Is it possible to get Hi-end sound ??

MAN OH MAN I THOUGHT I WAS A PESIMIST, but after reading the replies to the O/P's question I see know that I have REALLY come a long way in the attitude dept...NEVER HAS THERE BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BE A POOR AUDIOPHILE!!!$250.00-$300.00 will by a nice little integrated from the likes of NAD-Cambridge Audio-Marantz etc..that will shame most $2500.00+ integrateds or seperates from 10 years ago & don't even get me started on HOW ABSOLUTELY AMAZING A SYSTEM CAN BE FRONTED BY ONE OF THE $500.00 CHINESE TUBE INTEGRATED AMPS READILY AVAILABLE TODAY!!!Multi Disc players from Marantz-Yamaha-Denon offer vanishing low distortion & a fairly honest portrayal of the original signal with a smooth,detailed sound anyone but the most jaded could live with for a lifetime & can be had for as little as $100.00 used to $400.00 for a BRAND NEW Denon BDP-1611 Blu Ray that plays SACD & DVD/A & will kill any $1000.00+ source from just a couple of years ago!!!AMAZING speakers from Quad-Usher-Monitor Audio etc.. can be had BRAND NEW for as little as $450.00-$500.00 & used for around $300.00!!!$50.00 Interconnects from companies like Wireworld(Luna 6 comes to mind)will give you 75-80% of what ANY $500.00 NEW interconnect brings to the table!!!Come on people,what has happened to you?My advice to you Dvjorge is BEFORE YOU SPEND 1 PENNY ON ANY GEAR, GO FIND THE CLOSEST PUB/BAR/ETC...THAT OFFERS LIVE, UNAMPLIFIED MUSIC & SPEND SOME TIME GETTING TO KNOW WHAT THE REAL THING SOUNDS LIKE!After that,find a budget that you can live with & then someone here on Audiogon that HAS NOT been completely jaded by this hobby will surely be able to help you put together a system that will bring a smile to your face & ears...Good luck & ENJOY THE MUSIC!!!

Hey guys,I should have said"some of the replies"in the beginning of my above rant...Thx...

You can spend 100,000 and still not have HIFI sound. But who would admit it? I bought a new 25,000 system, and only paid 15,000 for it. Does it sound HIFI...yes... is it worth it? NO. Get what you like and need. Something that sounds good to your ears. Spending lots of money is no guarantee. Best of luck.

Stick to your iPod, and be happy.

My hi end audio gear (pro & hi fi) kept its value better than my house during the past few years. If you buy carefully, you won't loose much even if you're buying the good stuff.