I would probably get a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 10.1. $349 from Music Direct or PSD Alpha B1s from Crutchfield for $299. I would then consider an Infinity Primus PS410BK which is $299 at Crutchfield. For receiver, a Denon AVR E400 from Crutchfield for $349. The receiver has streaming services and is Airplay enabled. The fact that you are using an AE makes me feel super confident that it will work very well.

This would be very similar to what I have in my family room at the moment except my stuff is basically older by about 3 or 4 years. My wife loves it because it is simple and offer all the functionality we could want including a zone 2 to power the speakers on my deck. I love it because it sounds way better than it should for the money we paid.

There are other speaker options out there and receiver choices. Regarding speakers, if you can go listen to these two, I would strongly advocate it. They sound great, especially for the money but in general, I find Wharfedale to have a slightly warm sound compared to PSB which I find extremely neutral.

I personally despise Onkyo / Pioneer / Sony / Yamaha receivers and find them all very bright. To me, Denon sounds neutral of the companies that produce receivers at these prices. I would stick to Denon if you can.

The subwoofer is wide open. I like the Infinity, especially at that price point. Others may have a different point of view. In general, you aren't going to get a super detailed sub under about $600 but some are much better than others. Like I said, I like that Infinity for the money. This is one where others may have a strong point of view.

A "Bookshelf" 2.1 setup is unclear to me. Do you mean an all-in-one with speakers and a subwoofer? I haven't been shopping for an all-in-one in like 12 or 13 years so I can't say that I know of one that sounds good. Others may have a different point of view.

I get very good sound from my Audioengine 2 powered speakers with an inexpensive subwoofer.

The caveat is that you can't play it real loud, but since I am less than two feet from the speakers this is a non-issue.

With this setup I need no amp or receiver, and the quality is good.

The PSB powered speakers might be better, but I am happy with this setup. It is obviously not as good as my $20K main system, but it works amazingly well within its limits.

That is truly a desktop setup as that little sub isn't going to give you great bass response you want for a full 2.1 setup. Commsysman as always is spot on, it will sound amazing within it's limits. You would be pushing it beyond it's limits in a full room 2.1 setting.

There are other powered / active speakers that are wonderful. I am not sure it will save you money or you will get a better outcome. I know there are some products that would meet your needs. I am not sure about pricing though and I can't even offer a place to start. It is outside of my knowledge base other than I know folks here have talked about them and said they can be excellent.

When putting together my system, it never occurred to me to consider active speakers which is why I have a receiver, speakers and sub.

http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2014/08/03/caf-2014-vanatoo/

A cut above is what my ears told me, & comes with an excellent DAC, too.

Bill - on the Hill
Practicing Curmudgeon & Audio Snob
- just an “ON” switch, Please –

But serve different purpose.

The M-CR510 is a great sounding unit. 2 channels, 60w per channel. No HDMI input so no on screen display. All your functionality, including streaming will need to run off of the LED display. From a sound perspective, you will have slightly improved clarity with a hair of warmth. You can add external devices but it has a limited number of inputs. there is an optical and coaxial digital input. USB input and one analog input. If you are looking for 2 channel, audio only system or will output TV audio only or something like that, the Marantz is an outstanding option.

The Denon AVR will have more features. Same streaming feature set, but you will be able to view streaming menus via on screen display if you like. It is 7 channels, 80w per channel. I believe you will see a small reduction in clarity and it will be neutral ins sound while the Marantz will be a touch warm. It has a boatload of inputs, and will support a second zone. For the money, it is an outstanding receiver and I think very highly of the unit. If you want flexibility, the ability to add multiple external devices or you really want on-screen menu options for Spotify or pandora, you want the AVR.

Your longer term needs should dictate which unit you choose.

I asked a question in the digital forum that may help inform.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/441khz-sampling-rate-2-channel-audio

In the end, you are right. Regardless of what is presented to the AE, it will output 16/44.1. I have read that and can agree that it will absolutely downscale. That is why I use the internal streaming services on my Marantz and Denon units.

Regarding the internal DAC on the Denon or Marantz, your output will be based on the max resolution of the signal that is presented to it. It will not downscale.

I have no idea about your blu-ray player. It will depend entirely on the device.

I just ordered a Marantz M-CR510 off of Crutchfield for my bedroom. It is on sale for $499. If you are considering it, that is a good deal at $100 off.

Assuming you want a low end frequency response of at or below 30hz, which most people want for home theatre, you will probably want a subwoofer. Tower speakers that will deliver sub 30hz frequencies tend to be more expensive and require a lot of power.

What is very interesting is Music Direct has some Wharfedale Diamond 10.3s for $399 that were demo's and / or photo shoot items. They are small towers that will go to 40 hz. Pair that with a $299 sub like the Infinity Primus and you would get a pretty darn good sounding system and stay on budget.