I’m sure many will regard it as a textbook mullet system, but my bedroom system has ended up (as opposed to being planned to be) a Denon DM39 running into a pair of Arivas! Sounds great…
As for being 17 again, I’m actually quite lucky that I haven’t been down many dead ends with hi-fi over the years. Almost all the stuff I’ve bought has either been used until it broke, traded in for upgrades or repurposed elsewhere in the house/family. I’m therefore in the fairly fortunate position of being able to say I don’t think I’d do much differently.
The D-M38 is the first virsion where they started to get really good: it went through a redesign. The 38-41 are quite different to the 37 and earlier models (these were OKish, but just didn’t have the wow factor).
I’m impressed that it can retain quality driving Arivas… I knew about the fundamental sound quality of the little Deneons but for a hybrid IC power amp to have that sort of drive capability just makes it even more impressive.
Well, to take a page out of the Back to the Future Sports Almanac, I would have used my Discogs knowledge of today to buy a few copies of some specific vinyl releases, set them aside, and have been able to order me a Solstice TT this week!
But seriously, I would have definitely started with vinyl a lot sooner.
Wow! If at 17 you had the funds to be able to afford a decent TT!
At that age I had no where near the amount of money to be able to get even a half way decent TT. It took me until 25 before I could get a Thorens (I worked as a scientist - we don’t get paid very much, and you can’t really home build a decent TT).
I worked through 6th form to save for my first system. A slightly weird Systemdek and Technics mix, with Mordaunt Short speakers. About £1K in 1992. According to the internet that’s about £2K today. I’ve recently acquired a second system, 2nd hand UQ1, Neat Iotas, witch hat N2 cables, iso acoustics desk stands. I’d like to think my young self would have bought something similar, a bit under budget even, it sounds flipping great.
Having already restarted in 2015, after a 25 year break, I can conclude the answer to the question, “If you could start again…!” is Don’t and if you haven’t started for the first time, Don’t.
My first system was a kenwood and it wasn’t too bad! It was a UD-900M midi system with Omni directional speaker mode and surround sound and I had a Yamaha sub hooked up to it because it does have a sub out.
My wife thinks I am back to my teens days because I am listening to “loud” music teens listen to she says. So, I wish I could jump straight to the uniti system I now have, streaming so I can explore the huge amount of materials like I can now, backed by Internet forum like this with great many suggestions! Well streaming didn’t exist back then.
To be fair, I haven’t yet got around to connecting the Arivas to my main system for a comparison, and remember it’s only a bedroom system so not used for very critical or extended listening, but yes, the Denon and Arivas don’t sound like they’re mismatched at all so far, even at high volumes.
Recording hours of John Peel onto C90’s can never be recreated … a 70s silver Hitachi tuner hooked up to a Yamaha cassette deck, blimey! I used to buy bucket loads of tapes from the original Richer Sounds on London Bridge. Streaming now just isn’t quite as satisfying, and you can’t muck about with Doby B&C
I used these recorded on my Pioneer wood ended cassette deck for JP and various mix tapes to use in the car. Later with the Nak I’d moved on to mostly Sony Chrome and ferro type IV’s. I still have two boxes full of them ( and the Nak).
So, I wish I could jump straight to the uniti system I now have, streaming so I can explore the huge amount of materials like I can now, backed by Internet forum like this with great many suggestions! Well streaming didn’t exist back then. 
