Is there a ceiling limit on what you are willing to pay for an audio component?

.... just trying to explore the myriad of routes we will go down to enjoy the music

Everybody's budgeting is different, doubtful if learning other routes matter for your decision process.  Some budgets are fixed while others can be flexible which usually correlate to each person's financial situation.  

My budget is flexible, but I have other financial commitments.  I've blown my budget a few times, usually trying to hit close to end game component. 

• I was over double my budget for my pre+amp because I wanted the reviewed reported sound included in TAS 50 Greatest Bargains in High-End Audio.  
• I went to AXPONA last year to audition speakers to purchase.  The 2 speakers I was targeting had tradeoffs - better high and midrange vs better balanced but muffled.  Another speaker that sounded great was double my budget. After the show, my dealer went to bat for me to get the great sounding speaker.  So I was over my speaker budget by 40%, but got a great deal on these demo speakers
• Never heard the storied Koetsu Coralstone cartridge which reportedly is the best Koetsu stone cartridge.  I was disappointed that the Coralstone is recently discontinued.  But I got a fantastic deal on a mint Coralstone Diamond so I purchased it justifying that it may be the very last opportunity to hear this cartridge.  
• After optimizing my analog chain, I'm working on my digital chain.  Top DACs, that can sonically be satisfying as analog, usually start around $40k : MSB, Linn, Aries Carat, Wadax, Lampizator, etc.  But the same Linn Organik DAC card in their $42k streamer+DAC is offered as a $7k upgrade for older model streamer+DAC.  So I purchased the Linn DSM/2 with the Organik DAC card upgrade.  I hit the sonic lottery!!

Bottom line - everybody's spending is different

The spending in our High-End Audio hobby is between sane and insane, systems costing equivalent to a car, house, and beyond.  Non audiophiles think we're crazy the way we spend, but that is the way of hobbies.  

Can we exercise a little civility here? Why say this is a stupid thread? Why question why someone would ask a question?  Just move on if it's not for you--that's my humble view. 

Forums are digital quasi-equivalents of meeting places of yore.  The righteousness of those criticizing posters is tiresome. I'd prefer a forum where negativity is rare and the free flow of thought (regardless of merit to the thought) is promoted. 

I can think of a good chunk of reasons why someone would ask this sort of question.  

Obviously there is a limit to what you are willing to pay. The limit however could be a trillion, billion, million, thousand, hundred dollars. Just don’t pay $1 please.

Let’s see… a decent integrated is 7k - 10k, speakers 12k - 16k min.  So if you avoid vinyl and shop cheap for all else you can do it for 25k. The system I use was put together over many decades with many false starts that cost money but in and of itself is only worth around 12 - 15 k and I would call it modest by any audiophile standards. T sounds pretty good tho. The more you can spend the less work you will have to do, hobby wise. Don’t! Write me about that last you guys.

That is a loaded question , for example a $4k speaker n average only $1k goes into this including packaging ,this too applies to electronics ,the rest R&D overhead and markup, this why you truly spend what you can afford to spend , That  being said 

after say $50k on a Loudspeaker the differences to $75k maynot be as substantial say from a $5kto $15kLoudspeakers ,  the parts quality gets substantially better .

for $5k that’s a good starting point , you willnot have even average quality Xover parts ,and drivers ,cabinet meaning both speakers are roughly $525  each including the packaging ,sad but true .having owned. A Audiostore  MFG need to make this ,with Audiocables the profit margins on average far bigger . That is why lower priced items can be modded much easier .for Digital for example $5k is bare minimum for a good quality digital front end for example the exception $7k T+A 200 dac is a bargain vs even dacs at 2x the cost. digital cables say 2 Ethernet cables ,and usb$3k a good Ethernet  hub Sonore ,or uptone audio $550+ $750 for  A very  good linear powersupply such as the excellent Linear TubeAudio . + Audiocables another $2500+ minimum  everything adds up ,iam just speaking of a $50 k Audio system To many older audiophiles $50k is not  even close to a top quality sounding Audiophile System.I have been over many professionals homes near the Boston area with systems exceeding $150k , when i owned a store I spent $50k fora$100k system .I am now approaching 65 and just rebuilding and-just over $50k is my cutoff to get exceptional sound quality after That  you can do much better sounding still but ,at a very high cost , $$ diminishing returns . My point is don’t be frugal if you can afford more within reason.