I think I had what is probably a common experience: I had been going along using commonplace Sears Roebuck level gear, thinking of hi-fi nuts as weirdos as suggested by Mad Magazine, until I listened to music at the house of a friend who had a decent sound system, which opened up my ears to how much better music can sound.
I remember going to those old chain stereo stores and they'd have all the chain stereo store brands with all the switches and the equalizers and the meters, and there'd be a handful of the higher end items that would be a black box and one dial, or something like that.