How cheap can you go and still be happy with the sound?

For all those saying that you need at least 10K as an entrance fee to good sound, just keep saving and you’ll get to this range.

https://futureaudiophile.com/how-many-audiophile-whales-are-there-really/

@simao, there are lot more 'unawakened' audiophiles in the real world imo/ime. A percentage is probably not born that way, he is made that way from exposure.

My insurance guy stopped by the house out of curiosity last year. He listened to some stuff and said something along the lines of.... "Shhhii, can't get back to the stuff at home now"...(I suppose he had some multi-room sonos type of whatever). After i sent him home with some stuff i had in storage, my insurance rates have gone down this year .

That's a bit extreme, at least in terms of price, that RTR deck. You can easily find $3k or so two track Otari in excellent condition. Or $10k Studer. They can still be serviced and repaired.

I’m like curious Jim.  I can enjoy music anywhere, from almost any source.  I think engineers have figured out a way to get decent sound on many products.  The cheapest solution that I am currently enjoying are a pair of Bluetooth speakers I found on the morningsave.com site.  The speakers were about $50, as I recall, and I bought a pair for myself and two other pair to give as Christmas gifts.  The sound is not bad for what they are, and I like the feature where they glow in 6 different colors, which can be set to one color, or set to cycle through all the colors, or set to pulse with the music.   I find it convenient to take them out on my rear deck or front porch, or anywhere I choose, grab a few cold ones and rock out.  The volume could be greater but otherwise I have no complaints.  I find that young people today value portability and low fuss, as well as lower price, over the expensive stationary gear us oldsters tend to prefer.  The gifts were well-received by the younger people I gave them to — one guy thanked me, saying the lighted speakers enhanced his getting laid.  Lol, excellent!  
 

P.S.  I looked to see if I could buy more.  Morning Save doesn’t have them anymore.  I found them on Amazon for almost $200!   Whoa! 

I am currently listening to some Fostex Fe126En drivers (purchased used for 100…) in DIY Olson/Nagoaka Manifold Horns, being driven by a Heathkit SA-3 SE EL84 amp, cost me 200, which I stripped down and did a ground up rebuild in a DIY chassis. A very satisfying listening experience.

I really like my living room setup, intended for casual but satisfying listening that has minimal visual/esthetic impact. It uses a Teac A-H01 class D integrated amp, Magnepan MMGW speakers, Martin Logan 300 sub and — wait for it — Apple AirPort Express as source. Total price probably around $800, since I shopped pretty hard at the time and got some good deals. The electronics are small and can hide under the TV. The speakers are wall-mounted and I ordered them in a linen cloth cover that blends in with the walls. You get that sweet Maggie midrange and let the sub provide the bass. I will just add that if you told me I could only have a pair of cheap bookshelf speakers, Wharfedale’s Diamond series, even the tiniest model, sound pretty darn good. It’s all about synergy, both kit and the room.