I call BS. And yes, I’ve heard the RP8s. It’s not a matter of loudness, it’s just the fact that an 8" cone can’t reproduce sub-bass. They’re not big enough, and they’re not tuned for that.
If you want to hear sub-bass, you need a subwoofer, and that’s all there is to it. That being said, the RP10s isn’t that much bigger…it’s just a little better tuned. It does make a huge difference, though…having a sub that has a half-small cone that’s tuned decently well makes a noticeable improvement even when played alongside 15" full-range woofers.
Funny. Those speakers are powered re-issues of some speakers Yamaha used to make as bookshelf speakers that studios started using as an example of what “everyone else” heard.
They’re not made to be accurate, they’re powered bookshelf speakers marketed to DJs and Producers because a lot of studios have a pair anyway.
They’re not bad…I’ve heard several of the new ones and one un-powered pair that are about as old as I am. They’re a decent choice, but they’re still not dead-flat studio monitors.
And now having enough experience with Genelecs that I feel half-qualified to comment…if you want them to DJ, any of them are fine. When I was shopping around, KRKs took the edge over Mackie, Behringer, Yamaha, M-Audio, and a couple others…not because they were flat but because I liked the sound. Actually, the M-Audios beat them out by a tiny bit…the sales guy just gave me a slightly better deal on the KRKs, and the BX-5As weren’t $50 each better.
Frankly, compared to actual high-ish-end studio monitors, none of those are remotely flat. You want that, you’ll be spending at least $700 each on Genelec 8030a or similar. And you probably won’t like the sound…they’re insanely flat and really unforgiving…that’s what they’re made for.
Oh, and if you’re in a normal-sized bedroom (read: not a palace), get the RP5 or RP6. The rest of them are just insanely loud. I run mine at about -20 in my room and hear things fine. I’ve done very small house parties (~30 people; ~150 sq. ft.) with my RP5s at 0dB and a couple 10" home-audio subs. It’s not “loud,” and it’s not the club experience, but it worked. I was still wearing my normal earplugs that I always wear to perform or go clubbing, and I could still hear just fine.
If your hearing is already shot, you might benefit from the RP8s. Or if you’re in a very generously sized room. Or if you want to turn them up enough to need hearing protection in your own house.