What is the current retail cost of your reference system?

Hard to say since to claim Klipsch Lascalas II retail for roughly $5000 each. The new version is much higher, I bought B stock which has played flawlessly for over 5 years. My amp was about $4000. Source components are about another $5000. Cabling was about $2000. Sub and cabling about $1500, So how much is that? None of us worry too much about it unless a piece of kit dies. The, for me, is the side items such as new media, new tubes, headphones, headphone amp, record cleaning machines, special tweeks everywhere like Mad Scientist nano pods, contact goop, vibration reducing pads, and on and on,,,All very worth it to me.

$70,000 main system with back-up amps, pre-amps, DACs and transports. One LP turntable and two sets of high end speakers. $5,000 living room system.   Missing from discussion-cost of listening room-$150,000

@fleschler 

I'll bet if you put the $5000 system in the $150,000 room it would sound like a $50,000 system in an average room.

@kota1 You are correct.  The improvement from my prior home to my new listening room is immense.  That is probably the reason my 30 year old Legacy Focus speakers sound so wonderful.   It's nearly the least expensive part of my system (which many believe the speaker should be the most expensive component/best component possible in a system).  

@fleschler

While a custom built room is obviously the SOA way to go the average member here could get a massive upgrade by simply getting a room "kit". The first one is from Auralex, the second one from SonitusUSA. There are many others and treatments can of course be hidden behind acoustically transparent fabric: