What's best bookshelf speaker for an 8x10 room?

Nice pair of ATC SCM 19s for sale here now. If rock/hard rock is your genre these will knock you off your chair. In a good way. Read the reviews, but ATCs excel in dynamics, punch, timing, and outright midrange clarity and force. Everything you need if hard rock is your cuppa. A little over your budget, but given what you're looking for they're more than worth the stretch IMHO. Best of luck.

I would not go for a very small speaker in a small room. At low volumes it will sound lean. I use Harbeth C7 and B&W 602 which is a better size for my small (10x12) room than my Proac Tablettes, which I use in my bigger room.

Thanks guys! I now have lots of research to do.

North Creek is another vendor, like Guru, who voices speakers to work close to boundaries, often a very useful attribute in small spaces. They are very good.

Salk Wow 1 or Neat Iota.