Speaker help - $1000 budget (1 Viewer)

[yellowbeard]

I just purchased an Onkyo NR515 on Black Friday for $249! Next step - speakers!
I have a budget of $1000 and I'm thinking of just getting bookshelves, no surround yet. I want to start with just front 3 and maybe expand later when budget allows.
Just doing some research, I like what I read about PSB 2B's, Paradigm Mini Monitors, and B&W 685's. I've read that speakers can sound different with different receivers, so looking for advice from you experts. Does my new Onkyo pair particular well with any brand of speaker? I am looking for 50-50 TV/Movies and Music.
Should I invest in a center now or later? Should I invest in the subwoofer now?
Bookshelves only please. Wife won't allow anything else.
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[yellowbeard]

Also what about the Axioms? Reading a lot about these guys.

 

[schan1269]

Lots of people find Axiom and Aperion because they have a "30 day home trial". Take them up on that offer. That is the only way to know.
Mordaunt Short makes great speakers.
Pinnacle makes great speakers.
Zu makes great speakers(although not "at $1000". The Zu Omen is $1200)

 

[Al.Anderson]

I have Axiom M22s and M3s on different systems and love them both. I have a VP100 paired with the M22s. The M3s are know to have a slightly enhanced lower-mid-base bump which helps when you don't have a sub. Despite that, I'd go with the M22s and plan on upgrading when the time is right.
Axiom, PSB, and Paradigm will likely all sound similar (not that you won't prefer 1 over the others) as they are all Canadian speakers built using initial specifications derived from a Canandian government funded research project. The primary characteristic of the Canadian speakers is that they tend to be "clean", no coloration.
As surprised as I was to come to this conclusion, the receiver does play a role in the final sound. My Axioms sounded best with my original Onkyo, not so great with a Marantz 1602, and back to good again with a Yamaha 671. The obvious culprit is room correction technology, except the Onkyo I had had no auto-calibrate, so I doubt my by-ear corrrection was be better than both other systems. It also could have been power, as the 1602 had about 60% of the other two. I mention all this because I now believe that the pre-amp sections do color the sound more than most people appreciate.
You didn't mention what you'll be using the system for, mostly music, mostly movies, or somewhere in between. A subwoofer is always a good idea, but if you are using the system for movies I'd gdefinitely go with a sub. Otherwise, whether you go 3.0 or 2.1 to start is a personal choice of effects over dialog.

 

[AlphaPie]

If you have to make some hard decisions to stay on budget I would spend more on the center speaker and upgrade the R/L fronts later on. In my limited experience the center always makes the system 'come alive'.