I think it was sometime in 4th grade when I heard my friend's older brother playing White Zombie and I remember being extremely drawn to it. Walkmen and discmen were my most valued possessions from then on. I remember Weezer's blue album and Gin Blossom's New Miserable Experience being the first CDs I ever bought. I remember my dad confiscating them, along with Pearl Jam's Vs. and Ace of Base, proclaiming I was only going to listen to christian music from then on. That's when I swore my allegiance to heavy metal and led me to heavier, darker music. Tops is still the hearing Vulgar Display of Power on my walkman on a middle school field trip that a friend lent to me. That buzz lasted years and years.
Ipod mini was where the audio quality actually started getting good in college. HD650s > assorted 2nd tier bullshit headphones > better dacs/amps > Endgame ATC speakers.
Nothing has come close to ATC, though they all had some admirable qualities obviously. For me its about maximizing whatever releases I like, and progear seems to be the best way to do it with the minimum snake oil bullshit along the way. I never cared about soldering techniques, I want to hear the music put to tape during the recording, and they usually used a similar progear chain so that makes sense to my simplistic, uncomprehending mind. I guess I'd rather hate a recording for what it is than love it for what it isn't. Music is human action and I want to be part of the conversation.