From your posting, seems you have mastered the art of making the anticipation part of the fun, rather than part of the agony, of our addictive hobby.
Along the upgrade path, give a listen to the bargain, high performance IC's, and speaker cable, from direct seller Audiogon member, Greggstraley, who revolutionized my perspective on the cost (modest) to benefit (wow!) ratio in the very crowded, direct seller, wire manufacturer category.
As you are planning to start slow, and build back up to a higher standard, you can immediately enjoy hearing every other upgrade's contribution through this impressive wiring.
