Really Inexpensive Systems That Sounded Great?

The KLH Model 20 "Amazing Music Box" was my first experience with hifi sound. A buddy was telling me great his new stereo system sounded, so I decided to drop over after school for a listen. Here was this dinky little chassis with a turntable stuck in the middle of it with cutesy little knobs. Speakers were not small, but lacked the awesomeness I that I envisioned. The expectation of a mind-blowing musical interlude had already dropped to near zero as he cued up the music on this glorified table radio.

Then, he played WIth a Little Help from My Friends, a song I’d heard on my dad’s dual chassis 12" 4-way Admiral console stereo many times before. There was a delicacy to Ringo’s voice I hadn’t heard before. Hum? Other selections revealed details and the feeling of "being there". Okay. This was IT. I was hooked.

Chromcast audio ($35) streaming Tidal to my Sony AVR ZA3100ES ($400)and Klipsch KG 5.2 ($350) superb sounding 

Anything in the Sony ES line is going to be good and Klipsh are a good match, nice job!

I have a little system in a back room with some home brew loudspeakers with a 5" Vifa bass driver and a 1" soft dome Peerless tweeter.  Damn things sound GOOD.  I got the drivers from Madisound.  The Vifa was being remaindered and I paid $15 each for them.

Your best value is always in a good DIY loudspeaker, whether you build it yourself, get a friend hobby builder to knock 'em out, or find them used.

The Linkwitz LXmini system can be done for as little as $1000 and that will embarrass a lot of systems costing many times as much.

This is doesn't refer to a system but a while back I purchased two tower speakers under the Plaisir name made by Triangle for $100/pair new and they are amazing.  As far as I can tell they contain the same components as their Color speakers with cheaper cabinetry.