Do you really think that bookshelves + a sub would produce a big sound? Is there something I'm missing out on that I am just shy of in my budget?
The wharfedales's seem really small but I'm sure the sound is quite good from what I've read about wharfedale.
Only thing is that my stereo receiver is 8 ohm, could they drive 6 ohm speakers without a problem?
And would raising my budget to a 1000 be worth it for any options my current budget is leaving out that will be quite a bit better?
Yes, raising your budget could/can give you some nice results. And, bookshelf
speakers with a sub can make a nice system > I have experience in the past
with RadioShack/Optimus/Realistic products.
Some speakers that may look small to you - will/can still sound big.
Some of them old receivers are sensitive to ohm ratings, and can/could faint,
when played Loud [high volumes]. However with only hooking 1 set of speakers
6 ohms and above, you may be fine.
With a $1000 budget you could squeeze in a receiver that has a sub pre-out
and bass management.
As stated if you desire - You can sell your Mach speakers as some would like
to toy with them and fix and mod them. You could even sell the receiver.
As far as something sounding much better to you - well, no one can speak for
or guarantee anything for your ears and preference. Also, sometimes we can/do
get use to speakers with a certain sound, and then it becomes hard to adjust to
a somewhat different type sound signature. However, you could be amazed at
the sound signature of new speakers - just give it some time when you do hook
up a new system.