What would be recommended for someone looking to dip their toes into the realm of hardware synthesis? Is it worth getting any of the newer, cheaper units like the Arturia MiniBrute or small Moog offerings, or should I save up towards a grand and get something really decent?

Matt, that picture just makes me drool. Do you use any of the Mutable Instruments modules?

I'd recommend the minibrute. It's quite a versatile synth with lots of features for a very low price (especially since the microbrute came out.) I've used it on a bunch of my tracks. My favorite features are the multi-mode steiner parker filter (sounds great and a lot of higher end analog synths, like my moog sub37, only have a LP filter) and the white noise oscillator (sounds great when thrown through the filter.

I'd recommend the Yamaha HS7's. I switched up from KRK rokit 5s to these monitors a year and a half ago and it has taken my mixes to a higher level!