[docwong]

Mine started 30 years ago when I met with tube amps and Quad 57s and a nice turntable.  I listened and was instantly hooked.  While still in college I met Richard Fry of Spectural Audio, who sold me one of his pre-amps and with their advice got a budget amp (Dynaco monoblocks), Connoisseur Turntable and a set of Quad ESL 57s.  Today I still have the quads, a better turntable but with the same preamp and amp and still loving it!

Adding to that I have 10 of Danny's GR Research speakers for my computer room, media room and kitchen/dining/living room combinations.

Now I'm toying with the idea of selling the Quads and getting Danny's NX-Otica Speakers and an Open Baffle woofer!!

[mav52]

Mine started in 1970.We had a Stereo store and the guy sold Marantz Tube gear and McIntosh gear, Fisher, AR speakers, KLH Speakers, Dual, Garrard, Quad a host of Reel to Reels I can't remember.  I went to work there part time and ended up with some pretty neat gear over tme

[Hypersonic]

I loved music from as young as I can remember.  The quest for ever-better sounding equipment started with the cheap tabletop Panasonic my parents bought in the '70's to replace our mono am radio; what had i been missing?.  Later plugged into that same Panasonic the get-well gift my mom's boss bought me in the early '80's - decent but not high end headphones.  I heard things I had never heard before and was hooked ...  it got worse / better from there.

[speltz]

2009 ... The Beatles were releasing their remastered box sets. I was only using a boombox at the time but I wanted to get a proper stereo system in order to appreciate the "new" release. I started with a pair of vintage speakers and I've been adding and tweaking ever since. A lot of $$ has gone out the door in those 12 years!

[Buena1]

Hi all,
I think I got bit by the analog bug because of live music’s ability to surround the listener and plaster a smile there that only can be had by going to another concert. I knew digital music could sound clean and clear, but had not been exposed to what a good analog system could do. I had bought a few records over the years played on an old dual. Then I acquired a crate of records from my wifes father.  I bought a cheap direct drive numark dj table and mounted a stanton mkIII cart, then a shure 97xe, and on to jico sas upgrade. I figured I had better give these records a solid presentation before I would let them go. Since those earlier days , separates have entered the picture and listening life has forever changed! I feel very fortunate that people share their experiences with audio as the help navigating components is invaluable. Hope to return the favor as the sounds just get better the more I learn.

[omkazn]

The passion actually clicked during COVID-19. Once you’ve been forced to shelter in place for months and not travel, you end up wondering what to use that money you otherwise would’ve spent on travel for. What better way to enjoy home life than sprucing you your audio set up? Once I started upgrading and learning the intricacies of what makes great sound, I was hooked!

[Stib]

It's hard to pinpoint THE exact moment my eyes were opened to the Hifi world. Firstly because it's always been about music, not audio, and my passion for music goes back to even before I can remember. At 14 I spent my "confirmation" money on a Fisher stereo. That gave me a lot of joy, but it wouldn't have been anyone's idea of "Audiophile". In my early twenties I was ready to upgrade. I got a pair of Snell E3s privately from a an employee in a local hifi shop and that was my first "Audiophile" purchase. The natural, very musical sound of the Snells made listening to music so much more enjoyable. I remember how they made albums like Jeff Buckley's "Grace", Ben Harper's "Fight For Your Mind" and Maria Mckee's "You've Gotta Sin To Get Saved" so much more powerful and intimate. Since then I've always valued musicality, naturalness and air above most other parameters in hifi...

[Arenoso]

Hmnnn what a great topic for an intro! I think I was hooked when listening to the radio premiere/release of Wish you Were Here at 15, through a home made mono setup consisting of some full range drivers rescued from a brothel inside a couple of cardboard boxes and tied to the heating pipes and then realizing how much one can be transported by psycho acoustics and artists. I had already been touched by some JBL magic at a friend’s house so when I went past hi-end audio stores I knew that a world was waiting to be explored. Each little step thereafter has been joyous, even menial scenarios have allowed for learning and now, here, I hope to continue the journey amongst kindred spirits. Simple setup, Linn Majik and Totem Arro at the moment. Cheers!

[Ronnmaui]

Great topic: I can remember the early years going to my best friends house when I was 12 and his dad had a built-in Scott Integrated amp and turn table and small Wharfedale floor speakers. Gorgeous stuff. I lived in a small apartment and had a Panasonic amp combo with turntable and 8 Track deck stack unit.  So years later, a friend of my dad give him: Fairchild turntable, Dynaco separate amps and preamp, (2) "massive" 15" electro voice speakers and T-35 Tweeters and huge electro voice cross overs. I never saw any thing like this.  So, I took my two small dressers and pulled all the clothes out and put plywood on the front and stuffed it will insulation and mounted the speakers and hooked it up.  I remember listening to Jethro Tull, Thick as Brick a 1000 times.  From there, I bought a nice Pioneer receiver from a friend and a pair of Yamaha speakers. Then, when I got to working, Luxman L110 and T-110 tuner, and then Kinergetics KBA 100 and then Adcom, B&K.  I have owned Bose 901, Walsh 4's,  Real to Real/Legacy Audio Classics, Thiel 03As, Mirage OM7s.   I am retired now with a Peachtree Nova 125 and Legacy Audio Monitors but I have a nice room upstairs I would like to start some trouble in.  I like Luxman or Accuphase integrated, and Thiel CS 2.4?  I love Salk Audio, Kerr Acoustics, Nestorovic 5As and Obelisk/Shahinian.  That is my journey so far. 

