Event TR6, M-Audio BX8 or Sampson 80a?

The M-Audios would get my vote.

Thumbs way down on the BX8.

Of the three you listed I'd vote for the Events.

I just went out and bought some new monitors so I'm familiar with what you're going through.

I ended up purchasing a set of used (but in good condition) Event 20/20 8" monitors and they are totally awesome. However, I know that's more than you're looking to spend ($800 or $900).

I also tested and liked the Event Tuned Reference 8"s (I would have bought these if I couldn't have found the 20/20's) for around $500-$600. I will admit that all of the 6" monitors I listened to really couldn't hold up the bottom end the way I wanted including the Event TR 6"s. Although none of the Event monitors gave me ear fatigue.

The M-Audio Studiophiles BX8 sounded really false (not flat) although the had a o.k. tone it seemed boosted in the mid frequencies. Hard to listen to for long periods.

I haven't tested the Samson's so I couldn't really comment.

Other monitors I tested were the Mackie's both the 6" and 8". I really liked the 8" a lot and at first I was going to go with them over the Events. However, one minor failing they had was too much bass (a very rare problem indeed). However, the Mackie's are well respected all around and they were my second favorite.

The Behringer Truths (also a very good price) 8" sounded very good at first, however, they were tough on the ears and after a while that really made a big difference in my decision (although they were a top contender at first).

Anyway go with the Event's if you can.

from jonas a ways back when he did some research for me.

KRK V4: excellent overall tonal balance and a little light in the bass department, but certainly better than you would expect from a 4-inch speaker. Excellent speaker for tracking.

Event TR-6: Very wide stereo image, good bass response. The midrange is a bit forward, which is typical of Event speakers. It may prove to be fatiguing after longer listening sessions.

KRK Rockit (RP) 5. Decent bass, though not as good as the Event TR-6 or the KRK ST6. Frequency response definitely has a dip in the midrange.

KRK ST6: The bass response is good but slightly lumpy (they're trying to get too much bass from a 6-inch with cabinet tuning tricks) and the overall impression of the speaker is that it's a shade on the darker side. Unfortunately, this speaker was placed in a different location than the rest (on a desk), which probably affected the bottom in a negative way. The overall sound is pretty tight and you could listen to these for a long time without fatigue.

M-Audio BX5: Midrange megaphone. I'd pass on these.

I'd place the KRK ST8s (which sound radically different than the ST6s BTW) above all the speakers mentioned so far.