Rotarius is correct. You do not need large drivers or speakers to get deep bass in a 9x11 room. You keep mentioning that the cost of good monitors and a sub will basically equate to the same cost as some DI's. True, however, you could easily spend a couple hundred $$$ (more if using brand name panels) in room treatments trying to make a large floor stander sound good in a 9x11 room.
3-way and beyond speakers are highly overrated, especially in the typical domestic setting. I've auditioned numerous 3-way speakers under $5k and none of them outperformed my 2-way Spendors in coherency, dynamics, tone, or detail. Some of them had deeper bass due to their size, but were outclassed in every other respect. I have a plenty large enough room (25x15) for floor standers but still prefer stand mounted 2-ways.
Here's an almost risk-free proposition: order an integrated amp and some decent size stand mounters from Crutchfield, something along the lines of Monitor Audio Silver 2s or KEF LS50s. They only charge $10 for return shipping of each item. You can place some MDF board on top of cinder blocks for temporary stands. Give the system a try for a couple weeks. Of course, ask the Crutchfield Rep to confirm their return policy first, but total cost for this experiment should be around $35, assuming you'd need to buy the cinder blocks.
This might put to rest your idea of floor stander superiority.
3-way and beyond speakers are highly overrated, especially in the typical domestic setting. I've auditioned numerous 3-way speakers under $5k and none of them outperformed my 2-way Spendors in coherency, dynamics, tone, or detail. Some of them had deeper bass due to their size, but were outclassed in every other respect. I have a plenty large enough room (25x15) for floor standers but still prefer stand mounted 2-ways.
Here's an almost risk-free proposition: order an integrated amp and some decent size stand mounters from Crutchfield, something along the lines of Monitor Audio Silver 2s or KEF LS50s. They only charge $10 for return shipping of each item. You can place some MDF board on top of cinder blocks for temporary stands. Give the system a try for a couple weeks. Of course, ask the Crutchfield Rep to confirm their return policy first, but total cost for this experiment should be around $35, assuming you'd need to buy the cinder blocks.
This might put to rest your idea of floor stander superiority.