[MttBsh]

  I remember listening to Jethro Tull, Thick as Brick a 1000 times.   

I listened to Thick as a Brick 1000 times too, and saw them on the 1972 Thick as a Brick tour, my favorite concert of all time. 49 years later I still listen to the album frequently, the Steven Wilson remaster sounds fantastic on a nice audio system.

[DannyBadorine]

I was 12 years old and riding with my dad in his truck when Pink Floyd "Brain Damage" and Eclipse was on the radio.  I asked him who it was and he said "Pink Floyd" while turning it up loud. That was the moment.

[ElMuchacho]

As I read the main post, these thoughts came to mind. I have an older brother that is into cars and audio. Through him, I learned about a stereo with towers and audio systems in vehicles. Eventually, I found a Technics receiver and hooked up some Sony stand mount speakers. It sounded good, but back in those days good to me was loudness with clarity.
Fast forward a few years, I purchased my first car.  As it was my “race car” I did not add a system to it, but did on my second car. That is when I wanted subwoofers to add to the music enjoyment. Comparing the music reproduction to my car and brother’s stereo I said there is something missing here. I lowered the input sensitivity on the subwoofer amplifier so that the front mains blend with the low-end extension. It sounded more balanced, but there was something still missing.
Years later when I got into mobile audio, I purchased equipment with sound quality in mind. Most importantly powerful components that had great mid bass as I remembered that it was one thing that lacked in my previous car. From there, clarity imaging, etc. was my goal.
This year, about six months ago, I got into home audio. I thought I can reproduce music better in my home, let’s give it a shot. After researching different components, I decided to purchase what I have now. My goal was to have a budget stereo system that was able to get loud yet sound great doing it. Thanks to some of the people I follow on YouTube, they confirmed what to expect from the given components that I purchased.
I have never heard a system like mine. Keep in mind that i do not have friends that are into audio like me, so I have not auditioned many stereo's. Considering the world we live in today, I have not had a chance to visit any dealers and listen to more speakers. You guys, I think the audio bug has bit me.

My System:
Outlaw Audio RR2160MKII
Elac Audio UB52 2.0 stand mounts
Monoprice Monolith 32” stands
Two Elac Audio 10” subwoofers
Mounted above my Outlaw Audio to keep cool:

Currently using Amazon music and Spotify to stream. I plan to purchase a record player in the future….
 

[Dodgeshackley]

🤦‍♂️Trying to hook my long time 2 channel kenwood ka3500 amplifier to a modern tv when i bought my first home. I got fed up shopping for converters and bought an upper level marantz av. It never sounded as good as my great grandmothers amplifier she passed down. It was then that I realized i had both feet in the rabbit hole and was getting sucked in. Its one of my favorite hobbies. I look forward to meeting you all!-Dodge

[paulgyro]

I started playing trumpet in the 5th grade and went on to play in a top notch jazz program.  At that point I started listening as much as playing to learn and what I heard reproduced wasn't anything like I hear while playing in the band or other live performances.  At that point I cared about audio reproduction and recording with the goal to capture and reproduce the live sound!

[adminRH]

I started playing trumpet in the 5th grade and went on to play in a top notch jazz program.  At that point I started listening as much as playing to learn and what I heard reproduced wasn't anything like I hear while playing in the band or other live performances.  At that point I cared about audio reproduction and recording with the goal to capture and reproduce the live sound!

Welcome to AudioCircle, Paul
We share a similar story, playing trumpet jazz in school with interest in music, sound and later, hifi.
I have found that larger speakers are required to even begin to approach the feeling of being near a live band, even small band. But if you want to feel like you're onstage in a jazz big band that requires some very large speakers and appropriate sized room to unleash them. Not an easy goal, but if you've been there and have the sickness then it is worthwhile goal, imo.

[Alobarish]

While falling deeper into the rabbit hole of DJing, along with clubbing, and experiencing the joy of watching what music can do to a crowd, and the wild impact that great sound has even on crowds that aren't consciously thinking of the quality of the sound!

[Acozynut]

Around 10 or 11 years old, parents had descent record collection and my father was a bit of an audiophile.  He bought his Klipsch h700 after coming back from Vietnam ( they now sit in my main system after years of pleading with him to pass them on) Those speakers are what started me on this path.

[whydontumarryit]

Great idea OP.

The first decent system bought around '75 was:
yamaha ca-610 integrated
belt drive turntable kit w/vestigal tonearm and stanton cartridge.
dynaco a25
citation tube tuner
I got into the hobby to listen to Grand Funk's self titled second album.

A couple of years later I had:
dynaco mklll, factory assembled with the nickel plated case and gloss black cage, real pretty
pas3x kit
thorens td160 w/grado cartridge
diy transmission line speakers (phillips 7065 woofers and dome tweeters and you could actually buy mdf back then)

Either system would suit me to this day considering the single most important component ever to come about for audio in the last 40yrs is music streaming.

Now I'm listening to, Control-Job To Do

[Mikko Dee]

Guy that worked for my parents took me to his house and his step dad had a huge rack of gear and a horn loaded subwoofer in the basement. I was maybe 15? Back in the early 80’s… I sat in “the chair” he played owner of a lonely heart and my life changed direction that day…

[jaylevine]

When I was 20 years old, I worked briefly at Hi-Fi Buys in Ann Arbor MI as a bench tech. They carried Magnepan, Mac, Nakamichi and NAD, among other hi-end brands.  For me lighting struck in the form of listening to Tom Petty’s debut album along with Supertramp, both at unhealthy levels of volume