Celebrity System
Sir Elton John
Sir Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on March 25, 1947, in Pinner, Middlesex, England. He is a legendary British singer, composer, and pianist. Known for his flamboyant stage presence and distinctive voice, he has sold hundreds of millions of records worldwide.
His songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin has produced timeless hits like “Your Song,” “Rocket Man,” and “Candle in the Wind”. Elton John’s career spans over five decades, with numerous awards, including Grammy’s, an Oscar, and an Emmy. He is also a prominent HIV/AIDS charity fundraiser, having established the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992.
His final tour, “Farewell Yellow Brick Road,” became the highest grossing tour ever at the time. Elton John’s impact on music and his philanthropic efforts have solidified his legacy as one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
Sir Elton John’s Hi-Fi System
We have a couple of photos of Sir Elton with some vintage Hi-Fi equipment to share with you. The first photo shows the singer posing in his lounge with a mostly Sony stereo system. This picture would have been taken in the early 1970s. The system comprises a TA-1150 amplifier, ST-5150 tuner, PS-2310 turntable, and a TC-161SD cassette deck. The only component that is not from Sony are the AKAI ASE-20 headphones.
Pioneer “Quadraphonic” Hi-Fi System
The second photo of Sir Elton is from a Pioneer Electronics advertising campaign. This ad would have run in the early 1970s when the Hi-Fi industry was trying to convince people to buy 4-channel “quadraphonic” systems. Here we have Sir Elton posing with a QX-646 receiver, a set of four “Project 100” speakers, and a PL-10 turntable. Those early “quad” receivers were not very powerful, and the QX-646 was only capable of 10 watts per channel into 8 ohms in quadraphonic mode. Quadraphonic technology was not very successful in the marketplace and the industry largely went back to selling 2-channel stereo systems.
