This website is where I learned about the Infinity r162s that I bought two years ago and am very happy with so I thought I would seek advice here. I am currently researching speakers for my sister and brother-in-law who asked for help because they are busier right now than I am. They have a very small living room and only one place to put the speakers. They need to be able to put their speakers on an open backed, open sided bookshelf on the same shelf as the 17" wide receiver (a Sony STR-6036a that my mother originally purchased in the 1970s). The bookshelf is about 8" from the wall behind it. The receiver is rated at 15 watts RMS into eight ohms (less than .8% THD) and 28 watts peak into eight ohms. Into four ohms it claims a peak of 35 watts per channel. My brother-in-law measured the shelf as 12" deep, 31.5" wide, and 10.5" high. So each speaker needs to be no more than 7.25" wide. They may be able to adjust the bookshelf position to free up some height but I am not sure how much. In metric the constraints are 304mm deep, 184mm wide, and 266mm high or maybe a bit more than that if they move the shelf. They are looking to spend $200-300 US. They live in Boston so they might be able to hear some brands before they buy.
It is hard to find reviews of speakers that fit and those that have been measured tend to do poorly (e.g. PSB Alpha P3). If I made a recommendation with the research I have done so far it would be the Cambridge Audio SX-50 (currently $200 and 6.375"x8.9"x9.6875") if they can't get more height. If they can get a little more height then I would recommend either the Emotiva Airmotive B1+ ($222 and 7.125"x10.75"x8.25") or the Kef Q150 ($300 and 7.08"x12.08"x10.94") depending on whether the latter would fit. Does anyone have experience comparing these speakers or a different recommendation?
It is hard to find reviews of speakers that fit and those that have been measured tend to do poorly (e.g. PSB Alpha P3). If I made a recommendation with the research I have done so far it would be the Cambridge Audio SX-50 (currently $200 and 6.375"x8.9"x9.6875") if they can't get more height. If they can get a little more height then I would recommend either the Emotiva Airmotive B1+ ($222 and 7.125"x10.75"x8.25") or the Kef Q150 ($300 and 7.08"x12.08"x10.94") depending on whether the latter would fit. Does anyone have experience comparing these speakers or a different recommendation?