The non-budget audiophile market is replete with people who understand the value of high-quality componentry, and of being able to upgrade without spending MSRP (as well as being able to offer great equipment to others when the upgrade big hits, as it does with many). As usual, the Reddit “audiophile” group doesn’t fail to underwhelm.
The “don’t buy without listening first” commenters underappreciate the existence of the used market - I’ve had success selling every working piece of audio gear I’ve owned…sometimes at a small loss, but c’est la vie. There really is no other way to appreciate how a piece of equipment is going to sound in your space, with the rest of your gear.
Get horns, preferably vintage or Heritage Klipsch - they can fill for as little power as have any speakers I have heard or owned.
For my mains and center, pre-terminated spades on 12-gauge Kimber Cable. For my surrounds, heights, etc… in-wall 12-gauge CL-3 certified with block and barrel gold-plated banana plugs. All runs being long-ish, I won’t settle for a smaller gauge cable.
I had floor-standers (with passive radiators in the rear) against the back wall for years; when I changed floor covering from carpet to laminate, it changed the room response sufficiently that moving them out from the wall by a foot improved imaging and frequency response noticeably. I would never lock in a position - changes as small as different furniture can make a difference in SQ.