You seem to already be quite on the ball here. All of your planned purchases make sense to me.

For speakers in the Paradigm's price range, I would also take a look at Spendor 3/5s, Opera Audio Consonance Eric-1s, and since you tastes run towards rock for music... maybe some Klipsch speakers may also be good to audition. The Paradigms you have already thought of are also a good choice for your needs.

BTW... No center is necessary for your 2 channel system. You also have the option of running phantom center mode later. Just try to sit between the two speakers at the same distace to ensure a proper "center."

Good luck,

---Dave