I need advice on a good value for speakers

Totally agree, if you are going to buy on A'Gon don't waste the dealer's time.

Mirage OMD-15. They were designed to sell at $2500/pair and sound like it, but Vanns is selling the closeouts priced (right now) at slightly under $900/pair. I have had a pair for over three years and they are excellent on a wide variety of music types. I listen to classic rock and lots of acoustic music of various complexities and volume levels--acoustic pop, combo jazz, big band jazz, classical chamber music, and bombastic full scale orchestra. Also Diana Krall, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Holly Cole, etc. These speakers never disappoint. Excellent transparent natural sounding midrange, omnidirectional pattern makes the whole listening area a sweet spot, pretty amp-friendly.

Yet they are of high enough resolution that any upgrades you make will be heard. They take 100 hrs to basically break in, but you'll hear more improvement, resolution, and refinement up to around 1,000 hours.

At $950/pair, free shipping, and a 15-day return period, these are hard to beat.

I imagine all of those people who say "Go to your local dealer and listen" are those who actually HAVE a local dealer to go to. Now I have no idea where Eddyv lives but it's entirely possible (maybe even probable) that he has no local dealers. Many of us don't and as has been pointed out above, even if you do, the selection is likely to be sparse. How many speaker models less than $1,000 do you think they will carry?

I'll second the Vandersteen recommendation above. Another possibility is the Direct Acoustics Silent Speaker II. You can find a review here: http://www.stereophile.com/content/direct-acoustics-silent-speaker-ii. Yes, it's a Stereophile review but the reviewer is John Marks who seems to care about sound quality more than specifications. If someone were to ask my help in putting together an inexpensive system, I would have them seriously consider these.

IMHO, the best value by far would be used stock Thiel 3.5's. They can be had for well below your max price, and out perform speakers that cost many times that max price. The only caveat is that to make them really sing, you'll probably need to take the savings and apply it towards the cost of an appropriate amplifier. The Vandersteen 2's are another excellent value choice.

I love listening to Doc Watson, Chet atkins, Les Paul, Leo Kottke on my system.

Its very live and really sounds like they are sitting in my room.

My speakers are the main reason IMHO Reference 3A De Capos really sings with acoustic music. I do use a tube amp with them and that also influences the sound.

they turn up used around 1000-1300.