How did you get into this hobby?

My wife bought me a pair of Grado SR80 headphones to go with an MP3 player for Christmas 4 or 5 years ago. Suddenly I was hearing details in the music that I never imagined existed. I fell in love with the sound immediately and have been chasing for higher quality ever since. I'm always hearing a piece of music, a guitar solo, etc, while driving, and I'll say to myself, "I can't wait to hear that again on a Hi-Fi system." My wife regrets the day she bought me those headphones.

Everything started when my dad let me sit with headphones listening Mozart, I was 3 years old... In school I started to save for my first "upgrade": some unit consisting of LP and Tape in one with two funny one-way speakers. And, so on...

played in the band in jr.high and high school- we had a record/playback system in both rooms (AR speakers, ampex tape decks, mikes on boom stands, etc.) begged my parents for a reel to reel (concord)- alligator clipped to a blaupunkt hi-fi/sw radio. later got a fisher compact stereo (turntable built onto a receiver). had an all-county band clinic at the high school one weekend- a guy shows up with a HUGE ampex recording rig. later i see peter mcgrath's studer a-80 with levinson electronics at his store. well, that's enuf for now- i have to go wipe my chin...

When I was about 11 months old (as my Mother tells me) I would crawl over to the "hi-fi" system (one of those pieces of furniture with 4 legs and a top that opened up to expose a turntable and an AM-FM stereo) and lay under it.

I wonder if the imaging was best down there?

My parents actually let me sleep under the hi-fi instead of taking me to bed.

They don't make parents like that anymore...

I got into punk and was trying to find unusual import records and found they always sounded better - Japanese CD's and UK LP's. Bad turntable, bad move - I got rid of my records. Decided I couldn't live with CD's a few years later and threw out my boombox and sold my CD collection (several thousand). I ate lunch off the proceeds for 18 months. When I threw out the boombox I vowed I would create a system I could enjoy. Many of the records I had thrown out are now worth more than a hundred dollars a piece. I work at home most of the time and almost always have music on. I added it up one time and I have a little over three months of music (24 hours a day, everyday) if I start and listen through the collection. Why not invest in equipment to enjoy it? Now I'm married and have a (nearly) crazy person system, but it's easy to use and to live with, and never grates. Even my wife likes it and enjoys it, despite some initial reservations. Plus, with the 6 plan Netflix, it serves a second purpose.