bit,
this:
 
http://unityaudioproducts.co.uk/the-rock.php
 
good enough for josh homme
 

bitflipper
Bob Fox, a one-time forum regular who doesn't come around anymore, replaced his Yamahas with a pair of used Mackie HR824s, and they actually solved some resonance issues he'd had in his studio. I got to hear them side by side, and the Mackies were a noticeable improvement, even before testing. The passive radiator seems to offset the problems usually associated with rear-ported speakers.
 
Everybody tells me, though, to look for the old ones, before they started making them in China.
 
Published specs for the Mark 2 model say they go down to 37 Hz at -1.5 dB. For my kind of music, that's good enough to not need a sub. That's my plan - to save some money by not having to replace the sub.

And quite honestly, anything below 37Hz, most people could just roll off and use some headphones to get that low for reference, if necessary. I do Mastering as well, and unless I'm working on something that requires super-low frequency, many times I roll off the low end around 30Hz, saving some compression. 

As far as sound quality of the Mk2's I can't say (never heard them), but I'd hope they sound just as good. The only gripe I've got with the later products is reliability of their subs. But the build of the newer MK2's looks very similar. I wouldn't be surprised if they merely compromised the USA vs. Chinese manufacturing standards, keeping the same basic design. Everything aside from the baffle and power switch etc. seems similar to me, including the transparent tweeter mask/lens to soften harshness. 

So, if you go Mk2, obviously go with a good return policy from Sweetwater, and see how they do.

bitflipper
Thanks for the Emotiva tip, Sycraft. It's a manufacturer I wasn't aware of. I'm guessing they started up sometime after 2008, the last time I did an extensive survey of product offerings.

 
They are pretty new to pro audio. They started as an amp company, famous for making really big powerful amps for way less than normal. They've expanded and changed lineups (big amps are still their mainstay) and got in to pro audio speakers not long ago. I don't know anything about their pro speakers, I own their amp and processor, since I use seperates not powered monitors.

I've been reading some gushing reviews of the Stealth 8.
 
Speaker reviews are often hard to glean actionable information from, with vague references to piccolo harmonics and such. Then they sometimes veer totally off the rails, with declarations that you have to let the power cable burn in or how 23 KHz really makes cymbals sizzle. I found a few of those in my searches.
 
But among the legit Stealth reviews, however, all have made the same point: these are comparable to speakers costing 4 to 10 times as much. I am really tempted to give them a try. With a 30-day money back guarantee it's not that great a risk. It won't be this week, though. I still don't have a DAW.

I'd stick with Adam or Dynaudio. Avoid the Mackie mk2 series. I have a pair, and they've been a mess since day one. Both of them had to have the switches on the back replaced because they failed, which sent huge amounts of horrible static every time they went out. It's not like I regularly used the switches. Also, I ended up swapping one with a mate of mine because both of us seemed to get monitors that were not matched. A problem that was actually advertised by Mackie as being solved with the mk2 design. After the last repair, I went back to my original V8's, and put the mackies with the tv. Also, I found them almost impossible to mix on. I was constantly tweaking even after having them for six months. With my V8's, the tweaking is minimal. 

bitflipper
 
Then they sometimes veer totally off the rails, with declarations that you have to let the power cable burn in or how 23 KHz really makes cymbals sizzle. I found a few of those in my searches.

I think the power cable burn-in is funny. Although I wouldn't disqualify that a power-cable "burn-in" isn't valid, the benefits would be so minimal, you'd likely need sensitive measuring equipment to see the benefit, but probably won't hear it. I would imagine playing the speakers for 100 hours to let the crossover caps adjust and to loosen the drivers would make a more noticeable difference. I use a Pass Labs X-350 amp for Mastering. Although I spent $100 on a hospital grade power cord, mainly to just dress it up, in the manual Nelson Pass explains that the supplied power cord is just fine, and the power supply is going to clean up the power to meet the needs of the amp. He makes no mention about burning it in, although he does recommend the amp to be on for an hour before listening for the best quality.

So, I do chuckle a bit when people start going down the path of power cords, and how much benefit they can bring when treated correctly vs. the quality of the lines coming into the building. Most experts would tell you that while your wiring can make things worse, not better, and you're much more likely to lose detail through the connection points.

RS, I assume by "V8" you're referring to the KRK VXT8?
 
Those are certainly a viable candidate, and the least-expensive on my list at $1200 for a pair. A friend of mine locally has them and has invited me to come listen to them, which I intend to do before making my decision.
 
I do like Dynaudios a lot. It's amazing the sound that comes out of those little guys. But at $2k they are at the top end of my desired budget, so if I can get by spending $500 to $800 less, that's a strong consideration. Same with the ADAM A8X - I already know I'll like them as they're very similar to the P-11A's I've been using for 8 years. But also $2K.
 
I've scratched the Mackies from my list, just because of all the failure reports I'm reading. The switch on the back should last forever. 
 
Bat: yes, that Rock II from Unity Audio is excellent. But they're also 3 grand for a pair. I still have to buy a computer, too.

Brian: yes, anybody who knows anything about power supplies will laugh at the notion that power cords are an important part of the system. Sure, they need to meet minimal requirements for ruggedness and resistance, but beyond that it's just silly to think they have any impact on sound quality. You might as well claim that power quality depends on the type of water behind a hydroelectric dam.
 
But you can pay $2500 for one if you're sufficiently gullible and ignorant.
 
 

First,  sorry to see that the impetus to this is theft.   I agree that listening in a store is not a good place to make a decision on something that really comes down to what will help you translate what your mind wants to hear, and what you think you are hearing - hope that made sense.  However,  I would encourage you to listen to the S8's  wherever you can just to see.  I have - I went into a store to pick up a set of DT1770's for tracking, got them and now I am saving for the S8's - next month.  Please keep in mind, I do not own them yet. 
 
When I run across a good engineer, who has not bought a product they are referencing, it makes me less open to seeing for myself.  However, when they buy something for themselves, it interests me.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSxoYGPdETU
 
My ears are an odd duck, but I can actually understand (at less of a charged level, personally), what the individual on the cell phone is surprised about.    
 
I hope the very best of luck on your search ahead..
 
LL 

Don't miss my post.
Could be a big oversight