How did you get into this hobby?

Home theater got me into this hobby. Specifically, after hearing cd playback on a dvd player through a home-theater receiver out of a small sat/sub speaker system. The music could not be enjoyed. The search to find ways to improve the music created the journey this hobby has become.

In the summer of 1966 a friend and I were riding our little Stringray bikes by a place called “The Ear Drum” in Hawthorne CA. and went in for a look. One Salesman told us to leave but another said let them look and instructed us not to touch anything. He then told the other guy we were future customers. Smart guy! I will always remember the glow of the tubes in dark store. In the early 70’s while in the service and stationed in West Germany I started with mid-fi and progressed from there.

My Father got me to transfer all his R2R to Cassette tape, when I was just about 7 years old. He worked out of town at the time Mon-Fri so when he left Monday morning I had a new batch ready for him. I lived "in" his system till I was about 16, & then at 18 I got serious. He passed away 2 years ago, prior to my Tube journey. I know if he where alive today he'd be hard to send home to Mom, & get my listening room back to myself.

Forced into it by my wife so she's have something significant to bitch about at the girl's club lunches.

walked into the back room of Mace Electronics in Erie PA when I was 14 or so in 1975 and heard a pair of JBL L-200s and Marantz units playing Supertramp and the Eagles.
My first amp was a JVC integrated 30 watter when I was 17, with a garrard turntable, shure cart. and Pioneer Project 60 speakers, bought from that location.