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

@awboat 

all the money you had.

My senior year in high school, 1964/1965 I had a part time job, a weekly budget on payday: $6. I could get 3 Mono LPs for $2. each, or 2 Stereo LPs for $3. each. Agonizing decisions, because the Stereo decision was for the future, my crappy Magnavox with a flip down TT didn't sound a whole lot different, but I knew, from my neighbor's system that when I got something better .... I wasn't asking the evil stepfather for anything, including gloves in the winter in Burlington, VT!

@zavato 

Good thread, you can tell I'm enjoying it!

@knotscott 

1975/1976 I travelled a lot for business, and the rental car company had my car waiting, either a Cutlass or a Firebird, I loved driving them!

That was the end of the 'Greenstamps' era, I gave them to the drafting department, everyone got lawn equipment with them.

Reel to Reel Tape, once you hear it, oh man what a difference.

The console I inherited had a 2 Track Stereo Viking (Telex) Deck in a drawer, and my uncle had many Classical and Opera 2 Track Stereo tapes. Amazing, my best sounding content, but Classical and Opera was not for me.

My era’s music: 4 track, auto reverse, I went thru Teac’s line ... finally settling on their X2000R auto reverse, 6 heads. I’ve got two of them, and one prior X1000r needing tension adjustment which I can do myself. It’s my son’s, I gave it to him, but history repeats: he knows how good the 60’s music is, but for him .....

I bought about 500 4 track tapes on eBay many years ago, shipping cost more than the tapes back then; sold about 150 of them.

I recently gave my uncle's 2 track tapes to a friend I met here who has two Otari 2 track stereo decks. They sound awesome.

@elliottbnewcombjr 

Im really enjoying hearing about each person’s journey