Affordable floorstanding speakers?

[BRANDONH]

Hello folks, new to the community here. New to audio in general! I currently just use the factory speakers of my 56" DLP TV, I think they're two 15watt speakers. I have a cheap 2.1 set of computer speakers (~$30), and that's about as high end as my audio gets. I'm fairly tech savvy though, so don't be afraid to explain things to me in technical terms.

Long story short, I'm looking to upgrade from using the factory speakers to a 2-channel system. I'm a student living in an apartment that has sound regulations, so making the windows shake is far from top priority. I just want a fully, more accurate sound. Of course, quality at higher volumes is always a plus for when I move into my own house somewhere down the road. I can't really see a difference between eBay auctions for $100/pair compared to $2,000/pair. I'd like to get the receiver and pair of speakers for $500 or less, if possible. I like the idea of the floorstanding speakers not needing a subwoofer, but considering my pricerange, are they a reasonable option?

I know nothing about receivers either. I want to make sure I have enough inputs for my components, which are as follows...

Playstation 2 - Composite
Gamecube - Composite
Xbox 360 - Component
Motorola DVR/Cable - Component
Samsung DVD - HDMI

One thing I was uncertain about is component audio input. E.g., if my receiver has composite audio in, could I send the three component video cables to the TV and the two audio to the receiver, or would I have to go optical?

Also, how do wattages work? From what I understand, a speaker blows when sent more juice than it can output, right? So, to prevent speakers from blowing, I should make sure the speaker is rated for a higher wattage than the receiver outputs (per channel)?

The Monitor 600i is a power-packed tower that can drive any high performance system. Engineered from the ground up for accurate sound and exceptional imaging in real world situations, the Monitor 600i is in line with the high standards of performance expected from MTX. The 600i is a superior sounding floor standing speaker designed with the highest quality materials. It features two 6.5" polypropylene woofers with rubber surrounds and a 19mm PEI dome tweeter in a D'appolito array to perform with reliability and accurate reproduction. This arrangement reduces the unwanted reflective sound from floors and ceilings with a controlled vertical dispersion. This use of offset drivers, crossover frequency, and slope provides better imaging and more realistic sound. Plus, with the dual woofers in a common, vented enclosure, the Monitor 600i has lower extension, higher power handling, and higher efficiency than a single woofer speaker. Sold individually.

Specifications: *Woofer: (2) 6-1/2" Poly *Tweeter: 19mm PEI dome *Frequency response: 33Hz-20kHz *Power handling: 150W RMS *Sensitivity: (2.83v/1m) 92dB
*Dimensions: 35 5/8" H x 9" W x 11 7/8" D.

Price: $149.87 EA

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=302-016

[Koggit]

I found those pretty cheap here at "HHGregg" with free shipping, $233.08 for the pair to my door. Quite tempting. I can't find much information on them though, only three online retailers stock them and they all have the same information as the MTX site. I'd be okay with a blind purchase since my ears are far from spoiled, I'm sure nearly anything I get will sound great to me, having upgraded for the first time from the stock speakers.

[BRANDONH]

I found those pretty cheap here at "HHGregg" with free shipping, $233.08 for the pair to my door. Quite tempting. I can't find much information on them though, only three online retailers stock them and they all have the same information as the MTX site. I'd be okay with a blind purchase since my ears are far from spoiled, I'm sure nearly anything I get will sound great to me, having upgraded for the first time from the stock speakers.

Now that is a good deal!
What would we do without the internet?
I think you will like the way these sound and hey they look good too.
Let us know what you decide and if you get them tell us how you like them.

Here is a link to the manual:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pdf/302-016m.pdf