Better to buy 2 floor speakers for $1000 or aim for a set for the same price?

Definitely just go for the pair now. You will end up with a much better system.

With that budget, I would look used which would put a lot of great speakers in your range. Just a few brands to look at are:

Paradigm
PSB
B&W
AV123
MA

One of, if not the best sounding speaker for $1000 that I have heard.

SVS MBS Bookshelf Speaker
http://www.svsound.com/products-spks...gb&speaker=mbs

Depends entirely on your needs and space.

I just recently put together a 5.1 for $1,000 and would definitely prefer having full surround in my space for that budget then to have only bought two speakers.

I vote for these.

Depends on your needs. For action movie soundtracks, you are much better off with a 5.1 system and stereo will be disappointing. For stereo music, then obviously all you need is a single pair of speakers.

Obviously you'll end up with a better set of speakers if you spend the $1000 on the front pair first and then add the rest of the comparable matching speakers later.

The only caveat would be that if timbre matching is important (which it should be, at least for the center) that you do not wait too long to purchase the additional speakers as you may find that the exact matching speakers are no longer made by the manufacturer. So, plan ahead as best as possible.

If music is a priority I would go with the two main speakers first. Start off with a solid foundation and the rest can be added later...

If by "higher end gear" you mean the remaining speakers, I would advise you to sink your money into the fronts instead. If by "higher end gear" you mean AVR's and amplifiers and source components, you might want to consider that the speakers are usually regarded as the most critical link in the chain (after all, that's what you're hearing) and plan to spend more money on the front end on your speakers.

Jason

Also, feel free to use the "search" button...it is your friend.

I would be patient and start with the front two and add as you see fit. You can buy some really decent speakers for a grand. But if you buy a complete 5.1 your spreading it out a little thin. You could do it and have a respectable system or you could build one over time and have a killer setup. Do you already have your electronics?

ALL depends on:

1. % music vs. HT/TV/gaming usage
2. room size
3. taste in movies: big action flick fan or no?
4. already have a decent sub?
5. amp/receiver used?

Mainly #1 and 2, though.

Why does it depend on any of those things? IF you buy a set of 2 floorstanders for $1000 and add later as budget allows you will have a better setup than if you buy a complete 5.1 for $1000 now. What he listens to, or does with the system has no effect on that at all. Size of room doesn't matter either, you'll still have a better setup.

Yeah, a "better" setup that you'd never use anywhere near its full potential. Kinda like someone buying a Ferrari to commute to work each day.

I think it depends on your expectation level and your purchasing habits. If you want an audiophile like listening experience (especially for music), and you are the type that likes to upgrade, soak the most money possible into a high quality pair of fronts. If you are the type to get something relatively nice and enjoy it for a considerable amount of time, and want to get watching movies in surround sound asap, then get the system. Me personally, I went $1K on the system just a month ago and am not looking back. I'm not the type to constantly wonder or want something better. My last set of speakers lasted 15-17 years. Actually I went to tweeter this week while on a work trip and was not blown away with Polk/Klipsch/Martin Logan speakers that were 5-10x as much as I spent on mine.

$1000 speakers = Ferrari? Not even close. Now if he was talking about a set of $5000 speakers I might agree but not $1000. At that price point your just getting into really good speakers. Or you could buy A Klipsch quintet system for about the same. I'd take the better Floorstanders in 2 channel any day. Just my opinion.

As someone who mainly cares about 2-channel music I would agree with you, actually. But the OP didn't clarify what the primary usage of his system was going to be. If it's mostly HT/gaming then I honestly think that $1K floorstanders would be overkill.

Polk RTi10--$479+tax each--- BOGO from Tweeter
Polk CSi A4---$299 shipped from Amazon
or a CSi5 from E-Bay for close to the same price would be even better
Bic H-100----$229 shipped from Sounddistributors.com via E-bay

Just over $1000 for a very solid 3.1 set-up for HT/Music or Gaming. Add on Polk FXi's down the road to complete the 5.1.

How about this, BIC Acoustech Cinema Series 6 for $799 at sounddistributors.com.
What do you guys think about this system?

It is obvious that the OP wants a 5.1 setup or he wouldnt be asking about it. The problem is the he is probably worried about it sounding like sh!t. You can find pretty good sounding 5.1 setups for that much. I am VERY VERY happy with my setup (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=990726) and it was only about 1300 shipped for the 5.1. As my advice to the OP, I would suggest getting your 5.1 setup for 1k now since you obviously want surround sound, which you can get one that sounds great IMO. While using your 5.1 setup, you can then be saving for your audiophile grade system that you want. This will allow you to buy your primo system all at once rather than piece by piece and yet you still get to enjoy good quality surround sound all the while. I agree 100% with sivadselim when he says that you've got to worry about matching when adding to your current speakers if you decide to buy piece by piece, both aesthetically and acoustically... maybe that year the manufacturer decided to tweak the crossover a bit and now the sound is off on your new center speaker or they've decided to only offer certain veneers (just an example). Additionally, a cheaper 5.1 system would be easy to sell and recoup a large percentage of the original cost that, when you've saved up for your premium system, you can put that money back toward it. So then you're really not even out that much. Who knows, by the time you save up for the goods, they may be half off