BM, why dont you look at the B$W 684's. I auditioned them along with the 683's, 685's, 686's and dynaudio. The floor standers really had the edge in bass and sound stage and presence. I know you are concerned about size, but with bookshelf speaks you need speaker stands which will take up just as much space. When I was in college my dorm room was small but I had big Altec Lansing 3 way speakers with a 10" woofer. We didnt care that it took up alot of space, we just cared about the sound and parties!