With all the posts we get around here with questions about what to get for their first HT setup, I'm curious to hear everyone's story on how they started with the HT bug.

Here's mine...

I remember being, hmm, I dunno, 13/14 years old, still in Junior High, wanting my own stereo system. My father told me to buy just a receiver and speakers at first. Buy what I could afford now, and add pieces as I saved money. I'd end up with a better system.

So I bought a Yorx all-in-one stereo system for $99.99. Similar to this one, only not as nice.


What do dad's know, right? I had it all! DUAL cassette deck, record player, tuner, seven band EQ, and two big tower speakers! I enjoyed that system for quite some time, and then started asking questions..."how do I get it to sound better?"

Then one christmas I got a CD player! A sharp single-disc player. I ran upstairs to my room and hooked it up to the Yorx. (Unbelievably it had a single aux input that could accept the cd player!)

I was BLOWN away at how much better cd's sounded than cassettes. (Even then I rarely listened to records. I was a child of the cassette age.) That had to have been about 1988, because I remember listening to David Lee Roth's "Skyscraper" over and over and over again in my bedroom.

But now the bug was set. Now I knew things could sound ever better! So I talked to my dad and he suggested he head to Radio Shack and see what they had. (Back then they actually had a nice listening room, and sold some decent equipment!) I found a nice Onkyo reciever that I wanted, and saved up my money and eventually bought it, along with a pair of very inexpensive Radio Shack "Optimus" bookshelf speakers.

That receiver paired with the cd player and "real" speakers blew me away once again. The disease had really set in by this point. There was no turning back now.

Next into the fray would be a "stereo" VCR. Much to my delight they actually had VCR's with stereo input and output jacks on the back that you could play through your receiver! Wow! Movies in STEREO! A massive collection of video tapes began to be bought. (Thanks in part to a local store which sold used vhs tapes for $5/each or 3/$10) With the collection of videos, it was only natural for me to want a nicer tv. Thanks to SEARS and this magical invention called the credit card, I could own a brand new 27" panasonic "superflat" tv for only $15/month! (I'm likely still paying for that tv)

While in our local mall's "Suncoast Motion Picture Company" looking for new videos to add to my collection I came across what I thought was movie soundtracks on vinyl. Upon asking, I was told they were this new thing called "laser discs". CD quality sound AND picture. Light years ahead of vhs. I had to have one. Not only was the quality better, but new titles only cost between $25 and $40, as opposed to the $100 they wanted for the same thing on VHS! What a bargain!

So now I've got a nice 27" tv, onkyo receiver, optimus speakers, pioneer ld player and stereo vcr. It's obviosly time for upgraditus. The weak link is obviously my speakers. I listened to a bunch of speakers, at a bunch of differnt stores before making my final decision. I was entering the big time now. These speakers would be with me for the next decade, and I wanted to get it right. I ultimately bought a pair of Snell Accoustics Type K/II bookshelf speakers. Crystal clear highs, and the cleanest mid-range I heard. They were the crown jewels of my system. By this time I was curious what this "Dolby Surround" was all about too. So I of course had to get a center channel to go with my new Snell's. Then I was talked into a subwoofer. Probably the biggest stinker purchase I'd made since that Yorx system, I got a yamaha YST-60 subwoofer. (Once again, I got what I could afford at the time, rather than wait and get something good.)

That current setup, the tv, the onkyo receiver, the snells, the center channel, ld player, cd player and the yamaha sub stayed with me for about 2-3 years unchanged.

When I moved to Los Angeles, I got the itch again, and went looking at more powerful receivers. Got myself talked into an Onkyo Integra SV-919THX receiver. The unit was a monster. Again, slapped down the plastic and went home with the mother of all receivers. Quite possibly the top of the line receiver in it's day.

Not long after that I walked through a local Good Guys, and they had some surround speakers from Polk on sale. Open box. Cheap. I of course bought them.

So with the added surrounds and monster receiver I was all set for another two years.

Then came DVD. Unlike many nay-sayers that said dvd would die on the vine, I knew it would be huge. It promised the quality (if not better) than laser disc with the convienience of the cd. I had to have one! That was 1996.

2003. Yep...seven years without an upgrade! I discovered audioreview.com and hopped on their boards. I was a bit disapointed in the intelligiblity of dialog in movies. A new center channel was suggested, and a company called Axiom was highly recommended. During the time I was preparring to purchase the VP150, I took the grills off my beloved Snells and discovered the foam surrounds had completely dry rotted. They were falling apart! Shocked and terrified I looked into buying some new bookshelf speakers, and put the center channel idea on hold. After a lengthy process of research I boiled it down to the Energy C-3 or the Axiom M22ti. I bought a pair of both, and listend to each in my own living room. (The A/B switch on my onkyo came in very handy!) The Axiom's won, hands down. Both my brother, and Roger agreed. The Energy's were returned and the Axioms replaced the Snells in my living room. The Snells were moved to my bedroom and only played at very low volumes.

I then ordered the VP150, and was immediately shocked at how much better dialog was. I could actually understand what people were saying without having to crank the center channel volume up!

For now the Polk surrounds would have to do. The QS8's just seemed too pricey.

All the research into new speakers sparked my interest in home audio again though. I kept reading. I kept visiting hi-fi shops...my disease, though dormant for many years was flaring up again.

That old Onkyo had to go. It couldn't even decode Dolby Digital or DTS! Now the question was do I go with another top-of-the-line receiver, or go the separates route? Financially it actually made sense for me to get separates. Flagship receivers were $2000+. I found the Rotel RSP-1066 processor (having read numerous positive reviews on it) for under $1000 (used), and the RMB-1075 amp (also highly rated) for about $800. Thinking ahead, I realized I'd want to upgrade again some day, and the amp could still be kept, and I'd only have to upgrade the processor. Seemed like a no brainer to me.

It's now 2003. I have Rotel separates Axiom M22ti mains, the VP150 center and the Polk LS/fx surrounds. We're currently using Roger's sony dvd player. (which would soon die)

Then one day I was playing some music rather loudly and the M22's sounded a little strained. (Granted it was quite loud, but it got me wondering about M60ti's.) As luck would have it, our very own Curtis had a pair as an in-home demo!



I bought a pair two weeks later.




But that's only 5.1. The hip thing these days is 7.1! Bring in the RB-1070 amp, and a pair of M2i's for rear duty. While you're at it Amie, throw in a pair of QS8 surrounds. Long story short (well, it's a little late for that...) 7.1 didn't float my boat, but the QS8's dazzled. M2i's are now on my computer and I sold the RB-1070. Need I even mention the Odyssey Audio Stratos amp that lived with me for a short time? Or the, nah...

4/18/05 - awaiting the arrival of a Denon dvd-2900S. Still trying to figure out the best way to break it to Roger that I just bought a $500 dvd player when the one we have works perfectly fine.

Next stop...giant tv.

I'm sick. Please help me.