Horizontal Monitor Recommendations

[blackiridium]

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if you had any bookshelf speaker recommendations that could be used horizontally and in a case.
I had narrowed my search to front ported or sealed bookshelves. My thinking was that this would help with them being close to the back of the cabinet. The clearance might be only 2" on the back.
I had originally decided on ATC SCM20 and even put a deposit down. After reading online and doing further research, it seems these wouldn't be the ideal for my use case.
I have a budget of up to $5k but the less the better lol. I'm in the system building stage right now so it's a blank slate. No amps although I'm most likely going to use a Class D either Nilai or something else. It's going to be paired with a MiniDsp DAC used as a preamp.
I've heard good things of the KEF R6. If there are other options, I would absolutely love to hear about them.

 

[staticV3]

A 3-way center speaker seems like the most sensible choice.

With $5k, you've got tons of options really. KEF is great.

Here are some others: https://www.spinorama.org/?shape=center&page=1&power=passive&sort=score

Do consider Ascend or Philharmonic (if they match your aesthetic):
https://philharmonicaudio.com/products/ht-center-channel
https://ascendacoustics.com/collect...ucts/sierra-horizon-v2?variant=40646382485558
https://ascendacoustics.com/collections/elx-series/products/elx-horizon?variant=41218982805558

If you have any size constraints, that would be handy for whittling down the options.

 

[blackiridium]

I was going to look into the Ascend Acoustics options BUT, I have a hard limit of 10.5" in height so those would be out. So far, the only one that seems to check off all the boxes is the KEF R6.
Was there any thing else that I'm missing. I'm going to think this through a bit more before purchasing this time...
I've heard great things about the March Acoustics speaker but it seems to me that it wouldn't work well horizontally.

 

[DWPress]

If you're willing to go with active speakers/monitors the Neumann KH 310A are designed for horizontal use and are sealed enclosures. Amir measured them (see link) and they perform quite well, reach down to 40Hz and can get loud if you want.

I'd avoid center channel MTM configurations as most of them have limited vertical directivity and will suffer from lobing.

 

[staticV3]

The Sointuva really wouldn't work very well used horizontally:


The tonality would be pretty inconsistent as you move left to right.

Plus I've heard concerning reports of cracked wood cabinets.

 

[staticV3]

If you're willing to go with active speakers/monitors the Neumann KH 310A are designed for horizontal use and are sealed enclosures. Amir measured them (see link) and they perform quite well, reach down to 40Hz and can get loud if you want.

I'd avoid center channel MTM configurations as most of them have limited vertical directivity and will suffer from lobing.

Could be problematic:

 

[AlexanderM]

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if you had any bookshelf speaker recommendations that could be used horizontally and in a case.
I had narrowed my search to front ported or sealed bookshelves. My thinking was that this would help with them being close to the back of the cabinet. The clearance might be only 2" on the back.
I had originally decided on ATC SCM20 and even put a deposit down. After reading online and doing further research, it seems these wouldn't be the ideal for my use case.
I have a budget of up to $5k but the less the better lol. I'm in the system building stage right now so it's a blank slate. No amps although I'm most likely going to use a Class D either Nilai or something else. It's going to be paired with a MiniDsp DAC used as a preamp.
I've heard good things of the KEF R6. If there are other options, I would absolutely love to hear about them.

Here is Erin's glowing review on the Focal Twin 6 Be, you might also consider the Focal Twin, non Be. Just hunt around for pricing, see if you can listen to a pair. Just a thought.

Focal Twin6 Be Studio Monitor Review

Focal Twin6 Be Floorstanding Speaker Review

www.erinsaudiocorner.com

 

[blackiridium]

So here's another issue. The speakers will be in an extremely large room, something like 21ft x 32ft with 15' ceilings. The listening distance might be 15' or so. I think that it would be advisable to get a speaker with a higher max volume something like 114db so that it could reach typical listening distances.

The Focal is an interesting option, I'll check it out.

 

[Oddball]

Sorry, I just like to throw an oddball Why would you want to use two horizontal bookshelves, which would essentially need to be centers, and in a "case". The budget you have is pretty good, but just trying to understand why going this way ie. what are the limitations?

Based on she size of the room and listening distance, you might need to venture into serious pro gear as HT gear likely won't get your there. Is this 2.0 system, any subs? What is your use case and desired SPL at MLP?

 

[staticV3]

So here's another issue. The speakers will be in an extremely large room, something like 21ft x 32ft with 15' ceilings. The listening distance might be 15' or so. I think that it would be advisable to get a speaker with a higher max volume something like 114db so that it could reach typical listening distances.

Used Reference 4C?

KEF Reference 4C Review (Center Speaker)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the KEF Reference 4C Center home theater speaker. It was kindly purchased new by a member and drop shipped to me. 4C costs US $7,500. Apology for using stock picture. Speaker weighs 100 pounds and I got interrupted mid-review with our home...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[JustJones]

Focal uses A/B and G amps so I would take the same precautions with ventilation that was mentioned about the Neumann.

 

[blackiridium]

Sorry, I just like to throw an oddball Why would you want to use two horizontal bookshelves, which would essentially need to be centers, and in a "case". The budget you have is pretty good, but just trying to understand why going this way ie. what are the limitations?

Based on she size of the room and listening distance, you might need to venture into serious pro gear as HT gear likely won't get your there. Is this 2.0 system, any subs? What is your use case and desired SPL at MLP?

Issue is WAF lol so the options are horizontal speakers or nothing at all.
The goal is to add a sub to the LR speakers in the future.

 

[blackiridium]

Used Reference 4C?

KEF Reference 4C Review (Center Speaker)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the KEF Reference 4C Center home theater speaker. It was kindly purchased new by a member and drop shipped to me. 4C costs US $7,500. Apology for using stock picture. Speaker weighs 100 pounds and I got interrupted mid-review with our home...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Too wide unfortunately. The max width I have to play with is like 26". So the speakers have to fit inside of 10.5" x 26"

 

[JustJones]

My thinking was that this would help with them being close to the back of the cabinet. The clearance might be only 2" on the back.

Would these be sitting on top towards the back about 2 inches with plenty of room on the sides and top or is it inside shelves with minimal room alaround?

 

[blackiridium]

Would these be sitting on top towards the back about 2 inches with plenty of room on the sides and top or is it inside shelves with minimal room alaround?

Inside the shelves...

 

[JustJones]

Too wide unfortunately. The max width I have to play with is like 26". So the speakers have to fit inside of 10.5" x 26"

What's the depth you don't want speakers pushed back with a shelf in front of them, passive or active.

 

[blackiridium]

What's the depth you don't want speakers pushed back with a shelf in front of them, passive or active.

Depth is 16"

 

[blackiridium]

Do you guys see after all this how I landed on the Kef R6? Seems like the logical choice unless I'm missing something. It has a max continuous of 111db (my ATC was 107db) which is pretty good. Dimensions check out. It's not ported.

 

[staticV3]

Do you guys see after all this how I landed on the Kef R6? Seems like the logical choice unless I'm missing something. It has a max continuous of 111db (my ATC was 107db) which is pretty good. Dimensions check out. It's not ported.

Definitely.

The only good alternatives that I could find are the THX-365C and Perlisten R5c.

There's also the Reference 2, but that's almost 3x the price of the R6 for just 20% more volume..

 

[blackiridium]

Definitely.

The only good alternatives that I could find are the THX-365C and Perlisten R5c.

There's also the Reference 2, but that's almost 3x the price of the R6 for just 20% more volume.

Believe it or not I did look into the Perlistens. Just not sure. They haven't been around for a long time and I don't have as much analytic information to go by. They could potentially work though.