Thanks for both visiting our room, and clearly understanding why we did it. The whole goal was to get people to stop shaking their heads in astonishment over the high prices, and to instead realize that they could get their music sounding better at home in a price range they could accept. As I said many times using a car analogy; not every auto enthusiast can afford a Ferrari or even a Porsche, but many find great joy in a Miata, BRZ, or some other more reasonably priced offering. Not to say the more expensive stuff isn't better, but better doesn't help if if we can't write the check.
Have fun setting up your new system. Several of our reviewers write about more moderately priced gear, and hopefully that will help you towards deciding what to check out.