Is it possible to get Hi-end sound ??

I agree with Wolf garcia. I have a modest $5000 system and have really enjoyed the challenge of matching equipment and cables until I found the best sound at the given budget.
I have heard $60,000 systems that didn't sound good to me at all. The point is, set a budget and have a great time getting the best sound you can at that budget.
Buy used hear and there and you wont take such a big loss when it comes time to try something else.
Have fun. John

Unlike some other commodities, used hifi stuff can be bought and sold with NO loss so it's all good. Unlike cars or musical instruments for example, lots of well made gear just barely wears out over time, and in some cases wasn't used/abused much anyway.

Definetly, you just need do know how to do it.

Here's the test: In my listening room let me listen to something familiar on my system while $150,000 worth of other stuff has been warming up next door. After a while a crew of 15 serious union stagehands runs in, sweeps away my gear, and sets up the 100K system playing the same music at the same level...repeat a few times. I will then offer my opinion regarding the differences between the systems, and buy pizza for the stagehands. Does a Magico/Boulder system in a 1500 square foot treated soundroom sound like my system in my house? Does it matter?

newbie story...

I am new to this myself having only stepped into this pool in mid 2010. I started by going to a local shop which sells used audiophile gear along with new well regarded brands like Naim and Tannoy (Hawthorne Stereo, Seattle). I didn't know anything and was willing to pay more for a 30 day warranty and the freedom to trade.

I started with a NAD 2155 ($125), a pair of Klipsch KG3 speakers ($250) and my iMac... I immediately added a sub, Acoustic Energy ($150). Let me say there was a lot more resolution to music than I had been hearing through my little computer speakers.

I added a Native Instruments DJ DAC from Guitar Center per advice from a friend and discovered there was even more to hear.

I then traded in the Klipsch KG3's for a pair of Klipsch KG4's. This cost me $200... I learned about speaker placement and that I could probably have found the same speaker for under $200 on Craigslist.

I haunted Craigslist daily and found a pair of Heresy 2's for $400 in wonderful condition from a cool old enthusiast. I bought them and with a bug up my butt to find some kind of satisfaction and set about upgrading my amp. I used my KG4's and NAD for credit toward a Sumo Athena and Ulysses ($650 - I lost a $100 in the exchange). I upgraded my DAC to a Cambridge Audio DAC Magic ($400).

So here I was with over a grand in gear and a bunch of hours and I was a bit put off by my system, it had lots of resolution but didn't sound very integrated and seemed less like music than my old computer speakers... wtf?

So i went to the Internet and started reading more. (This is when I found Audiogon btw)

I thought I should probably lose the Sumo amps or the Heresy 2's. As luck would have it, a Jolida SJ502A came into inventory at Hawthorn and for $100 and the Sumo gear it was mine. The Heresy 2's and the Jolida 502A sound very nice together.

ah a moment of happy peace... but there is this vinyl thing I have been reading about... and mods for the Jolida... and maybe new Crites crossovers for the Heresy 2's...

Enjoy the journey and hold out for the deals... the more you know about the brands and models the more likely you will be able to spot the killer deals.