When did you get hooked?

I cannot remember a time when music was NOT a big part of my life. I started buying 45’s when I was about 8 yrs old. It was only natural that I would try to find the best purveyor of the music. But I am still unsure that I am an audiophile. I don’t feel the need to change out equipment every year. I totally dislike most all the audiophile approved music, IE female vocals.

I always loved music too, but I never really thought about "the moment" until OP asked this question. Thinking about it now though, I believe that it was one Saturday many years ago when my late older brother Paul bought a Panasonic reel to reel at Two Guys. It came with a detachable speakers and a demo tape, and one of the songs on the tape was Time of the Season by The Zombies. It sounded so ethereal and beautiful, and I guess I was hooked from that time on.

Mono system with K-Horn/Garrard TT around 1960.

The amp was a Heathkit W5M (confirmed some 35 years later when a friend found one @ a local thrift).

Don't recall the preamp/R2R deck brands.

A couple years later the system (neighbor across the street) became stereo with 2 K-Horns, Marantz tube gear plus an additional TT (Thorens or Garrard) and a 2nd R2R.

I know the 2nd stereo amp was an 8 or 8B, but I vividly recall it having a white faced meter  (all I've seen in later years have dark faced meters).

Faulty memory or did they also come with a white faced meter?

DeKay

Never an audiophiliac but always a musicphiliac. But in 1975 while in High school went to a very small party at a house a friend was watching, Garrard TT, Mac amp & Klipsch rosewoods, with a little mind altering substance. Pink Floyd never sounded so good before. It was then I knew I had to upgrade my Montgomery Wards all in one with the quad 8-track.