great bookshelf speakers vs 12-18 k floor speakers

In my experience both Focal and Sonus Faber make great sounding monitor's in the upper ranges of their model lines and will rival some floor standers with their bass & high frequency extension.

Chuck

Bookshelf speakers are visually smaller but the facts are that with appropriate stands, the footprint is similar. With that disclaimer, a good pair of monitors, depending on your placement options, can be easier to integrate with your room. If you are a bass nut, you could supplement with a sub, enabling you to integrate the sub into the room properly and blending with the monitors. I think we've all experienced speaker placement issues where the soundstage and bass response were not in the same place....

To answer your original query, some awesome monitors in no particular order, all of which have a healthy bass response:
Dynaudio C1
Focal JMLabs Diablo
Wilson Audio Duettes (disclaimer, I own these)
Vienna the Kiss
There are others....go to a shop and listen.

Good luck

Silverline Audio Minuettes are very musical.

I have a pair of B&W CM1's on stands supplemented with a pair of 2700W Carver Signaure Subwoofers.

I'll take all comers.

I'm adding my 2 cents to the Joseph Audio Pulsar recommendation above. They are a most attractive-sounding speaker and were very capable in the bass when I hear them at the Montreal show in 2010.

Of course at the price they had better sound good but the fact is that they do. IMVHO they are one good argument to support a "yes" to the OP's question.

For less money, and in a room which won't let you place a speaker far from the wall, the North Creek Kitty Kat is another high performer, with remarkable low bass in a tiny box.