One of the big changes has been how accessible great sound is at bottom-basement prices these days. Something like a pair of the new Elac Debut 2.0 B6.2s, an Emotiva A-100 integrated, and a Chromecast Audio will give you a great sounding little system for just over $500. Inflation-adjusted I'm not sure we've ever been able to get that kind of performance for that low of a price.
As far as the other end of the spectrum goes, a lot of the truly insane systems really need tons of room to breathe. The Von Schweikert VR11 Ultra system with VAC and Esoteric electronics at AXPONA was breathtaking, but you'd need a listening room with the physical volume of many entire houses to really get the most out of it.
In a modestly sized listening room a pair of nice stand-mounts, a subwoofer or two, an preamp or integrated with bass management and solid room correction software, and some judiciously applied room treatments could easily outperform a pair of huge towers fed by a stack of extremely expensive electronics.
As far as the other end of the spectrum goes, a lot of the truly insane systems really need tons of room to breathe. The Von Schweikert VR11 Ultra system with VAC and Esoteric electronics at AXPONA was breathtaking, but you'd need a listening room with the physical volume of many entire houses to really get the most out of it.
In a modestly sized listening room a pair of nice stand-mounts, a subwoofer or two, an preamp or integrated with bass management and solid room correction software, and some judiciously applied room treatments could easily outperform a pair of huge towers fed by a stack of extremely expensive electronics.