lpv said:
for big bass go for yamaha hs8
Newbies often confuse bass extension with bass power and punch. The couple of octaves above 50hz are far more important than the octave below, and for mainstream pop music, even bass heavy material, that really should be the focus.
As you say, 8 inch 'studio monitor' types will out perform any hi-fi amp/speaker combo at this sort of money, in this sort of application, but they rarely have the required 'bling' factor.
The issue though is that speakers of this type have virtually no functionality, single input and a 'level' control means that they really need a pre-amp of some sort to be really effective. Single sources, such as a computer or mobile device will work well enough but the moment you move beyond that it gets complicated.
One inexpensive solution would be the Teufel Connector 2, virtually a Sonos Connect clone but with hi-res, Spotify Connect, Tidal etc all built in, normally £150, currently £120.
At current prices, Presonus Eris 8 can be had under £350, add in a Connector 2 at the current price and a pair of (say) 3 meter Van Damme interconnects and you are still under budget (just).