How do you listen to music in the home?

Thank you everyone for your further reponses...

I had a wander roiund a couple of High Street shops that sold hifi etc.

It was quite an eye opener.. with complete systems already set up to work
together..
but what made me look were the speakers... really tall ones, very long ones,, enormous
chunky ones and then the surround sound systems.   All totally mind boggling.. but what
I would like to ask is,,
is it
just
packaging.... all the different shapes and sizes,... just to look good and is that really
for no real purpose other than the visual?
because, it is what is inside that matters, isn't it, and how it works and most importantly
what the sound is like?

I could make a list of all the speakers that everyone has suggested and work it out that
way couldn't i?
If you have shared your speakers name with me,.. thank you..

My lower level of my home is a finished walkout basement, includes a large great room area where I have my system. I can go down and listen in peace while the rest of the family is upstairs doing their thing or watching TV. My work desk in down there too so I can work and listen too.

I am about 80% vinyl. 10% CD and 10% digital. I am in my late 40's so I have had many systems in my time, my current system is my best, basically less is more. Understanding matching components and drawing out the best from a pc of gear has been my drive, at the best dollar value possible.....You don't need to spend tons of money on audio gear, unless you want to.

I have a pretty high end Denon receiver with good Yamaha floor speakers similar to these guys.  They're OK but I still prefer the sh*tty looking homemade speakers I had in high school, which had better bass. 

I use our 2nd bedroom as an entertainment room/cat-free zone.  Aside from my tv, I have a surround sound system as well as a pioneer multi-region dvd player, which also happens to play DVD-A and SACD.  Have that hooked up through analog connections as the digital connections downmix the DVD-A to stereo.    Also have a turntable (not one of those expensive models, but a 75 dollar model hooked up to my receiver as well).  However, aside from records and surround sound discs, most of my listening goes on with Bose quiet comfort headphones and a portable CD player,  I think headphones give a richer, fuller sound than speakers in general. 

Ah, I missed to mention the EQ, also a vintage unit by Acoustic Control but quite decent (12 bands per channel). By the way the use or not of an EQ is also an interesting subject, gonna start another thread about it  

I have a great sound system, very large and expensive. But I never use it 

Instead I use my mid-class headphones. Not so bad decision actually as they provide great, near to excellent sound quality with all the accuracy about sound textures.

I have a Denon set-up with turntable, cd player, radio, cassette deck(oh yeah!), a powerful amp and some Dali speakers - bought second hand, and the sound of the thing is just beautiful. I prefer to listen to music in a room with "open spaces", so as the music can properly unfold. I don't have that now, so I prefer the headphone option instead.

If you have a Richer Sounds in your neck of the woods it's worth looking in there to see what's available and what fits your budget.

I have a CD player in my lounge room connected to big speakers that have great sound quality, but mainly I listen to music through this smaller set I have (Logitech X-230):

I have many different hi-fi setups in different rooms ranging from the acceptable to the quite good. There is no ideal setup and it is simply a matter of preference, cash and how much space you have - I prefer to start with the best speakers I can afford and work backwards. Good speakers (and headphones) connected to a mid-priced amplifier driven from a budget CD player will give good results, the only break in that "rule" is if you are playing vinyl then a mid-priced turntable is essential (Pro-Ject, Rega or Music Hall) - avoid cheap turntables at all costs. The key is to match your hi-fi to the room - small speakers in a big room will sound bad, similarily big speakers in a small room will be difficult to manage, the amplifier power should also be matched to the room size but to a lesser extent - a 30W amp can sound as good as a 100W since neither will be run at full power, but too small and you'll be over driving it, too big and you could damage your speakers. Since the mechanics of CD players are the weakest link in the chain I don't waste money on expensive CD players, the electronics in budget players is the same as in mid-priced ones, all you are paying for is the name and slightly better build quality - I actually use a £30 DVD player (without the TV connected) having spent £100s on mid-price and expensive transports from the likes of NAD, Cambridge Audio, Micromega and Arcam over the years that fail after 18 months heavy usage.