My father has a Pioneer from the 70's (receiver, tape deck, turn table and speakers).  It's nice for what it is.  Was top of the line at the time, and I do not recall the model.  It will not thrown away.

I'm definitely in the 1% that cherishes live performance level reproduction. It's exhilarating, visceral and just plain amazing. My primary 6 channel Stereo listening and 5.1 for Blue ray system is running a pair of Klipsch LaScalia's and a AR 500 (Bob Carver Amp)15" downfiring sub up front and Klipsch S-20's in the rear through a Yamaha RX-V 2000 receiver. In my smallish den/office a JVC rx-888v receiver powering a totally refreshed pair of vintage McIntosh ML-1C's for a 32" flatscreen's audio. At our fishcamp I'm running 2 pairs of Klipsch KG-4's stacked with a Bob Gallo MPS 150 sub. The KG-4's are fed through a simple Onkio 100 WPC receiver on the "A" speaker output with a Niles SSVC2 speaker selector to correct impedance.

You jitterbuggers with your ridiculously over priced rinky-dink mini subs and tiny satellite systems are living in a sugar frosted candy coated fantasy world if you think you have the "Good Shit".
You don't. Suckers.

Downstairs living room has 7.1 surround.

Upstairs living room has a 2chan stereo. Poineer rcvr, amp and floor speakers. Need a real stereo to keep up with my two sets of drums that are also in the living room. Wife and neighbors love me

For me, is I just don't use my TV much.



1) The wife and I really don't watch movies.

2) I don't watch TV. Period. My wife watches "the voice" and "America's got talent". Beyond that the TV is never on.

3) The only reason I would consider a better stereo system would be for playing video games. Back in 2008-2009 I was really into playing call of duty. Really loved modern warfare 2. The thing is, ever since I went back to school, I stopped playing video games. In the 4 years during my Ph.D., I played Red Dead Redemption a couple times through (not 100% completion mind you), and Played GTA5 once through (for about a month after graduation). Video games just lack the appeal they once did. I just don't have the desire to get really into them like I used to. I'm also a generation a generation behind on counsels, and have no desire to plop down the money to get a new system. If my PS3 dies, maybe I'll consider it. Not that I'd know if my PS3 dies, since it just sits there off 99.9% of the time.



All these things combined cause me to pretty quickly dismiss the idea of getting a sound system.



When 90% of my entertainment is on the computer (either arguing with people, looking at shit to buy/lust after forever but not buy, or watching science videos), I just have really no need to have a sound system.



 

My lil man cave. Klipsch speakers and Yamaha receiver

I have one.  Set of large 12in 3way floors for the front and 2way 6in for the rear, wired into my reciever.   Its great and fills our TV room with sound, but I dont get to use it much with a young child.

Higher prices and lesser quality sound reproduction, I'll stick with Digital cd's. They beat Analog vinyl any day of the week. I have a large, old collection of Rock & Roll as well as movie soundtracks on 45s and 33 1/3 vinyl records. And most all of them have that annoying "pop" and "clicks" associated with vinyl records. I was over joyed when Digital technology replaced those old vinyl pressings.

I have a stereo in my living room with an old school Marantz 2240 receiver at its center.

But, OP, your title just kills the Grammar Nazi in me. It's "fewer" not "less."

My rack has changed (smaller) but my speakers continue to grow in size.

The wall rack has changed quite a bit.  The Onkyo cassette and 5-disc are gone.  BD takes over the CD/SACD player and most 2CH is streamed via Spotify premium.  The 3D BD player is still there (soon to be replaced by the new Oppo 4K player) but the Roku is responsible for most HD/UHD content.  Denon AVR-X6300H is driving the bus.  While real estate in the rack used to be at a premium, I find myself with all kids of space now.  Most devices can sit on a single shelf.

Speakers, however, are going the opposite direction.  Golden Ear Triton 5s, Golden Ear Super Center XL and two HSU VTF-15H mk2 subs make up the front sound stage.  Golden Ear Aons as surrounds/rear surrounds and four RSL C34E speakers mounted in the ceiling round out the immersive speakers for 7.2.4/Atmos immersion.


