Help me pick out horiztonal L/C/R speakers for new apartment? (updated with pics)

Hey everyone, hoping for a little input here. Currently running a 42" Panasonic TC-P42ST30, Marantz NR1402 Receiver (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052T82H2/ref=wms_ohs_product), and some cheap placeholder Monoprice satellites with a Martin Logan Dynamo 300 sub.

The living room in the new apartment is 11'-3" wide by 12'-3" deep, with a 10' wide wall mounted shelving system with TV wall mount. Picture is attached.



My question stems from needing to run all the speakers horizontally or finding some decent bookshelves under 10" tall. I don't really want vertical bookshelves sitting out in front of the shelves if I can help it. More likely my three year old is going to knock one down vs. a speaker tucked into the shelves. I will if that's what it comes down to, but I'd rather not.

The shelf in the center is only 8" deep. I ordered a Polk CS2 at $99 from Newegg a few days ago on a whim but I think I need to refuse delivery (11" deep without space behind for the port and I didn't know the depth of the shelf when I ordered). The bookshelves have 10" of height, 28" width, 12" deep.

I have a pair of Polk Monitor 30s I wanted to use as rears, with a CS2 and horizontal Monitor 40s in the front. As I do more research I'm finding that the horizontal bookshelves is a no-no, and I'm having trouble finding a center that is shallow enough, decent, and not super expensive. My budget for L/C/R speakers total is like $250. Hoping for a center around $100 and bookshelves around $150 or less (or three <$100 centers if that's an acceptable solution). I considered running three of these but I don't like the 80hz cap on the low frequencies. http://www.amazon.com/BIC-AMERICA-DV-52CLRB-Channel-DV52CLRB/dp/B00009WBYJ/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1357151742&sr=8-18&keywords=center+speaker

Don't hassle me for the price constraints please... it is what it is, I'm on a tight budget and I'm sure I should be able to make some kind of improvement over the $80 monoprice setup.

Thanks for the help!

If I can't find a horizontal solution, are any of the ~3.5" bookshelf speakers okay? I like the Monitor 30s I have and don't really want to drop below a 5.25" woofer if I can help it.

Also this is slightly out of my budget but might be a good choice for three identical horizontal speakers:

http://amzn.com/B0015A8Y3E

I would spring for it if worth the money over other options.
Edited by 4orced4door - 1/2/13 at 11:17am

Both Amazon and Parts Express list the FH6 as 6" deep. I can't seem to find an actual manufacturer's product page for it.

If it is actually 6" deep, worth the expense over the DV52CLRS? I can get three of those for $192 shipped vs. $330 for the FH6. It's such a small space I'm thinking the cheaper option might be fine.

As far as the depth goes, I'm just thinking if the CS2 is 3" too deep, and needs an inch behind it, then I'm hanging a third of the speaker off the front of the shelf. I think I'd rather just pick something that fits a little better.
Edited by 4orced4door - 1/2/13 at 11:48am

I saw it right at the end of this paragraph:

Product Description
For more than 50 years, midrange and high frequency horns have been the hands-down choice for movie theater sound engineers. From the softest whispers... To the highest impact sound... Hrn drivers have no equal when it comes to clarity and dynamic range. The BIC Formula Theater Series carries on the legacy of the first Formula Series introduced in 1973. They offer an output capability of up to 116dB (live rock band levels), while offering refinements that surpass all of its predecessors. Dual injection molded woofers with rubber surround. 6 1/4" mid/high frequency horns. neodymium magnets. High efficiency output to 116dB. Frequency response: 40Hz-23kHz. 22" W x 8" H x 6" D. Sold individually.

Those look nice and the price works! Would also make more for more compact rears than the Monitor 30s if I upgraded down the line. Hmmm... anyone want to chime in on the SuperZeros vs. the DV52CLR idea? I've been reading up on how the common center speaker design isn't really that great compared to just using a bookshelf speaker.

Thanks for all the responses!

I'm not sure how much the 80hz low end cap really matters, considering I'm using an 8" sub anyway.

The FH56-BAR looks really cool, but that shelf in the center is recessed, so I thin the audio from the speakers on the ends of the cabinet would just bounce right off of the bookshelves. Plus, the way the cabinets are set up, I'd rather have speakers in the shelves to get more separation between the channels. That is an awesome sound bar though. If I wasn't already spoiled by having rear channels I'd consider that. But watching F1 in 5.1 is one of my favorites, and not hearing the cars behind me anymore would bug me.

The P4s look really nice but I don't want to lose the dedicated center and I'm not sure what would voice match them (aside from a third P4, but they're sold in pairs). The front port is nice though, I will give this some consideration.

The Bostons look like a good value but I don't care for the white (Mist) cabinet and don't see them in black.

