1994/5 a friend bought a Turtle Beach Monterey and a midi keyboard, heard it and I had to have my own, totally hooked since then.
Tho I had to buy a TBS2000 (Tropez 32) to get DOS compatibility, card that was eventually upgraded every year or so.

By the time I got my first PC in 1994, I've heard various accounts and rumors about GM, GS and MT32-capable hardware and their sound quality; unfortunately, I couldn't afford any of them. Then in 1996 I saw a GUS ACE being sold cheaply at a local CompUSA store; after thinking about it for a few minutes, I bought it. This little sound card changed my view of PC music forever, and I simply wanted more. Then in early 2000, while roaming around a swap meet, I saw a Yamaha SW60XG being sold for $35 complete with retail box, driver CD and manual by the original owner; once again, I just bought it. And once again, I was amazed; I have never heard anything like this before!

Today both sound cards still survive, and are now in my retro-rig along with a Soundblaster Pro 2; just listening to them brings a smile to my face over and over.