[Argyris]

I don't think you really "become" an audiophile, as I believe the ability to judge fidelity is related to how your brain receives and organizes information and is something we're born with. It's certainly not related to hearing acuity and isn't something we can train to become if the basic framework isn't there.
 
But I know what you mean. 

 I knew I was "special" when I could hear the difference between FM radio and the album on CD. I asked my father why the CD sounded better and he said he couldn't hear the difference. I think I was eight years old, so that was quite young. I became interested in audio around eleven, went through the requisite basshead stage for a while (with classical music, of all things), got my first "good" pair of headphones at 13, my first genuinely good set of speakers at 19, and my first (and still best) set of proper headphones at 22.
 
One thing hasn't changed. I still pay attention to bass. However, now what I look for are extension, texture, tightness, and balance; not hugely-enhanced and boomy car system bass. I actually prefer an analytical signature, but bass still stands out to me as one of the first things I evaluate, mainly because it's so hard to get it right.

 

[planx]

Because Head-Fi just sucks you in, just like that

 

[Salm0n]

My dad was into high end audio before I was born, however gave up when he had kids - as you probably all know toddlers and expensive electronics don't mix. Went through several amps, speakers and turntables. The stuff sitting in the garage was a Linn Axis (swaped his Sondek for the Axis for both the money and because he coundn't tell the difference on his setup) some KEF Coda (Koda?) 3's and a ~$1K (1980's, so reasonably pricy with inflation) amp whose name escapes me at the moment.
 
When I was 15 two things happened. I saw a pair of Sennheiser HD555s going for somewhere around $200NZD and thought "How could a pair of headphones be worth $200?", and my dad got back into audio. I followed him while he was auditioning speakers (he's got B&W CM1's now) and thought "Wow, it sounds so much better on good speakers.".
I did some research online, saved up some cash and decided on headphones - I was offered the old KEFs but turned them down partly due to lack of space and partly due to being very self conscious when other people can hear the music I'm listing to. More research, then BAM! M50s.
 
Now I have two entry level headphones (my mates look agast when I describe my headphones as entry level, costing me an average of $200NZD each) and a Little Dot MkIII.
 
Looking at O2/ODAC, DIY Planars. Not sure where to after that - hopefully I'll stand atop the tower with nowhere to go but down, and be content not buying anything else after that, but I doubt it.

 

[Cakensaur]

I Wouldn't call myself an audiophile.
A cross between an audiophile and Music lover though, yes.
Oddly enough I got into all this expensive nonsense Through a pair of bose IE2. Upgrading from generic Ibuds say 2 yrs ago. 
Once they broke (the IE2's, inevitably) i decided i could do better.
Although i didn't really know what i wanted. But i figured to go for it and Go to Tottenham Court Road. One shop had various headphones on display, Generic as well as high End up to and including Flagships. I went from stand to stand, feeling that everything has its flaws... To be frank i didn't know any better at the time. by ear i just found the Bose too boring, Beats too bassy. I thought the same about some of the various Sennheisers, such as HD600/650. Too boring. (Wheres that amp, bro?) 
I guess the portal headphone that got me into all this madness was an unamped pair of Grado's. SR60i's. I was really Into metal then. i still am, although not as much. They excited me, i figured they were perfect for me, i thought.
To myself i said. how much better are the better ones then!?
A Couple of weeks after that through various jobs i scraped up enough for the SR225i. i was very pleasantly surprised.
From there, i Found Head-Fi.
I lurked for a while, Read various threads (what is a amp? A DAC? what???)
and took my first steps into the amp world with a Project headbox S. cheap, and actually fairly decent.
I Guess from this point onwards, I decided to make a Head-Fi account.
I posted, Gathered knowledge. It just snowballed till i am where i am now.. and I know it won't stop, but i'm rather looking forward to it...
Those Grado's are the cans that get the most headtime with me.

 

[kid vic]

I live for the funk! I love for the funk! At first i just wanted headphones that would'nt break super fast like the previous 6 pairs(>$50) I'd owned, so on a slight whim I bought the AKG K172's. After i heard "Suicidal Thoughts" through them it was game over. Now it's so much easier to hear the funk! 

 

[Argyris]

Quote:

Not sure where to after that - hopefully I'll stand atop the tower with nowhere to go but down, and be content not buying anything else after that, but I doubt it.

 
Haven't been around this place long, have you? 

 
Your doubts are well founded. My advice is to RUN, as fast as you can (digitally, of course), before Head-Fi gets its hooks into you. They never stop releasing bloody headphones, and the impression threads around here will make you want to buy every single one. If you've got money to burn, you'll be burning it in no time. I've only escaped this because I don't have money to burn, and because I happen to like my headphones quite a bit. These two things may be related....
 
But there's still an amp to get, and my quest for a set of IEMs continues, and what good's an amp if it just amplifies a noisy DAC....
 
Welcome to Head-Fi, and sorry about your wallet.
 
EDIT: I see you've been here for a while. Well, everything I said is still true--be careful in here, or else your ears might be rich but you will be very poor. 

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

 
Haven't been around this place long, have you? 

 
Your doubts are well founded. My advice is to RUN, as fast as you can (digitally, of course), before Head-Fi gets its hooks into you. They never stop releasing bloody headphones, and the impression threads around here will make you want to buy every single one. If you've got money to burn, you'll be burning it in no time. I've only escaped this because I don't have money to burn, and because I happen to like my headphones quite a bit. These two things may be related....
 
But there's still an amp to get, and my quest for a set of IEMs continues, and what good's an amp if it just amplifies a noisy DAC....
 
Welcome to Head-Fi, and sorry about your wallet.
 
