Yo Edde,
As to what to look for in a monitor, I would head over to Guitar Center armed with a CD that you know very very well. There we hopefully be a working player connected to a switching box so you can switch between the different monitors while listening. Maybe listen for 5 seconds so that your ears can pick up details like bass, mids,and highs. Then switch to another pair and compare that set of speakers to the first set. After a while just start narrowing down your choices to pick a winner.
You'll find the Alesis M1s having a deep bass and a hyped hi end. The KRK Rokits are a cool inexpensive workhorse. M-Audio has mid priced choices that are slick as well. After your listening session your ears will tell the clear choice.
Peace.
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