Arcane:
I spent my college years lugging oversized monitors (ADS L810's) to and from college, all I can say is that you are probably going to be living in several places over the next half dozen years, and sharing walls/ceilings/floors with neighbors. I'd tell you to go with monitors and a sub (since it can be turned off). You'll be grateful every time you move.
As for choices, in your original list your price range went from $500-3500. So to standardize things I picked some models other than what has already been mentioned for under $2k that I think offers some killer value.
ACI Sapphire XL's $1700- Get past the strange double box cabinet and appreciate one of the best secrets in audio.
Totem Rainmakers $1100- Totem speakers imaging is as good as it gets, can be a bit bright for a few, but not as much as Paradigm.
Epos 12.2i $1100- A new series that I only got to hear for a few minutes in Vegas. Epos seems to have worked on their crossover, I found the sound smoother than previous models.
Focal Chorus 807 $100- Great if you have a quality amp as the drivers are fast and don't hide flaws from the amp or source.
ACI Emerald XL's $800- I just heard these last week while in Seattle. Scary good, especially with vocals, TONEAudio and Affordable$$Audio reviews were correct.
Aperion 6B $700- Very nice British sound. Their customer service always gets high marks by posters.
Swan 2.1SE $599- Heard these in Seattle as well. Impressive bass response (though a bit undefined but at $599 very good). The Parisander finish is stunning.
Enjoy the hunt
