When I was in my 20's, and in love with music, I wanted a good stereo - like my older brother (his was Technics/Panasonic/Bose). I stumbled into a dealer in western Mass that became Music First. They were a Linn/Naim dealer, and had a bunch of "feeder" brands that eventually fed you to the Linn/Naim products. I started with a Rega Planar 2, with an NAD integrated and a pair of KEF speakers. Their policy hooked me - they would use 90% of the cost of your current stereo (if purchased from them) towards a new component(s). And so it began. The Rega/NAD/KEF became a Linn LP12/Naim Nait/Linn Kan set up. Which became a Linn/ Naim 42.5-SNAPS-110/Kan set up, and on and on. Getting a 90% return on each stage of my investment kept me saving for the next step.
When that store closed, and I was more on my own, I started experimenting with different kids of components, and this was fueled by curiosity. The love and passion for music (aided and abetted by equally passionate friends), was an separate, but related stream.. They were tied to each other, at least somewhat - I really think being young, and having a decent sound system made me take chances on music I might not have paid any attention to had I been still using my used, all in one box setup. I was taking some risks on the music I engaged with, and I would take some risks with the equipment that rendered the music. I tried planar speakers, and tube amps, and open baffle and idler drive turntables and now I'm trying horns. The music is the constant, and the equipment is for playing around with.
I am currently enjoying Thorens 124/all Zesto tube electronics/Volti Razz horn speakers. And it is very enjoyable, indeed. But someday, in the next couple of years, I'll try out some omni speakers (Decware, Walsh, Gerhswin???) just because I am curious about them...