For that amount, you have a lot of options. There are a lot of receivers that can be had under $1,000 easily. That gives you enough for many Axiom speaker configurations. Check out the Products page for some options.
Yes, you can start with 5.1 or 6.1 or 7.1 and move up anytime. Personally I think THX badging is not a big deal, there have been many debates on here about that, my 2805 Denon does not have it and it sounds unbelievable, even the THX trailers on movies blow me out of the room when the sub and qs8's kick in....
