Deiselr, Dannyv, and C123666 all have touched on good points by mentioning "powered woofer designs" or "actives"! The dynamic potential is going to be far greater than with competetive similar "passive" designs!!! The greater control and dynamic ease that's inherent in to "active designs"(even with only active bass woofers, like in Def Tech's) gives a great advantage in the dynamics, slamm, and authority department..DEFINITELY A PLUS WITH HT!!!!
Of course, there's A LOT OF VARIABLES to consider, and LOTS OF CHIOCES WITH GOOD BASS MANAGMENT CARE!!!!
Something to consider if you do passive design speakers/monitors, and that's that usually higher sensitivity models, active designs, and horn loaded high sensitivity designs offer a more dynamic and offortless potential usually! When you do bass management with a speaker system, and let powered subs handle the BY FAR MORE DEMANDING BASS INFORMATION, the dynamic ability of the system seems to increase a lot! This is why I always tend to recommend doing bass management so often. (THX understands dynamics, and they offer excellent set up advice and parameters!)
However, with powered towers like Def Tech's(mentioned by "Danyv"), you can run full range for excellent dynamics(at the very least in the critical bass reigion), making your amps in the front of your system also soun dmore dynamic and "at ease dynamically"! Having Diappolito mid's/bass configurations also help with dynamics.(Def tech incorporates both in many designs.
Still, with actives and especially horn speakers, the midrange and higher frequencies are more pronounced and have a more effortless dynamic in those reigions, which also brings power and "involvment" and "pressence" to the table!(while a lot of powered integrated sub speaker systems will still stay rather "laid back" in these reigions accordingly!
Of course, in a small room set up acoutstically, you can get by with less sensitive/efficient speaker designs, simply because of less room volume to fill(alot like what happens in a small car interior acoustic environment).
That all said, you mentioned L/C/R...so I assume you want smaller monitor speakers. EXCELLENT RESULTS CAN BE HAD but I recommend staying with the Diappolito and THX designs! They maximize dynamics, focus, coherency, immaging, and reduce coloration off axis somewhat.
if you go with the more traditional 2 way monitor designs, with tweeter on top of mid/woof, the results aren't usually as good in a larger room.
Stay with more efficient designs with higher sensitivity, and you'll be at an advantage.
Dunlavy SCIav's are excellent chioces in passives. So are B&W THX older systems. Another STRONG CONSIDERATION IN a monitor IS THE POWERED M&K S150P ACTIVE THX SPEAKER SYSTEM!
You wont' be able to listen off axis to your favorit music as well as others, but the sound for ht, when properly set up with some matching subwoofers(plural for your room) is ASTOUNDING!
Another recommendation might be for you to simply dig through all the audio magazines and see what they editors and writers are using!!!!...HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG!?!
Infact, if you buy the AVInteriors magazine, just flip through the first few pages and check out the "editors systems" they display! Might help.
