Speakers under $750.00...Preposterous Notion?

Sometimes an audiophile lives on a $100.00 a week salary (theater wages). When you try to get a serious answer from those who know, they say, "save and get such and such..." Well, my wife disagrees, and for good reason. One must "settle" for products which can be realistically obtained. I think, though that there will be some of you out there who are interested in helping others get truly affordable high-quality gear.
My theory is this: take two hypothetical speaker companies. One starts its entry level model at $1k and proceeds to a flagship going for $50k or more. The other speaker company produces only speakers costing less than $3k. Wouldn't the latter company invest more of its energy into producing true quality at the lower prices (provided it is a relatively good company)?
I'm looking for high-sensitivity (90db or more), wide dynamic range (@35hz-20khz or better), and strong, clear bass. Is all of this too much to ask? Well, here's another request: it would be nice if they're floorstanders since my listening room is about 16'x26'x11'.
I found some speakers @$600.00 in a discount magazine, Athena Technologies Audition AS-F2.2, wonder if they're any good....(must rely on forums...no car to audition speakers in the city with...need water...help....please....)