My first individual component stereo system, I cobbled together during high school between 1983 - 1985. Had my first job at the local Dairy Queen which gave me “spending money” to blow on stereo equipment.
I saved up for months to get my first receiver I bought at Circuit City. It was a Technics SA-222. I think it had a maximum of 30 watts per channel. Couldn’t afford speakers, so I listened to it with headphones for several months.
Next came the cassette deck, a Technics RS-M218. Nothing fancy, but it had the “peak hold” vu meters which I used to look at for hours.
Turntable was a Technics SL-Q300 automatic direct drive with those weird P-mount cartridges.
Speakers were the most expensive things I bought. I got a pair of Acoustic Research AR15’s. Those things could “shake the whole house” according to my mom.
Somewhere along the line I added a Realistic 31-2000A 10 band stereo frequency graphic equalizer.
In wood shop class in high school I built a pair of 12" 3 way speaker cabinets and loaded them with a kit I bought at Radio Shack.
This system lasted up until the early 2000’s when I got rid of it because “life changes” (kids, marriage, etc.)
I spent more for my two Acoustic Research AR15’S than I did for the rest of my stereo system combined back in the early 80’s. Those things were but like a tank, and about as heavy as one too. Nothing I’ve had since then compared even close.