What do you care about in this hobby?

To me, this hobby is all about a form of minMax optimization, i.e., minimal cost and maximal performance.  Nothing less.  Nothing more.

@mapman  More on eliciting emotional response as what I care about in this hobby … what are the attributes of sound reproduction that elicit emotional response for me.  
 

While in a broad sense many will consider the ability to elicit emotional response a subset of the sound quality category you list, I consider emotional response a separate category.  The attributes I will describe cannot elicit emotion individually, but rather together reinforce each other creating a sum greater than the whole. The ability to meld these attributes in a cohesive manner to reinforce each other is achieved to a greater or lesser degree depending upon the system and how well the individual components integrate together to reinforce each other.  Ok, long winded again.  What are the attributes of a system that elicit emotional response to me?   I have listed them in what I consider the order of preference.  

1. Timbral accuracy, including the necessary resolution to develop the color and shading of instruments 
2. PRAT, including the resolution of micro and macro dynamics that bring life to the impact of the first wave but also to the secondary harmonics and ambient decay. 
3. Bloom, That elective midrange quality that makes reproduced music sound natural and liquid like I hear when sitting first tier in the Met, Koch, or Carnegie.  
4. Image density and dimensionality, that must be natural and not exaggerated.  
5. Wide frequency response with an accurate but sweet treble and extended bass, balanced throughout the range. 
    

When there is synergy between system components, these qualities reinforce each other to reproduce the emotion of the composition and performance.  Some systems may do some but not all well.  That is why I consider it a separate and critical category.  Systems that do all well in a cohesive manner, elicit more emotional response to the music for me. The sum is more important than the individual.  

Sound quality but value for money. Value can be technical acheivment, part selection, engineering. Also interesting cabinet materials and design. Is there a synergy? 

First Sound quality, second performance per dollar (bang for buck), third quality of parts, fourth ease of service

For me, it’s easy, number 1 Sound quality

And number 5, Quality of parts. By that I mean, I like to purchase my equipment from well established brands something I can trust.