Need to downsize setup

[Pogre]

I come with audio gear and my wife knew that from day one. I picked out audio gear I think before we figured out furniture in our house that wasn't built yet. I've always loved hifi audio and gear and that would be a deal-breaker for me. I think my speakers are very pleasing to look at.

I'm with TLS here. Surely you could compromise her into something smaller but still nice? You can get great results with bookshelf speakers and there are some really nice looking ones out there. Done right, in walls are a very viable solution too.

I can't recommend a decent sounding soundbar because I haven't heard one yet...

 

[KenM10759]

FWIW, I always thought soundbars were horrible. My sister and her husband were in need of something because their TV was in front of a sound-sucking brick faux-fireplace.

I took my sister on a trip up to my dealer. As we walked to the upstairs where the high-end rooms are, there in the vestibule is a 30" high/24' deep knee wall where they had setup a pair of Racing Red KEF LS50's on short stands and on the wall above it, a TV with a modest soundbar below it.

Music was playing so my sister remarked how good those speakers sounded. It was the Bluesound Pulse Soundbar making the good sounds. She went home with one. I can't convince them to get the matching wireless sub, because they're in a condo and already have bass they never thought possible. Check them out.

 

[HTfreak2004]

To answer you question, you will not get anything close to comparable quality from a sound bar.

So, without more detail it is not possible to advise you.

Is there another space in the home to put your system?

If not pictures would help.

Designing elegant systems is certainly possible. It is possible to get good results and have elegant design.

May be a small bookshelf system would do the trick. This is where pictures really help.

Another possibility is an elegant in wall system.

If there is a place to build a false wall that can really help.

In our new home we are building, my wife wants a good system she hardly wants to see. I personally did not want a system in that space but she does, but does not want to see it.

So I'm using the space to the left of the fireplace chimney breast.

So this is a 3.1 in wall system that models well. Time will tell whether it is any good.

Right and left tweeters are around 7 feet apart and the tweeters 36" above the floor.
If the modelling turns out correct, or even if not the crossovers can be modified according to results of measurements.

So this should fulfill my wife's sonic criteria and have good WAF. All that will be visible will be the TV screen and the speaker grills.
So you do have some options.

To bad in wall speakers can’t be on a slider like a hide-away door so you can adjust the soundstage width if you wanted