Roots, a question for younger audiophiles, how did you start your journey?

After collecting records for 20 years, and finding Needle Doctor on line as a source for my DJ decks, I caught the bug with a simple pair of Dali bookshelf speakers. Then, when looking for an upgraded source, I thought the amplifier should use pre-1960 tech since most of my music was pre-1960. I got a cheep yaqin EL34 tube amp and it all has been downhill - or uphill - from there. I still have the speakers and the amp and use them as backups during servicing. 

style, a good system in its day and would still be better than most of what people use today.  Kind of like a 1959 Ferrari is still a pretty good car. 

I'm far from a young audiophile but it all started when I bought an AM/FM  table radio and tuned into the FM band.  I messed with the tuning dial until I stumbled upon the underground "pothead" station in Philadelphia.   The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" was playing. That was it, I put away my AM transistor radio.  I spent a year reading reviews by Julian Hirsch on Stereo Review. Then I went out and bought a Kenwood receiver (20 watts per side) that came with little RCA interconnects for a turntable, a pair of KLH 17 speakers (hooked up with lamp cord) and a Dual 1215 turntable (with a no-name,cartridge),  all brand new for $500 in 1972. I bought Cat Stevens'  "Tea for the Tillerman" , "Teaser and the Firecat"  and Judy Collins' "Judith".  It was bliss. I soon afterwards bought a Nakamichi 1000 cassette deck with Dolby B and C (new tech at the time).   Many years and dollars later brings me to the present time where I'm still spending and enjoying the music all along the way.

Mid ‘10s: purchased Clearaudio Concept w/Maestro v2 cartridge. Knew nothing about audio at the time.

Ignorantly made vast improvement to source when I could’ve just gone to thrift store and found a good, working, vintage receiver for an infinitesimal fraction of the cost. Thus, a roller coaster of cartridge/tonearm-alignment-education, and multiple pursuits of improved front end and downstream pieces commenced.

Started with Klipsch pro media in college.  Given to me by my girlfriend.  Now my wife.  One of the if not the most significant event of my audiophile hobby. 

upgrading my rogue Sphinx V2 to v3 this week. I have some NOS mullards ready to go. sent the technics 1200 to KAB for upgrades and put a Hana SH on it..Getting rid of old JBLs that have frequency separation issues and acquiring some wharfdale85lintons. 
 

I think/Hope when everything’s set in a few weeks I’ll have my “true start” 

Bowers/Wilkins Cdm-NT series speakers and NAD integrated amp. MIT cables. Pioneer Elite CD/DVD player. Early years of this century