[Namtar]

First off:  Greetings All!  First Post!
 
Now on to business.  I'm new to the world of high end audio.  I currently have a pair of JVC HA-RX900 cans that I listen to occasionally, but since I enjoy gaming I use my speakers more as the headphones get tiresome after awhile. 
I'm currently looking to upgrade my computer speaker setup over the next couple of months and I'm planning ahead.   My current targeted budget is $200-$250 for speakers + amp, and hopefully no more than $150 for a subwoofer.   Less money spent will keep my wife happy but I'm willing to spend the funds or go over my budget by a little to have a nice upgradable setup for the future.
 
Currently I'm looking at the following items.
 
Sound Card:  I just purchased a Xonar DG to get away from my onboard Realtec sound - it should be here by the end of the week. 
 
Amp:  Dayton DTA100a is my first choice.   DTA-1 is my second if I somehow get very budget limited - there's a nice combo deal with this amp and a small budget speaker set.  I've also heard that the SMSL SA-50 from e-bay is decent, but reviews are very few and far between.
 
Speakers:  This is my hardest choice.  Dayton B652, Pioneer sp-bs41-lr, Polk Monitor 30 or 40, or the Sony SS-B3000.  If I decide to go without the amp and just do a 2.0 system I'm looking at the KRK RP6 G2.
 
Subwoofer:  This isn't going to be in my first round of buying, but I'm looking at the Dayton 100 or 120 - if I decided to pair this with the KRK I believe I would need other equipment besides my Xonar to do so though.   I'm still fairly new to the audio world so correct me if I'm wrong.
 
They will sit right beside my main 24" monitor - I'm roughly 3' from my monitor so I won't have to turn the speakers up very loud - I am limited on the space behind my desk as it sits in a corner and is only about 4" from the wall.  I'm thinking I should be sure to get front port speakers regardless of the speaker choice because of this.
 
Thank you in advance for any information
 
EDIT:  I forgot to put forth my uses for my PC.  I watch movies, play blizzard games (WoW & Diablo 1 & 2), video chat with family via Skype, and listen to a little music, mostly trance or the local radio station online.   Mostly movies & games (I log at least 20 hours a week in WoW - I don't want to my Diablo 3 time when it's released)

 

[Joe Bloggs]

If both the speakers and sub are powered you can just plug them directly to the front and sub channels on your soundcard's outputs.  Although global volume would then have to be controlled on the PC rather than on either the speakers or sub.

 

[Namtar]

For me it's a hard choice.  I love my games and the occasional movie (My wife & I don't watch TV much so most of our entertainment is just run through our computer) so I'm trying to make the most of this purchase - it will likely be one of my last large purchases before I buy us a house.

 

[adamlau]

I believe in matched components, so a pair of KRK RP6 G2 now and a KRK 10s later on down the road. Xonar to KRK 10s to KRK RP6 G2 is how it would be cabled.

 

[Namtar]

Well, I just got my budget confirmed - using part of my tax return for the speaker upgrade and I'm going to go no higher than $450 for the whole thing.   I can include the Behringer B3030A Truth monitors in my list as well.   I'm heavily considering just going with either the RP6 or the B3030A for the following reasons.
 
1) it would be one less component to deal with (no amp). 
2) I'm going to assume I can get far better sound quality from the studio monitor than I would an amp and a set of passive speakers for my given budget.  
3) I can just get a home theater in a box for movies and use my TV from time to time later on.
 
If I do go with the monitors - I'll be skipping the subwoofer (and would likely do that anyways - I caught flak from my wife when I said I may get one).
Now, between the 2 monitors:  The RP6's I can get with free Mopads for just over the cost of the B3030A and buying my own pads.    Has anyone heard these 2 monitors for an A/B comparison?

 

[TheRH]

I grantee you will be more than satisfied with the RP 6's, I have the 8's and love the them, all beit they bass response on the 8's is much deeper.

 

[Namtar]

I'm attempting to stay with 6" to 6 1/2" type speakers for space reasons.  I'm pretty limited on my available room because of how the room is setup.

 

[TheRH]

Going from a RP6 to a RP8 is a significant difference in size that is for sure, the 6's sound the same to me other than the bass extension is not as low, though I doubt you would need a sub woofer with them.
 
In addition to what I said, the build quality of the KRK's is far better than the Behringer's , and if you should need it, customer support is excellent.

 

[Namtar]

Given everything i've read from people, RP6 it shall be once i get my return    Thanks for the info everyone!
 

 

[TheRH]

I do not have the Mopads (I need some though), but they will reduce desk vibration that will make the bass a little muddy. The bass is not muddy on my 8's but when I have the urge to crank them up, they really can produce low bass, and I know that with Mopads the bass would be better defined. 
 

 

[Borgbox]

I absolutely love my Rp8 G2s.
 
Checkit: http://www.head-fi.org/t/548545/krk-rokit-powered-nearfield-monitor-appreciation

 

[alv4426]

Head out to a Guitar Center if there is one near you, they have a bunch of monitors you can actually try out and they price match. They also have good sales pretty often (I remember I was gonna buy the RP6 G2 silver edition a long while back from them cause they were on sale for around $300 and came with cables) and their employees are not completely useless like Worst Buy employees.

 

[Namtar]

I detest shopping at best buy - I'll go there if there's a specific thing i want - otherwise i try to just order online and save the money on my toys.   I'll try to get to a guitar center so i'm not buying blind - but I've heard nothing but good things about the RP6 G2 - and given that I'm using them for normal audio - no professional use, they'll do exactly as I need I'm quite sure.   They'll be a hefty upgrade over my harman/kardons I use now.

 

[alv4426]

Actually that is the main problem I find with studio monitors, I find them kinda lifeless and too precise because well they were designed for purposes other than musical enjoyment. That's also why I recommended going to a guitar center, as listening to a few different models convinced me passives were the way to go. Of course that's just my opinion and you may love them just like a bunch of folks in this very thread have already proven. 
 
Quote:

and given that I'm using them for normal audio - no professional use, they'll do exactly as I need I'm quite sure.