Redartz: For most of us, our love for music probably started pretty early in life. We heard songs on the radio, music performances on tv, possibly even had parents who took us to concerts. Many of us (myself included) even had a little record player as kids, generally stocked with some 45's and childrens' records. Our little player, with it's massive tonearm, often could be heard playing Disney and Flintstones music from our bedroom. My siblings and I loved it.
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| Not my Wards unit, but similar... |
However, by the time my teen years had rolled around, that little phonograph seemed lacking. Playing music was getting to be a serious pastime, and required some upgraded hi fi (high fidelity) equipment. For me, this came at Christmas, when my parents gave me my first real stereo. From Montgomery Wards,it had AM/FM stereo radio and a turntable, with separate large speakers. And, it also had a set of headphones (indispensible for listening at night, or to drown out my brother's music). I was ecstatic, and played that unit for hours on end.
Later on at college, I'd upgraded further with the likes of Pioneer, Sansui and Phillips components, but that first stereo holds a lot of good memories. My first exposure to Casey Kasem and American Top 40 was heard on that set, and my first lp's were spun upon it. Many a late night was spent, lying in the dark, tethered to that stereo,with the headphones. filling my ears with Wings, Alan Parsons, and Heart. That Wards stereo taught me the difference between hearing music and actively listening to music What was your first introduction to the wonderful world of audio?
