That sucks. Personally, I won't go beyond the first interview without at least a brief discussion of salary.

I always ask what they're targeting first, but if they decide to be cagey, I'll throw out a range where the low end is comfortably above what I'm currently making, enough that I would actually consider the offer.

I already get paid pretty well, so I think this has saved myself and others quite a lot of time.

(I also tend to reply to recruiter emails with a polite "no, thanks, but can you share the pay range for this role?". Maybe half reply with numbers, which is enough to keep a good sense of where the market is at.)