days of the late 60’s early 70’s lounges looked very, very different. I think avant-garde speaker choices might be hereditary. I’ve got purple smurfs in my main system 
I never listen naked either Ron, a pair of socks is just fine!
Tallguy,
I thought the speaker stands were pretty ugly, too TBH. However, they did a very good job of doing what they were designed to do.
My HB1’s were also black, just like in the photo. My wife just didn’t like the look of them.
My brother had a Dansette but my first player was a Rigonda bought out of Woolies. My next was Quad 33/303 Kef speakers and a Pioneer 12D T/T. Next was my first NAIM system in the mid 70’s
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Same here! (mentioned in earlier post). Mine first with Z30 power amp modules, then after blowing the output transistors a couply of times I uprated to Z50s, which lasted better. Later a rebuild with twin bridged Z50s, PZ8 power supply board and huge external transformer (separate power supply!) to remove its magnetic field and enable a relatively slim amp case…
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Just been googling to see if I could find a photo on the web of my first record player - a Pye 5001 from Argos, and came across this image of a 1975 Argos catalogue - my Pye 5001 is item number one. 2 x 11 watts and an autochanger BSR turntable! Cost £65.95 back then - equates to £543.86 today (using Bank of England inflation calculator)! The Pye 5002 (next model up in the ‘range’) had a radio but cost nearly £100 back then - too expensive!
Had those strange angled plastic shelled speakers (with only one driver per speaker)…I used to regularly destroy (fry) these playing music too loudly and would replace them with £5 ones bought at the Heathkit shop in London’s Tottenham Court Road.
Here’s a photo of one on the internet;
Brings back the memories…
ATB. George.
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My first Super Cool Hitachi 3D88 “Ghetto Blaster” with all those Sexy LEDs + 3D Bass!!
My first semi serious system consisted of a Denon PMA 250se Integrated - Yamaha CDX 496 CD Player & MDX 595 Minidisc Player, Tannoy Mecury M2.5 Speakers.
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I never managed to blow my Z30s - I’d read that they needed good heat sinking so I bolted them to a piece of sheet aluminium which I then bolted to the case - the case got warm, but the amps never blew.
Before the Z30s I’d got the “amp on a chip” things (ic-20 ?) on a board I seem to remember came from Swanley Electronics. I accidentally shorted the +24V (IIRC).to the right input. The heat sink, and core of the chip embedded themselves in the living room ceiling. Whoops! Looking at the chip left behind on the board there was a massive smoking crater in the middle of it.
Ah, the good old kit days. How many times did I electrocute myself by accidentally touching the back of the power switch before I decided to insulate it ?
I do also remember getting a double sided hand written note back from one of Sinclair’s engineers answering questions I sent in - recommending star earthing - a concept alien to my teenage/schoolboy brain.
It recommended star earthing in the manual! So that’s how I wired mine.
well it was over 40 years ago!! 
. I seem to remember my manual was a photocopy that came in the same envelope. The hand written note must have been about switch on thump suppression then - it was one or the other, I’m sure in my senility. 
I also remember using 2mm speaker sockets to save space… what an idiot - soon had to enlarge them to replace with 4mm. I also had a DIN socket punch too, now that was a fun tool.