I started out with an Aiyima A07 and the Moukey passive speakers powered off my phone. I slowly added and upgraded it and then built a second system out of the leftovers. That second system has since become my vintage system and my girlfriend got the leftovers from it, she is now building her second system and all those original components are either dead or unused currently.

My first system I got all at once, a turntable, tuner, cassette deck, integrated amp and loudspeakers. Over the years I’ve replaced one part or another, until I had enough orphaned components to assemble a second system I could use in another part of the house. I have done that for years.

I added surround processors, additional amps and speakers so my main system could also be used for watching movies. My main system has a stereo preamp with an HT bypass, surround processor, a five channel amp, a pair of monoblocks for my stereo loudspeakers.

My current system still has the same B&O 4002 turntable I bought in 1975 along with the latest Schitt Mani 2.0 Phono Stage for analog. It’s about to be temporarily replaced by a Technics SL-1200 MK7 while the B&O undergoes a multi-year long restoration, motor rebuild and optical systems update.

I’m approaching my end game for digital. There’s a NAS drive to store bit-perfect FLAC files. A custom PC running JRiver Media Center that manages the library and features bit-perfect playback and DIRAC Live room correction. I stream music with a Wiim Pro music streamer, An old Sony ES stable-transport handles cd playback. All three are connected to a digital processor that buffers and galvanically isolates the digital data stream before dual OCXO’s reclock the data stream and sends it via i2s to a discrete R2R DAC that decodes either PCM or DSD digital formats.

Of course, it all goes up in flames if something new comes out. (sigh)

I had my first system for 20 years before advancing components. After new speakers things started changing rapidly and am researching more changes. This only happened after I really began studying.

Unless I have to buy more than one component at a time to “make it work” I prefer to change one thing at a time. The first iteration was a power amp, 2 speakers and a TV with variable analog outputs used as a “preamp”. The current form is the one in my flair.

I still have that amp and those speakers, they ended up as part of a HT system. Whenever I replace a piece of gear the prior model gets “kicked down” to another system. Feels lile two upgrades for the price of one.

My system has evolved over years. I’ve had a chance to try many different configurations and have settled on what pleases me the best. Enjoy the journey.

Get the speakers. See how they sound with your Yamaha, then go from there. Only change one thing at a time. And only change something if you know it will improve your setup. Don’t chase maybes or the new hot thing.

I started out buying really cheap gear, sort of a learning phase I suppose. That includes buying different types of gear just to see what it sounds like, all relatively inexpensive (well under $1K each) Since, I’ve done both a few place-holder buys knowing I would be upgrading later, followed by replacing that gear with carefully considered choices intended to be end-game. A few items were carefully chosen from the start as end-game. I haven’t yet replaced any of my end-game choices.

I went through 3 DACs, 4 power amps, 2 preamps, 2 phono pre’s, one streamer, one sub, one turntable & cart, and maybe a little surprising, but I still have my original speakers (not intended to be end game, but rather are homemade, but they just sound so good).

I got my first and last speakers, added a capable power amp and pre/dac/dsp can be swapped to whatever I need.

I made a paradigm shift from passive system that was pushing 20+ years to an active system using modern technologies, so I essentially swapped out everything. Plus, I did go for maximum convenience with active speakers, so all that was needed beyond them was the signal source.