Hey guys,after a while of remanissing on my youth i got to thinking of what got me started into hifi/ghetto blasters.My first ghettos came from friends that i bought using my money from my part time job selling hotdogs and burgers outside nightclubs in Birmingham,UK at the age of 15.But then i found a hifi store only 300 yrds down the road called Norman H Fields.They stocked everything from nad to nakamichi,aiwa to arcam.BUT,when i as a sweet little 15 year old back in 1984 they afforded me with the service that a grown up with money could afford.I had seen a Technics SU_Z15 amp i had to have,i can still remember the price of £60 being two weeks wages but these guys took me serious and said hell yes,you can leave a deposit and pay the rest next week.What a result ! when i went to collect it i had decided i wanted a set of speakers,bearing in mind i am omly 15 years old they sat me down in there sound studio and played me all of the speakers in there,after hearing Micheal Jacksons "bad" through all of them i chose a set of B&W DM110i at a cost of £150.I went back 2 weeks later and took them home on the bus (not easy) after that i bought my tape deck,an Aiwa adf 250.I went to Birmingham a few weeks ago,i haven't been for a long while,as i moved away a few years ago ,only to find that after almost 30 years this place was closed .In this age of throw away merchandise i was sad to see not only a part of my history/childhood gone but a sense of loss as to where we go now without people like these that take audio seriously,even if we are 15 ! but more importantly,is there a way forward.Where are the Lasky's of our chilhood where we would stand and marvel at the wonder of the array of boxes on offer ! I for one am sad at the demise of the Hifi shop,i'm sure manleytonix will remember the great shops in Birmingham,full of the best of the best.Are we now stuck with Currys or the like ?

True audio shops are few and far between. We are stuck with what we call "Big Box" retailers nowadays. The days of intelligent knowledgable salesmen are gone.

I remember places like Magnolia Audio (Not the chain.) and a place called K&K Audio. Heck, even the PX (Exchange Stores) system for the military actually hired factory certified specialists at one time.

I havnt seen anything in the shops hifi wize that i have wanted to buy for a good 10 yrs it's all junk that you know wont last a year a true tragedy .

Ya, now days a cell phone with a hard-drive hooked up to a set of small speakers seems to be all the rage - nobody cares about hi-fi sound anymore. That is ok though - everything changes - we've lost cool boomboxes, but we've gained hi-def televisions - how cool is THAT!!

quote:

Originally posted by vladi123456:
...but we've gained hi-def televisions - how cool is THAT!!

And apparently yours came with the 3D glasses!

I have some good memories of HiFi shops though I'm conflicted.The look of equipment in the 70s,early to mid 80s is what I miss the most.In much the same way many of us like square boomboxes,I miss the look of older speaker designs.Monitors today are narrow,tall,and hide things.Their drivers are smaller often not even resembling the speaker cones and domes I remember.Technology has allowed a multitude of shapes.Components are all black and faceless and there are connections I personally would never use on the back of these units.Most of them I haven't a clue or care what they are even for.If you add the video integration (yawn) and flat panel televisions scattered everywhere the shops that are left bare no resemblance to the places I remember from my younger days.For me the excitement is gone despite the advancements,integrated technologies,and promise of a totally immersing experience.

My hi fi quest of long ago only ended in frustration and too much money.What bothers me most is the fact that I wish I had focused my attention on boomboxes during those years.I often think of the collection I might have today if I had done this.Back then I was taken by the advertisements promising total fidelity.I was always looking for this sonic perfection I actually really didn't even want.Now my current focus on boomboxes makes me realize I appreciate "bad" sound .If I could go back in time,I would much rather go to the many different stores that sold boomboxes and experience them side by side as brand new.

I remember going to the Wiz and Crazy Eddie stores just to see the latest. I remember in the early 80's in downtown Manhattan N.Y. there were several high end electronic stores near the former World Trade Center. Thats where I got my first receiver a Carver. Stereo Review was the magazine to read back then on HiFi equipment. The writers were just so informative on just about everything you needed to know.

And the best Hifi shop of the late 70s and early 80s in the UK goes to 'Craig HiFI' of Romford in Essex.
The best boombox collection I have ever experienced. Happy memories of drooling for hours over all the best boxes of the time, slobbering over the plate glass windows.
They also had the biggest HiFi speakers I have ever seen that caused bass to rumble through the concrete floor to the street outside, causing you to ride a wave of vibration into the shop. Great sales tactic.
Also the place I bought my 1st boombox, a JVC RC-656LB.
Ah feel good factor.

Also I remember 'Tempo' who for some reason always had the woofer centres pushed in.

I long for the invention of a time machine to go back and live it all again but without the teenage spots of course.

Two favorites from growing up in Chicago: Playback ("The Electronic Playground") and Pacific Stereo.

And check out this Pacific Stereo sale commercial.

I can totally relate to this thread... For me it was the US Military Audio Stores at the base exchanges in Germany. The larger bases were always soooooo incredibly well stocked with high-end gear and most of them had killer listening rooms where you could get acquainted with the gear, and you'd get no pressure to buy from the sales people. I was 13 when I first discovered these stores and boomboxes and would spend hours and hours in the Audio Stores learning about reel to reel decks, tape decks, amps, turntables and such as my parents would shop for the essentials. I'd always take a tape with me to listen to my music on the demo gear and knew many of the workers there by name. By the time I was 15 I had a really killer component system put toghether using tip money earned bagging groceries. It started with a Sharp GF-9292 that my dad bought for me as a birthday present, but two short years later I had added a Pioneer turntable, Pioneer CS-722a speakers, a Kenwood KA-701 amp, Pioneer CT-7R tape deck and finally a Kenwood 12-band EQ with a reverb. Then we ended up moving away from Germany to Georgia in 1982.

When I finally made some new friends in Georgia, my stereo system was all the rage. People would bring their albums and tapes over to hear what their music could sound like on a real system. However, the stereo shops were we moved really sucked. The best gear (and deals) could be found in pawn shops instead. Soldiers would pawn off lots of gear that had been purchased overseas. But the pawn shop deals were still not as good as buying at sticker price in Germany.

Good times!

well i dont have many picture's that i can find
of when I was In Germany 1978 to 1980 @ Leighton Barracks 3rd ADJ Wurzburg - 8 months there then transferred to C Company 3rd Aviatation Battalion Combat - about 1.5 years , Conn Kasern, Schweinfurt. IN the ARMY

I thinks my folks have the most of the few pics that I took when I was there back when

But when I was in the NAVY 1982-1984 I Took These Pictures over in Japan in Tokyo in Febuary of 1983 about and My Idea was If I couldnt buy It I Should at least take a picture of it