http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/garden/the-new-audio-geeks.html?pagewanted=all

check out the "audiophile's wishlist" accompanying slideshow. Of all those products, the best value 
is the VPI Traveller, which is a fine piece of engineering and can be bought, set up and enjoyed by 
a mere mortal.

One man's opinion -- good sound is not a "style" or a "statement", it is something immediately 
recognizable to the ears of a person who loves music. A good-sounding system needn't break the bank, 
but it does cost more than an iPod dock, perhaps not a McIntosh or B&O iPod dock (BTW, the B&W 
Zeppelin iPod dock sounds damn good for what it is, but it isn't a full-range stereo system, just 
the world's greatest boombox).

-- Tom Fine