So many different takes on what serves as a baseline system I am actually a bit surprised...Try going cold turkey without your tunes for a few weeks as I did after our house fire, and it helps adjust your minimum standards or at least helps really define them. For nearfield at the computer I have probably about 700 invested roughly between some modded dayton audio towers and the dac and cheap class d amp. While that doesn't satisfy too well if I am in the next room, it works awfully well when at the computer.
For listening at 8 feet or so away from the speakers, my 2 channel system in the music room meets the need in the size room I have in our temporary home. 2 svs subs, 2 Walsh 2000, VTV Hypex amp 500 wpc, Emotiva TA1 Dac, driven via optical output from the monitor connected to my old dell desktop. It kicks butt and can get uncomfortably loud and surprisingly clean in the small room its in. Low end response extends below 20hz and is well integrated with the Ohm speakers. Expecting the same level of performance once I move back into my house.
Then there is a TV only system driving an Emotiva MR1L and connected with some resto-modded 303AX fronts with dayton audio surrounds and a pair of 10" dayton audio subs with a JBL center speaker. Reasonably flat response down to about 25 hz. Plenty of volume with no shortage of reserve for apartment living.
The music room system is by far the most expensive of all of them and absolutely delivers smiles every time I listen to good source material. Sadly its revealing enough to show poor recordings for what they are. And that is the price paid to enjoy the goodness that comes with a good recording. I think I could be happy with what I have for the rest of my days, but I know that I can get closer to Nirvana...and that will eat at me until I do something about it.