Beware of the Wow factor.
Perhaps you're using it differently than I think of it as, but it me it implies immediately being impressed. Even to an experienced ear many of those first impressions end up being exaggerations or colorations that fatigue in time.
Rock music is full of exaggeration, so some would say, "Why not more of the the same?" Well again it can be too much of a good thing. The artist/engineer added as much as they thought it needed, more is not better.
As discussed elsewhere here, if you can build, your budget will allow for some amazingly good speakers. But $1,000 - 1,200 provides few floorstanding options of good quality. Meadowlark Swift comes to mind, but not as rock monitors.
I use Ascend Acoustics CBM-170s with a Hsu VTF-2 sub for HT and love them. Total cost about $800 shipped. For your budget you could move up to the VTF-3 (if your room is big enough to justify it) and add stands/wall mounts and cables. (The Hsu subs are offered in bundled to offer a price break.) The CBM-170s were named a Soundstage award last year. They blow away any B&W, Paradigm, or Dynaudio at 3 times the price. Those sound like HiFi, these sound like music. Those provide black and white sketches, these provide color paintings of the music. And they image like crazy. Excellent value based on sound and content, but the cabinet finish is better suited for frequent moves than WAF (grainy black vinyl). IMO for your application they would stomp any retail floorstander option.
