How old were you when audio gear first caught your interest?

My grandparents had a wind-up record player that I fell in love with when I was 6 or 7. I remember them putting on a record and being amazed the needle and arm could make sounds coming out of a horn speaker. Later, when I was 13 I had a newspaper route and saved up money to buy Lafayette and Garrard audio equipment.

Its all about having big brothers in the 60's and early seventies!  They were 4 and 10 years older, so they turned me on to the good stuff!  I was about 9.  By 14 had my own receiver, turntable and cassette deck.  By college I had the rockingest system in the dorm!

My dad and one of my many uncles were both into "Hifi" as it was referred to back in the day when I was a youngster.  Both also enjoyed woodworking, carpentry and cabinet making.  I would watch dad build speaker cabinets.  He would source his speaker components from Olsen Electronics.  Dad had a Fisher receiver and uncle Hitch a Mcintosh, tube gear of course as this was early/mid 50's.  As a little guy I was memorized by the the VU meters and the warm glow of the tubes.  That's when I caught the audio/electronics bug..Watching dad and uncle Hitch building and comparing their hifi/stereo rigs.  That electronics background contributed greatly to my time in the USAF as an Avionics tech.  Your question is much appreciated as it triggered warm memories. BTW I recently added a Prima Luna EVO 400 IA as i was jone'sn to bring tube gear back to the room. Thank you.

Enjoy the music.

Probably around 11-12. My dad took me to Montgomery Wards and we bought a stereo from them. I remember taking it to my aunt and uncles place so I could listen to Brandy by Looking Glass over and over. I was smitten with music from then on.

Then I started the upgrades when I was probably 15 when I got my first job and from then on, all the money I made was put into stereos. By the time I was 18 I had a pretty good system. Rectilinear 7a, Yamaha 960 amp and a Kenwood KD-2055. 

Age 10. Lafayette, Heathkit, Radio Shack stores. Going in with my grandfather getting parts for HAM radios, seeing Cobra CB radios, audio receivers, tube amps, then seeing the SPEAKERS, drooling. I think the wide baffle 3-way speakers got me. Any time there was a trip to the mall seeing Fisher, and those blue lights.  

Then came a local custom Speaker store with kits to build speakers, I was hooked. Started building custom speakers at age 14 with whatever parts I could muster up. Later on coming out of high school, going into college worked at a local speaker factory during the day assembling speakers while going to night school. Way back designed and installed a number of ridiculous car audio systems for friends, and had a few myself.   Always had some type of system since, and its a been a great therapy session of music listening ever since.