YOUR AUDIOPHILE JOURNEY WHEN DID IT START AND HOW DID YOU GET TO YOUR DREAM SYSTEM?

@immatthewj I want to long version! (But you knew that)

My hifi journey is closely tied with my story of building the opportunity of and moving to the US. It could not have happened without being into audio. Funny how things are all related.

@calvinj 

Glad you're reaching out and helping others.  Good for you (and, them)!

Knowing there are lawyers on this post, I tried my best not to perjure myself (too badly).  I intentionally left out my days of assembling and installing sound systems for discos, and those years of building competition car stereo.  130+ db sound levels wasn't friendly to my ears. 

I started buying used gear when I was 14, with money earned from singing in a choir. An older brother of a friend sold me his Yamaha receiver, Ohm 2-way bookshelves, and an odd belt-drive turntable with an orange felt mat for slip-cuing. I dj’d for parties with this bedroom setup to avoid dancing, having built a control station for a small portable lighting system. Didn’t turn a profit, as the money went right back into making it better. Had a Sherwood power amp from this era in a home office system until a few years ago, when my cat shorted it out puking on it after a nap . . . Maybe that’s why I never put the cover on my Rogue Atlas that currently drives my living room system!

@calvinj  You know you're old when the stereo equipment you bought new is now vintage I wish I could remember how the Cerwin Vegas speakers sounded like? I do remember load!!! Hey my friend wants to trade me his reconditioned Marantz 2325 reciever for my Magnepan 7's with Magnarisers stands and fuse/jumper upgrade Something I should consider?

My journey started in high school of course,  I heard my boss stereo in his office . He had a Marantz and Teac cassette deck and cant remember the speakers he had. He told me to go out and buy whatever I wanted but remember his setup because it had cables and you could always hook up what you bought in the future if you bought separate components. I did just that and got a used Teac cassette deck, sounded good then until I heard an early Nakamichi machine in the tech shop and was blown away. I got it used of course and that started it all. I have had so many Nakamichi decks I lost count. It is a special sound if they are calibrated correctly . I did work in a hi-fi store in a mall in Florida in 1982 and that had a huge affect on me.  Our line was Yamaha, ADS , Perroux, and some other great brands. I remember the mobile fidelity records we played to demo the gear , it worked. After this I moved to south Florida to attend college and went into a high fi shop and heard the ADS speakers compared to the other lines they had there. That did it. I could not believe the sound ! I had to have them. It took a long time to get a real pair of floor standing model that I could hold onto  and afford. I did not want book shelf models anymore because they could be preplaced. I still have two pairs of floor standing model ADS speakers. One pair were bought mint never used a guy he had stored in his closet. They are the MK1290 model, and  I have my L1590 model speakers which were restored by the tech in Arizona who used to work at the factory for ADS.