If you'd like to be totally blown away within your budget, do what it takes to audition the Dutch & Dutch 8c. It's a totally engineered package of loudspeaker, with built-in active crossover, amplification, DAC and DSP EQ. Add a laptop as your digital source and you're done buying audio gear. You don't even need speaker cables. Just good CAT-5 network cables.
They will totally blow your mind.
They will totally blow your mind.