As A Youngster, What Unit Puqued Your Interest In All This?

A mismatched pair of Bozak B302A’s that my Dad built at different times ( added the second when stereo came to be) powered by a Dynaco electronics & cables he built & modified, a Fairchild 15” turntable( he worked for Fairchild) w/ a Wooden Pritchard arm all in the 60’s & later replaced by an Elac  Miracord 770H table / arm & a Shure  V - 15 type II in the early 70’s..
 

Then, when my Dad took off & I accumulated some cash “ distributing “ things that have recently been made ok to do…. I purchased my own system  for my 10’ x  12’ bedroom: first single pair  then stacked Advents, Pioneer 1010 receiver, BIC 960 table / arm ( mistake - sounded ok but poorly built) w/ a Stanton 681 EEE cartridge.  I treated the walls w/ large, heavy Karastan wool carpet samples my best friend got for me from his father’s variety store..
 

Like many here, I’ve been on an upgrade spiral ever since for 50 years….

I found out that my kit amplifier was a Knight Kit. I actually found one for sale on eBay. It was sure fun building it back in the day. 

Electro-Voice Patrician 800 speakers!

Mike

https://products.electrovoice.com/binary/Patrician%20800%20EDS.pdf

Like all of you, music is what got me interested in audio gear, broadly speaking. When I was 23 (~1979), I went to a local audio store in Richmond, VA and heard an Audio Research preamp SP-?, Audio Research amplifier, Magneplanar (probably the 2.5’s) and a moving coil cartridge (what the heck is that?). I was thunderstruck. 

in 1967 I was 5 years old- Dad took an old portable radio and made it a PA box for me- 2 D cell batteries a carbon microphone from a telephone handset. My first rig!

I was hooked. Soon after that I "took apart" desktop tube radios trying to make something. I failed :) but it was fun.  I somehow found an old Harman Kardon Recital II mono Receiver which played CKLW- the Canadian  AM rock station across the river. I was totally fascinated by this whole gear/music/interactive thing, That never changed. 

By 1978 I had a Marantz 2215B (15 rockin' watts!) BIC Venturi speakers and a BIC turntable to spin my Bob Seger record (singular not plural- as in only 1 LP) all bought with my Detroit News paper route money. 

Then it really happened: Absolute Sound in Birmingham MI had a D79 amp by Audio Research playing a set of Timpani Maggies. I thought I died and went to heaven. Not long later I had a set of MG-1s (first song on them was Jackson Browne Stay A Little Bit Longer) and the better gear followed as time went by.  

I've stayed loyal to ARC mostly because of nostalgia.

I love music but to be honest I like fooling around with gear better. To me music is there to test and prove gear. Sacrilege!   You can tell I'm not a musician LOL!!!