My recommendation was based on your taste in music, which appears to put unusual emphasis on the bottom octaves - relative to...say, a folk music enthusiast. In this case, a sub sat system will IMHO offer the best bang for the buck. Your note that you expect to add subwoofers down the road indicates that you're thinking this way, too.
I figured that I'd offer an in-budget option that got to the endgame without waiting.
The SVS looks to be a great value in subwoofers and the Maggie is IMHO a flat-out great value speaker that lacks only bottom end impact. Add subs and you're in great shape, provided that you can get seamless integration, which brings us to...
The Velodyne SMS-1. It's a great device that will get you there on seamless integration. However, the automatic set-up mode sucks. Set it up it manually and do it carefully and you will great results with the Maggie. One nice feature - there are programmable presets for subwoofer EQ. You can program the Velo to allow for both full range, full-on sub output and a reduced output "night" setting. IIRC, there are 6 presets that you can "tailor" at set-up and you can choose between them with buttons (like a car radio).
I mentioned the MMG because it's a terrific performer and a real steal at it's asking price. As to alternatives, there are many, depending on your tastes. You might consider the little Carver CRM ribbon monitors which can sometimes be found for $1K/pr. Even more limited in low end extension than the MMG, they are very good speakers without any real bottom end to speak of. You could also look at the Gallo A'diva or the smaller Ohm 100 (or maybe the MWT) omnidirectional speakers. I've owned all three of these speakers and can recommend any of them. For my taste the Ohms are the pick of the litter and the MMGs are the value leader. The A'diva is a surprisingly good performer (with a sub), given its tiny size and modest price tag.
Really good speakers with enough bass to do justice to the music you like tend IME to be kind of expensive. However, there are a lot of great speakers out there once you eliminate the need for extended bass response. If you're eventually gonna add subs, I say take advantage of the economics and add the subs from the outset. (BTW, for +/- another $500, you can get a pair of Rythmik subwoofers instead of the SVS. I'm told by many I trust that the SVS subs are terrific performers, but I own the Rythmiks and can recommend them from experience.)
Good Luck
Marty
