Actually the internal amps are _way_ better:
 [...] 
Alright, I'm _so_ convinced now of the benefits of internal amps. ;)
  If you want something cheaper than the Alesis (which
are pretty good and even
 superb in the price/benefit-scale), you can take a look at Edirols speakers. 
The Edirols *look* good. Do you know how they differ from Alesis' speakers?
I guess their behaviour is not that strictly linear, but I could live with that.
Anything else?
Are the M-Audio ones any good?
  Leslie