Wall Mounted Bookshelves in Large Room

[Astriguy12s]

First post all. Nice to participate in this forum.

I've moved into a new home with a quite large living room. Measures about 20 feet wide, by 16 feet deep with the vaulted ceilings. It is open to the kitchen behind (not shown in the photos).

So previous Owners left some old junkers for speakers I'm looking to replace. You can see they've pre-wired for the front left corners, and also some in-walls for surrounds. I'd like to maintain keeping the speakers off the ground. I used to use some Monitor Audio towers + center for the front soundstage, but I'm going to place those in a separate room and keep them for music duties. So this room I'm speaking of here will be 95% TV and movies.

So what I'm shooting for is to roughly maintain this front speaker location, with NO center channel (phantom). I know, I know, not ideal.

Like I mentioned, the fronts are already prewired (it's an exterior wall so there isn't too much flexibility). With the new speakers up front I can lower them down a foot or two and probably not run into any aesthetic issues with existing pre-wire location.

Since it's basically all TV viewing here and I'm thinking a speaker that is impactful...something fun if you will, would fit.

I've done some research and I there are things like the CMT-340's...or HSU has a good bookshelf + matching in-wall combo. But I feel by going to a phantom center my set up is a bit out of
the ordinary and perhaps I should be looking at other specific characteristics of a speaker under this condition?

Budget is $1500 for the 2 fronts and 2 surrounds.

I've already got a HSU VTF-3 MK5 HP covering the subwoofer duties...and depending on how things turn out may not be opposed to getting another down the road. Also have a Denon 1713 receiver.

PS, yes I'm aware this room sucks for a projector in its current state. That's a topic for another day.

 

[Astriguy12s]

I was also thinking a Klipsch product may work? Something like the RP-160M with a RP-240S surround? The surround isn't an in-wall but I can patch the old opening. I believe I can also remove the base on RP-160M and then it would a little better wall mounted. It's rear ported but would have a few inches clearance from the wall depending on the mount I would use (I have some old BT-77's that would work.)

 

[herbu]

Very cool room! I would put a shelf on the front wall, left and right, about half way up the screen approx even with the bottom of the quarter-round windows. You would have an abundant choice of nice bookshelf speakers from which to choose that could be placed on the shelf... along w/ flowers, books, etc. And you could upgrade later, without worrying about new wall mounts.

The shelf would also let you move your L/R closer to the screen. Better for your phantom Center. To hide the speaker wires going up to your wall opening, a couple simple tapestries would work, and look nice.

For the speakers themselves, I would stretch just a little and go with these for the fronts... http://philharmonicaudio.com/BMR Philharmonitor.html
Leave the surrounds for now. You can do something with them later. Your fronts are MUCH more important.

If $1600 plus shipping is too much, you can step down a notch with these... http://philharmonicaudio.com/New Philharmonitor.html

Either would be a HUGE improvement.

Edit: On second thought, I would put the shelves even lower on the front wall. Such that the speakers themselves would be as close to seated ear-level as possible.