can't see pricing for single M2
On the product page, below the buttons for "add to cart" and "customize yours", there is a link for "add single speaker to cart". For new stock, it's 1/2 the pair price, so $158 for an M2v3.
I could in theory drop the QS8s for now and wait to buy them later.
You could, but you're going to lose quite a bit of "wow" factor
Could I even also drop the Sub and still get a good 3.0 system to start?
I wouldn't do it. If you have to save money initially, I'd get 2.1 to start, then the surrounds, and the center LAST. Modern receivers can run a "phantom center channel" where the content is sent to the mains. It's not as good, but it's something.
If I was going to do that would it be worth switching to V150 for the centre?
Honestly, considering the relatively short listening distance, I don't think you're going to get "value" going to a VP150 instead of an M2 or VP100.
As to receivers, nobody ever seems disappointed when they buy a Denon (except the manuals are horrifying and I hated my 1804 remote). I wouldn't let wattage drive your decision, though. You're going to get potentially damaging levels from something like the Onkyo you mentioned. You could look for a receiver with pre-outs (so that you *could* add an external amplifier later) if you really wanted to hedge your bets. People seem pretty high on the
Pioneer VSX-1020K which is very full-featured and can be had for about USD$400.
I really have to defer to my Canadian brothers about subwoofer availability and such. I'm sure that the EP350 is a great unit and it is definitely the right Axiom sub for your application. However, it seems like a slightly disproportionate part of your budget, and you might be able to shave ~$150 off that component if you wanted to get basic black from another manufacturer.
