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

I was in 5th grade when I inherited my older brother's portable stereo record player. Speaker in the base and the other in the lid. Wore out several Beatle albums with that thing. I think it had an ice pick for a needle! Then when I was 13 he decided to move back to the Dom. Rep. which meant I got all the stuff he left behind including a Dual turntable, a Dynaco SCA-35 integrated and a pair of AR speakers. Talk about an upgrade! I spent hours upon hours listening to music up in his old room. Had my first girl at 13 one rainy afternoon while Quadrophenia was playing...

Both the stereo and girl are long gone. Still have the LP though. 

Happy listening.

@tomic601 Funny!  My sister and I were dragged to Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts.  I would rather have tasted honey or whipped cream (bet it was shaving cream).

Around six years in age I "built"  a crystal radio kit. Does that count? I'm seventy now. You can do the math please.

Grew up with music. Dad was a hifi nut and Mon worked in a record shop.

I had a record player (junk) from a young age playing insipid kids records. I was not allowed to play dad's records.

@wsrrsw yes of course the crystal radio counts and was in our house a rite of passage. Whipped Cream and Other Delights was a mystery in those years…. 
 

@buellrider97  

Yes, that's the place.

I went through Heathkit catalogs like others went through the Sears Christmas catalog. I still chuckle at being in awe of the Heathkit "computers!"

Freshman year in high school began real interest in equipment. Was lucky enough to receive a KLH stereo for graduation. All downhill from there. Some people, not me of course, discovered student loans were great for stereo stuff!