There were some people here talking about Orb Audio the other day and it sounded like an alternative to Bose...certainly seemed worth checking out b/c I think they were in that price range and they claim to be a good value because of the fact that they sell direct. I've never heard them, and probably never would have if I didn't see that thread, but after talking to them I think I'm about to pull the trigger on one of their small systems and then upgrade it over time as my budget allows. I'm still in the 2 channel world and ready to move on up to surround. The concept of being able to upgrade the speakers when I get more money is very appealing to me instead of having to buy new ones.