Upgrade question - speakers or integrated?

What are you using for a source? If the system is fine but you're not getting the enjoyment you want, maybe you need a higher resolution source. YMMV, but for me I got the uptick I needed by getting a turntable. This may not be your case, but in mine, the analog source had so much more musical information it became apparent that no downstream component could have fixed what I needed.

Maybe you're committed to digital but need to consider moving to a computer-based system that buffers the data stream, upconverts to 24/96 or 24/192 and outputs to an asynchronous USB DAC.

Simao:

I listen to mostly jazz, folk, and other nuanced music.

and

05-18-13: Simao
My source is a Rotel 1072 - which I'm going to hang onto. It gives way more bang for the buck than it should. The YBA doesn't have a phono input, though I may get an external phono stage.

And a Rogue Cronus is also in the wings. I used to have a pair of Rogue 120 magnum monos powering the Maggies. They were pretty awesome.

If you're happy with your digital source, great. Digital and analog don't have to be mutually exclusive; I listen to both, but primarily to analog now.

Given the kinds of music you listen to at home--jazz, folk, and other nuanced music--much of this is acoustic music then. I listen to a lot of acoustic music--classical, jazz, folk, vocalists backed by live bands (e.g., Sinatra, Nat Cole, Diana Krall, Rod Stewart, etc.) In my experience, if you listen to nuanced acoustic music and you feel like something could be better, there's a good chance that what you're seeking is higher resolution to help flesh out the subtle sonic cues that make acoustic music sound real.

That's what I noticed when I added a turntable to my rig. I didn't just hear the music, I heard how the musicians were making the music, and that in turn made me feel more involved with the listening experience. There are some kinds of music that come across better in analog form. Examples include vocals and bowed strings. For example, when I put on a CD of the Bach solo cello suites, my wife found it irritating, but when I put on the LPs of it, it became her favorite recordings in the house. Having listened extensively to digital and analog playback of Sinatra, I get more of the gestalt in analog; ditto for The Beatles, solo cello, acoustic jazz, etc.

The Rogue Cronus or Cronus Magnum would seem to be good candidates. They also have a built-in MM phono stage that's probably pretty good. On my recommendation an audio buddy got a Cronus Magnum to drive his Maggies and he was also really happy with that setup. The Absolute Sound's rave review of the Cronus Magnum also paired it with Maggies.

05-19-13: Simao
Johnny - what's a good starter turntable to recommend?

Oh, the usual suspects--VPI Traveler, Rega RP3, SOTA Moonbeam or Comet, Clearaudio Concept, Marantz TT-15. Or if you need to keep it around $500-600, Music Hall 2.2, Pro-Ject Debut Carbon or RM-1.3, Rega RP1.

Even these entry-level turntables will make your nuanced acoustic music bloom and engage you.

For the phono stage, there are several good affordable stages from Bellari, Cambridge, Creek, Pro-Ject, Rega, Music Hall, Musical Fidelity, Vincent, Graham Slee, Lehmann, and the Clearaudio Nano. I've been partial to the Jolida JD-9, which I got for around $389. It was a killer bargain at that price but now I see that the Series II has gone up to $619. It's probably still very competitive even at that.

Given its combination of price, performance, build quality, configurability, and especially variable gain, I'd say the Clearaudio Nano really hits the sweet spot.

05-19-13: Simao
... I'd have to upgrade the YBA to an integrated with a phono stage.

If you like your YBA and it works well with everything else, why not just get an outboard phono stage such as the ones I mentioned. If it has to be near-invisible, the Clearaudio Nano is about the size of a deck of cards.

05-20-13: Simao
I think that's the way to go - along with some speakers that complement what I want to hear.

In addition to the Reference 3a Capo, you may want to check out the KEF LS50, which Stereophile considers a Class A speaker within its operating range. Another candidate, with its ceramic composite woofer and ribbon tweeter, is the Monitor Audio Gold GX 100.

I've also heard consistently good things about the Nola Boxer.