After downsizing I no longer have space for my floor standing Paradigm 9seMk3 speakers. I am looking now for good quality bookshelf speakers at a good price. My problem is trying to figure out what would work best in a built-in wall unit with three openings for speakers, L/C/R. Basically the speakers themselves would be sitting in 5-sided "boxes" with the following dimensions:
L 17" wide x 16" high x 17" deep
C 20" wide x 16" high x 23" deep
R 17" wide x 16" high x 17" deep
(I may have to deduct about 1.5" in depth to account for the grills that mount inside the cubes)
The shelves themselves where the speakers would sit are 70" above the floor, so the speakers would be above ear level even when standing. They would be driven by a Pioneer VSX-D810S receiver. The room is a great room, 24' wide by 26' deep with almost 9' ceilings, but the listening area is about 12' from the wall unit centered at the center speaker. The spacing between speakers is 12' from left to right with the center right in the middle. I am also not after earsplitting listening levels just good sound at moderate to fairly high levels.
Can anyone offer recommendations?
I am leaning toward the Definitive Technology StudioMonitor 450 at the moment. If I am to get a center channel speaker I would probably get another 450. The width of the center opening limits my choices in a "true" center speaker, and having the same center as front left and right would ensure a perfect blend. (I am more interested in music than movie performance anyway.) (I would also likely get a subwoofer to go with the bookshelf speakers.)
How would the 450's sound be affected when placed in the "boxes" described? I am told they would need to be to the front of the shelf opening as possible, but I am not sure how the shelf unit would interact with the bass response of the bookshelf speaker itself.
What other speakers might perform okay in this type of setting?
If this shelving scenario is too nightmarish, perhaps I should get a less expensive speaker and not waste too much on speakers in a crappy setup anyway. Any other recommendations come to mind?
I really like the sound of my Paradigm floor speakers but there is just nowhere to put them anymore.
Thanks much for the advice. I sincerely appreciate it.
