The most affordable way to get started would be with a dobsonian type telescope. They are primarily for viewing only, don't ask about astrophotograpy...:) With a dobsonian, you get the biggest bang for the buck. Sounds kinda like Axiom speakers.
Aperture is king in telescope viewing, in other words the bigger the diameter, the more light gathering you will receive. People get all hung up on how they found a telescope at Costco with x575 power and say now I could see the flag on the moon, NOT.
You can get an
8-10" diam Dob for 300-1000 bucks depending on options.
With these you would be able to see galaxies, clusters, other deep space objects, as well as solar system objects planets, the moon, etc... The Orion Intelliscopes have a computer system with 1,000's of objects and the telescope will tell you where to point the scope so you don't have to spend valuable time finding it by yourself, well worth the extra cost.
Light polution from nearby cities is waging war on observers, but you would be shocked at what you can see, even in the city. They even make filters to block out the city lights, and only allow the beta light from objects you desire.
It can be a bad hobby like Audio, because you always want moreee..
