@ justlance 11x11 and I'm guessing 8 foot ceiling max. Any room treatments? Carpet, bass traps, book cases or other diffusion/absorbation (especially at the 1st reflection points, heavy curtains for the window, a lot of furniture, etc.?
A room that small, with no or minimal room treatment, could be the source of the harshness, as well as some boomy base. So if you might want to look into that first.
And I agree with @dayglow, the MA 500 Gold's might be too big. The MA 300's (either Gold or Silver) might be better suited for the room.
And watch the used listings. There are a lot of great speakers at your budget point.