EDIT: I see you've been here for a while. Well, everything I said is still true--be careful in here, or else your ears might be rich but you will be very poor. 

i just got the HD558 and MS1i 6 months ago and 1 month ago respectively and i already have a HD650/HD598(still in consideration) + MS2i in mind...

 *oh my poor wallet*

 

[reddragon]

i dont think im audiophile but i started when i figured i wanted better sound quality and wanted to spend 100 bucks on iems. i wanted to get the bose ie2 but my friend advertised against it and told me to do some research before buying because he said he heard bose products before and he preferred his klipsch s4 over it. so i found head-fi and got a pair of etymotic research hf5 and then it just goes on and on... im now currently looking to get a high end dap...

 

[sbtruitt]

Because I love music!
 
I started during the glorious 60/70s when there was so much great music coming out and me and my friends were into getting stereo setups. During college I sold audio equipment and ended up changing schools to get an electronics degree. Then my first job was selling/working on audio equipment (McIntosh, Yamaha, etc). My first pair of cans were Koss Pro 4AA's, then later some used electrostatics. I've always been into speakers (still have about 7 or 8 pairs now relegated to he basement), but dont get to listen to them as much since getting married. So a few years back I got back into headphones as a way to listen to my music collection more.
 
Guess there are many different definitions of audiophile, but if it means love of music and it's technology, and listening to them with the best equipment you can afford, then that's me .

 

[tjohnusa]

Quote:

Because I love music!
 
I started during the glorious 60/70s when there was so much great music coming out and me and my friends we into getting stereo setups. During college I sold audio equipment and ended up changing schools to get an electronics degree. Then my first job was selling/working on audio equipment (McIntosh, Yamaha, etc). My first pair of cans were Koss Pro 4AA's, then later some used electrostatics. I've always been into speakers (still have about 7 or 8 pairs now relegated to he basement), but dont get to listen to them as much since getting married. So a few years back I got back into headphones as a way to listen to my music collection more.
 
Guess there are many different deinitions of audiophile, but if it means love of music and it's technology, and listening to them with the best equipment you can afford, then that's me .

Kind of in the same era as you.....I worked in a local sales and repair hifi store in the repair dept. Previous to that in high school I was in a group of kids that older brothers had some nice speaker setups...most notably a Phase Linear powered Klipsch Cornwall setup....bliss....and always smoke enhanced. Also heard JBL L100 with Technics (early when good). My first purchase of real audio equipment was a Nakamichi 600 tape deck. My first setup was a set of Infinity Qb with a Kenwood KA5500 amp and tuner along with a Pioneer PL518 TT. The speakers are gone to a friend, still have and use the amp'tuner and cassette deck. I have many setups but my main stereo setup is a Outlaw reciever with a set of rescued JBL L112 ($20 thrift store) and a nice samsung dvd/dvd a player. My kids are grown so I get to listen to my speaker setup often....still like headphones when I must.

 

[bowei006]

"Why have we became audiophiles"
 
It was my birthday and I had money. 
 
That was literally it. No idea if I regret it though. I do regret some of the things that it comes with but also am happy for it.

 

[sbtruitt]

Quote:

Quote:

Because I love music!
 
I started during the glorious 60/70s when there was so much great music coming out and me and my friends we into getting stereo setups. During college I sold audio equipment and ended up changing schools to get an electronics degree. Then my first job was selling/working on audio equipment (McIntosh, Yamaha, etc). My first pair of cans were Koss Pro 4AA's, then later some used electrostatics. I've always been into speakers (still have about 7 or 8 pairs now relegated to he basement), but dont get to listen to them as much since getting married. So a few years back I got back into headphones as a way to listen to my music collection more.
 
Guess there are many different deinitions of audiophile, but if it means love of music and it's technology, and listening to them with the best equipment you can afford, then that's me .

Kind of in the same era as you.....I worked in a local sales and repair hifi store in the repair dept. Previous to that in high school I was in a group of kids that older brothers had some nice speaker setups...most notably a Phase Linear powered Klipsch Cornwall setup....bliss....and always smoke enhanced. Also heard JBL L100 with Technics (early when good). My first purchase of real audio equipment was a Nakamichi 600 tape deck. My first setup was a set of Infinity Qb with a Kenwood KA5500 amp and tuner along with a Pioneer PL518 TT. The speakers are gone to a friend, still have and use the amp'tuner and cassette deck. I have many setups but my main stereo setup is a Outlaw reciever with a set of rescued JBL L112 ($20 thrift store) and a nice samsung dvd/dvd a player. My kids are grown so I get to listen to my speaker setup often....still like headphones when I must.

Yeah, those were the days . Some great equipment there ^ - loved Nakamichi, and always wanted but never could afford good Klipsch speakers - I still have my great JBL 4311b studio monitors though and a good old Marantz receiver.

 

[Headzone]

>Searching internet for best 50$ headphones
>Discovered head-fi
>300% budget increase
>Got Beyerdynamic DT770's
 
Now it's just an expensive hobby and obsession. Though i'm not that picky about audio that some of us are . 
 
Head-fi really fu*s up the understand of money value.. If you know what I mean. People here have like 10000$ setups and it's considered normal. Then you start feeling like you have "only" 1000$ headphones yourself. 

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

>Searching internet for best 50$ headphones
>Discovered head-fi
>300% budget increase
>Got Beyerdynamic DT770's
 
Now it's just an expensive hobby and obsession. Though i'm not that picky about audio that some of us are . 
 
Head-fi really fu*s up the understand of money value.. If you know what I mean. People here have like 10000$ setups and it's considered normal. Then you start feeling like you have "only" 1000$ headphones yourself. 

still nothing compared to car related hobbies

 

[Wasatch]

I'm a music lover.