The HSUs are maniacs.  They can absolutely punish the chest cavity if not kept on a tight leash.  Yet in 2CH, they can blend perfectly and almost disappear in the room.  I'm still mesmerized by how well the HSU/GEs play together.  

We have a Definitive Technology SoloCinema soundbar/sub combo upstairs in the family room.  These small packages have their uses (cost-effective, unobtrusive, easy to use (no tuning, SPL, REW, etc) but there is simply no replacement for sound the separates can provide.

That said, Im rather impressed with the HEOS speakers.  I got one free with the Denon and they are damn good sounding speakers for a whole-house/zoned music option (much better sounding than Sonos hardware.)  I'll be purchasing a couple more in the future.

It's OK. I wanted to correct OP, too.

I'm a technology dinosaur, living in the past and don't do streaming or Bluetooth.
I still go with the basics, in this potato pic is a Technics 1200 turntable, Oppo bluray player, Sony duel tape deck,Tascam cd recorder/player, Cambridge Audio preamp for the turntable, Outlaw 7200 amp, pioneer 300 disc cd carousel, Pioneer elite VSX23 receiver, Sony 52" Bravia that is soon to be upgraded to a 65" 4k Vizio, Paradigm studio 100v5 left and right mains, a Paradigm 690 center channel, 3 subs, 2 SVS pb12's and an ultra 13 @ 1,000 watts,
+ 2 cheap in-ceiling speakers for the surrounds.
I'm eventually going to try and learn all this new-fangled stuff that they have, I'm already crying that my receiver is too old to pass through 4k to my tv and I'll have to reconfigure shit.  I'm looking at maybe a newer receiver and finding pre-outs for my amp in a somewhat reasonably priced receiver isn't that easy any more.
 
Can't be a humble-brag reply, there are those with more in a single speaker than is in my whole rig.

I finally just got rid of my Cerwin Vega tower speakers, JVC receiver, and JVC 5 disk changer I bought the summer before college.  Got 16 years out of them before one of the tweeters finally blew.  I had the model with the 15" woofers in them.  They took up so much space in my living room it was preventing my wife from moving the furniture around the way she wanted.  Picked up a soundbar and a wireless sub and honestly, i'm not missing much in terms of room filling sound during movies.  I do miss cranking up some Wu Tang Clan and making my neighbors think they live next to a stash house though.

bigger is better for speaker sound, but end of day who has time to fuss with all the damn receiver settings.  Plus the wife yells its too loud anyway.

Honestly, if you get an AVR or pre/pro and amps that has room correction software built in (Audyssey, etc) you just place your speakers and subs in their correct positions, place the measurement mic in multiple positions around the primary listening position and the software does the rest.  It'll set the speaker distances, speakers trims and delays, EQ it out based on your speakers, room, etc.  The new Audyssey MultiEQ XT32 is amazing at setting it all up. I can't wait for the app that lets you adjust the EQ points after the initial Audyssey setup.

I have a pair of old, gigantic Polk Audio speakers in my shop. Tweeter horns on top covered in loose fabric.
They rock. Of couorse, I'm drivinf my Iphone to them with a $20  Pyle amp from Amazon. BUT they are fucking loud!
I have Infinity bookshelves with a Polk sub in the living room being run by a decent Pioneer home theater "receiver".

I'm a vintage "HiFi" guy. So I do, but I'm definitely in the minority.

in some cases it's more than half.......how scary would a horror movie be without sound

Yup and the sound needs to match the picture size and vice versa.  If you have this 120" screen and 'small' sound--it just doesn't work.  Conversely, if you have 7.2.4 with 18" subs that make the walls breathe paired up with a 32" screen...it's also worthy.

finally succumbed and got a Denon since prior owner installed surround speakers in the wall and another pair by the pool so I had to get a 7.2 system.  But man, just reading the manual and doing the setup is a whole another hobby.   No wonder why soundbars are so popular.

Also, humans are oblivious of even the most basic tech.   BMW claims 2/3 of its 3 series customers don't even know which end of the car has the drive wheels.