i have been curious as to what determines one's interest in equipment, sound and music.
Many times, what determines an interest in any endeavor centers around an individual's exposure at an early and impressionable age. I remember many years ago hearing a Sansui multi speaker system. That experience changed me forever. That day, I heard what was possible in home music reproduction. Sometime later, I walked into a store and saw top shelf McIntosh and Sansui gear. The look of the equipment and the sound was so much like real music. So impressive... I'd say that if more people at an early age were exposed to high quality sound, music, and equipment, they would develop an interest in the "equipment, sound and music." It just doesn't happen in early childhood development for the majority of people (and is impractical for many). We'd have many more audiophiles if it did.