While I love my tower speakers, it would be more convenient to move the speakers on to my desk, hence I need some studio monitors. The candidates I'm looking at are the Opals, as the title implies. Any alternatives in that general price range I should think about?

KRK VXT 6 or 8's.

great bang for the buck,
on the cheap,
are the JBL LSR305's..
 
http://www.jblpro.com/www...es/lsr305#.VfBuhRFVhBc

I have KRK VXT 8's in my studio and KRK Rockit 5's in my office - I think they are really good for the money
Nigel
 
 

batsbrew
great bang for the buck,
on the cheap,
are the JBL LSR305's..
 
http://www.jblpro.com/www...es/lsr305#.VfBuhRFVhBc

I should clarify that I have pretty high end speakers already: SVS MTS-01 towers. Home theater speakers, not monitors, but very high quality, comparable to B&W 700s to the like. So I need something that good or better, hence the reason I'm looking at the Opals.

Focal Solo 6 Be's sound awesome.

ah, $3000 for the opals.
got it.
 
if only i had that kind of money to spend on monitors....
 
 
i would get these..

 
http://www.bhphotovideo.c...G&Q=&A=details

I am a bit baffled by the OP as I am unfamiliar with those and batsbrew's post made me look them up. You actually intend to put 750W speakers on your desk???

Speakers with that type of top power typically do not perform well at lower volumes. I am not sure the lower threshold response for them but I would never sit near field to those guys.

That's just a marketing number. The actual continuous amp power is 320 watts. That's in line with what you see in most high end monitors. Those Genelecs mentioned are 320 watt.
 
As for the Genelecs, I dunno, they are twice the price ($3000 each as opposed to $1500 each). I might consider it, but I don't know that I want to double my budget.

mettelus...
Speakers with that type of top power typically do not perform well at lower volumes. I am not sure the lower threshold response for them but I would never sit near field to those guys.

I have to agree with this. Why? I've made the same mistake. I bought some big, high-end JBL studio monitors and had to drive the crapola out of them to get decent sound quality. There was just no combination of Line Out level and monitor Volume level that didn't have one or the other or both down near the noise floor. And I oversized the subwoofer, too. When you're going to make a mistake, might as well go all in. 
 
I like lower (reasonable) volumes in the studio. In the Subie or the living room? Turn it up to "pain" and then back it off 1 dB. 
 
I've only had to reattach one mirror to a bathroom wall. Well, after I bought its replacement.