[Valicious]

I am on the hunt for new speakers.  My 8 year-old Logitechs half-broke, and now it is painful to listen to.  I'm wanting to go the passive speaker+receiver route, and I am quite lost.  I have an old RCA receiver that I'll link below.  I need you guys to tell me if I need to get a new one to run the speakers or not.  I'm running an Asus Xonar STX in my computer if that makes any difference.  
 
Here's a list of the ones I'm considering.  Feel free to make other suggestions, just try to stick to <$300 for the pair.
 
BOSTON ACOUSTICS CS26 Classic II Bookshelf Speaker Each Black
$64.99 each
 
 

BOSTON ACOUSTICS HS225 2-way LCR Speaker Each Black

$89.99 each
 
 

TEAC LS-H265 2-Way 5-1/4 in. Bookshellf Speakers

$89.99/pair
 
 

KEF C3 Two Way 5¼" Bookshelf Speakers Pair Black

$199.99/pair
 
 

BOSTON ACOUSTICS RS260 Reflection Series Bookshelf Speaker Each Black

$159.99/each  (a bit higher than I'd like to go, last resort)
 
All I care about is music for these.  Is there a benefit to getting floor standing over bookshelf for a 2.0 music setup?  There are a TON of both bookshelf and floorstanding on Newegg that are discounted, and some of the open-box ones are being sold for really cheap.  Any suggestions on Newegg ones would be great.
 
Here's the receiver I have:
 

[size=1.7em] RCA RT2300 Home Theater System[/size]

 

[Kawai_man]

If you are set on getting passive speakers, check out craigslist see if you can find some 3'way JBL studio speakers you can probably find a set used under your price range, you didnt post a link to your receiver how many watts is it? 3 ways need more power than 2 ways.
 
The go to passive speakers recommendation for your budget is usually Paradigm atom and titan, Ive had the titans, for passive speakers theyre decent for the money.

 

[Valicious]

Cleaned up OP and put in info on my current receiver.

Bookshelf vs Floor-standing? I like the concept and look of floor-standing, but which gives better sound quality?

 

[StratocasterMan]

As far as bookshelf vs. floor-standing, I think a big factor in that is going to be your listening position. As a general rule of thumb, larger speakers tend to be capable of producing more bass since they usually have larger and maybe more drivers. They simply move more air. Also, contrary to what may seem natural, many (but not all) floor-standing speakers are actually more sensitive than their bookshelf counterparts.
 
If you are trying to fill a room, especially a large room, then you will probably want to go with floor-standing speakers. If you have room for them, why not use it?
 
Floor-standers, however, probably won't be ideal if you plan to sit at your computer and have the speakers only a few feet from you. Speakers become much more directional when you get very close to them. For a desktop rig, it's generally best to have the drivers pointed directly at your ears and right at ear level. Floor-standers probably won't be ideal in this situation simply because of their size. If you are sitting very close to floor-standers, you'll probably end up with some of the drivers pointed at your knees or something like that. Some of the sound may end up blasting right by your knees and basically missing your ears. In a desktop environment or a small bedroom or something, you'll generally be better off with bookshelf-sized speakers because it's easier to get them right at ear level and directly pointed at your listening position.

 

[trog]

W/o a dedicated active sub, i'd hit floor standers also the Polk M60IIs are going for $99.99/free ship each on Egg