speaker recommendations?

whats up chuck? if you go analog and are serious you better cough up some coin for hi quality speakers or you won't get the benefit of the analog end of it. (assuming you are not buying a technics tt and a 40$ cartridge). you have a tiny space and only option is gonna be smaller monitors that can handle near wall placement o.k.. sealed design or front ported. room too small for true deep bass waves to develop. i reccomend you go to a quality dealer and tell him what you are doing before you start building a system you will regret. not being a know-it-all but you need some big picture advice before you start spending $$$ unless you have unlimited $$$ to blow. good luck! 'warm and tight'? i think we all want that man.

In a small room and on that budget I would look at the entry level Vandersteen speakers or a good old fashioned great budget speaker like DCM Time Windows.

Usher S-520

Hey Chuckelator - welcome!

What are your other chosen components - source and pre/power/integrated? Knowing those will help others offer more pointed advice.

Small spaces such as yours are very good candidates for a near-field listening setup with high-quality monitors. Also...your small room will respond and benefit greatly with careful acoustic treatment.

So, let us know your overall plan...

NHT M-OO powered monitors with a Bellari VP-129 phono preamp. It has a volume control and a headphone jack. A passive pre-amp can be added for little money if you want multiple inputs and a sub if you need more bass. All this can be done incrementally. Your space is too small to warrant concern about most of the audiophile issues you see addressed here.
I wouldn't spend a lot of money unless you will be using headphones, in which case the room is not an issue. Not only is your room small, it is a cube. That's the worst acoustic obstacle you can face so headphone or very nearfield are your best bets.