If I were you I'd try to get in on the Energy Connoisseur clearance...at goodguys.com if you're in one of their shipping locations, or a local dealer (I got mine from 6ave in jersey).
I think for the money, these Energy's are unbeatable (C-3's for 250, C-9's for 650, etc)
I've owned a cheap pair of Polks, R15, ans csi 245 as well as Axiom M22's and vp150. I like my new Energy C-3's and C-C1 much more. The energy's are the smoothest/flattest of the bunch.
If you don't want the Connoisseur line, I'd check out the Ascend Acoustics line. In general, I believe the Axioms lean towards brighter, the polks towards warmer, and the Energy and Ascends towards neutral...All are good speakers, depends on your listening preferences.
Other speakers to check out, PSB, Paradigm, etc, they all offer high end sound on a budget...but again, with the Energy's at half price, I think they're an amazing deal.