When did good gear start getting your attention?

In 1971, as a college freshman, I had a part time job working the high speed duplicator at a recording studio which had the contract for the Budweiser radio spots.  My job was pretty mundane, but after I finished the batch of duplicating work for the day, I'd ease up to the main control room, sit in the back and watch as the engineers mixed Chuck Berry's "My Dingaling", and was just smitten.

I'll never forget one night, when some engineers from Soundstream (who I believe were the first to deliver a functioning digital tape recorder) were visiting, discussing the work they had underway to develop an early prototype.  Bill, the engineer I knew turned to me and said "when they get this worked out, digital will change everything".  I didn't really know enough to understand what he meant at the time.

I was 15, my father bought a Sansui CA 2000 preamp and a BA 2000 amp .   Not too long after that I bought a Sansui AU9900 integrated amp and the rest was history.    I ended up giving it to my brother and it still works.......

Growing up, I had an uncle in North Carolina who we would visit several times a year and he was a huge Dead fan and did a lot of show taping starting in the early 70s. He had some awesome systems from what I can remember including McIntosh tubes, Linn LP12 TT, Nakamichi Dragon tape deck, B&W Matrix 801 series 2 and some A/D/S speakers I can't quite remember the models among a ton of other equipment he was always swapping in and out. I remember just being blown away by records or tapes he had made and just really getting into the music. His record collection took up all the walls in one room and two of the walls in another. He had a passion for music and live music in particular that really inspired me as a kid. I remember telling my friends in grade school that I think his stereo costs more than his house, which at times it may have. The last time I visited him was a few years ago and he still has the LP12 and the A/D/S speakers along with a bunch of other new as well as vintage equipment. 

In the mid 60's my uncle had a Mac receiver and tube amp pushing some big Frazier speakers. He had a Garrard TT and I'd take my Beatles & Stones albums over to listen.  I was never the same. I worked all summer to buy an AR TT, and Marantz 2270 and he gave me the Fraziers. There barely room for the bed in my room. Since then, I've gone through most of the phases: McIntosh, Klipsch, JBL Nakamichi.  There always seems to be something that sounds better. It's kinda like drinking....you gotta know when to say when.