I'm still thinking either the FH6 or the DV52 at this point, I guess. Any other ideas or anyone want to chime in on any of the suggestions above?

Reading good things about the phantom center for the most part. I guess the question is if those P4s with a phantom center is going to be better than three FH6s (or even three DV52s). I've always wanted a set of Audio Engine bookshelves for my desktop PC.

Another consideration for a center vs. phantom center is that my three year old's bedroom door is like 15' away from that shelving unit, with the speakers facing the door, and I don't want to have to crank it to hear dialogue at night. If a center will help me hear dialogue at lower volumes then I need to go that route.
Edited by 4orced4door - 1/3/13 at 6:58am

The center shelf is approximately 5' wide. Yeah, that's true that I can maintain the rear channels with the bar. I still think I'd rather get the front L/R channels a little further away from the center though since the shelves really lend themselves to it.

So I think I want to avoid having three MTM speakers up front. For bookshelves, I'm concerned the SuperZeros don't have enough low end and mid-range, unless you think my ML Dynamo 300 would pair up with them okay. I know it's a cheap sub but I might upgrade it to an F12 down the road.

What about Cambridge S30s? Rear ported but I should have 3-4" behind them in the shelves. Perhaps for the center I could extend the shelf out a few inches. Otherwise the port will be right up against the wall, even with the S50 center (although I'd rather use a third S30). I can run S20s in the rear on stands and sell my Monitor30s which are a little large for rear surrounds in this space. I suppose the AudioEngine P4 might be a better choice due to the front port but then I'm back to not being sure what to do for a center.

Or should I stick with the SuperZeros and my 8" sub? I like their price and that I can buy three.

Gahhh!

I think I'm going to go with the SuperZero setup unless someone thinks I'm making the wrong choice. If my sub doesn't cut it I will upgrade it to an F12, but based on the moderate volumes and small space I think I'll be happy with this setup. The SZs also lend themselves to rear surrounds well too thanks to the small size, so I can eventually have a completely matched setup.

Thanks again for all the input. I'll post back in about a month once I'm moved in and it's all set up and broken in a bit.

Thanks! I'm upgrading from this so I'm sure I'll be happy:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=109&cp_id=10906&cs_id=1090601&p_id=8247&seq=1&format=2 (150hz bottom on those satellites)

As far as getting the optimal listening experience, well, it'll give me something to look forward to when I hopefully move from an apartment to a house in a couple years and have a higher budget for this.

Looking at the picture of the shelves above, where would be the best place to start with sub placement? There's not really a good place to tuck it away.

In front of the shelves will be a thick rug and then the couch about 6-7' back from there, parallel with the shelving unit. The L/Rs will be towards the outer edges of the bookshelf to get the right angles. Like so:



(I know the couch could be centered but the ends recline and I'm trying to get an end as close to center as possible...)

Yeah, that's a sofa table behind the couch. That would actually be a great spot to tuck the sub away if it sounds decent there. I was thinking it would have to sit out in front of the cabinets somewhere. No great place to conceal it up there, really. I'll start there and see how it works. Since I will be sitting on the right side of the couch (away from the sub) hopefully it'll work out there. It's really a tiny (but nice) living room.

I'm going to pick up some sorbothane pads for the satellites up front, so if the sub's feet don't cut it I will add some to it as well. Thanks for the tip though, I've always had a sub on carpet so I hadn't really thought about that yet.

3x SuperZeros ordered. Moving in two weeks. Can't wait to enjoy my new setup. Thanks for the input, everyone!

In a month I'll have a $10 reward card at Crutchfield so I'm waiting until then to order two more for wall mounted surrounds. Screw the budget, I NEED matching speakers.
Edited by 4orced4door - 1/6/13 at 6:40am

Just picked up a pair of Velodyne VX-11s for $229 shipped, should be a good upgrade from the Dynamo 300!

Got moved and setup my HT. The SuperZero 3.1 setup sounds great along with a single 10" Velodyne VX-11. One of the two Velodynes was damaged in shipping so I'm waiting. But the sub integrates very well and I'm really happy with the SuperZeroes. It blows away my old setup. I haven't had much time for movies but I watched the first 15 minutes of Drive on blu-ray as a test and it sounded great. The music sounded excellent, lots of volume during the chase, and the helicopters searching while they hide under the bridge was super loud and realistic.

Once the second sub is here, it's going behind the couch, and in about a month I'm adding wall mounted surround SuperZeroes. I'm afraid the second sub might be overkill but I'm going to try it.

Thanks again for the input!

(The PS3 is raised off the receiver about an inch for airflow before anyone calls me out on that.)
Edited by 4orced4door - 1/26/13 at 6:30am