OK, well the title is a bit of joke, but you Americans have to be on your best behaviour if you want to engage with this thread, "why?" I hear you ask, shortly followed by "I do what I want, nobody gunna tell me what to....", well, because this is something that is Europe specific and that is living in houses/apartments that have rooms little bigger than the size of a rabbit hutch.
The crux of the matter is this. I'm kinda tired of having speakers protruding into my room, any way you cut it speakers away from the front wall just dominate the room and look intrusive. I have quite a large room by British standards, but no, it is just ugly have speakers out in the room.
So, what is the point of the thread? The point is to ask what kind of speaker is possible, with a maximum depth of 8", that can be put practically flush with the front wall and play to decent SPL levels with reasonable accuracy. White speakers are a must too. I think a floorstander would be fine, but a wall mounted speaker would be better still. Is there anything commercially available of note?
I understand I won't get low bass, but if I can get to 80hz and cross to sub/s, then maybe this is doable (then comes the problem of having subs take up floor space! It never ends, does it....)
Anybody else thinking about or implemented ways to minimise the visual impact of speakers on the room?
I enjoy music a lot and want quality equipment, I just don't want to have to give up so much floorspace and eye space to them. I'm trying to feng shui-ify my life somewhat.
I have gone through a recent experiment to downsize/simplify my system and have gone from a top-notch 5.1 system with 2 subs and towers to no speakers (tv only), 2 small white inexpensive Arendal 1961 bookshelf speakers and now 2 largish white (custom painted) bookshelf speakers with a smallish sub and mini-dsp shd. I have reached a stage where less is more and good enough is good enough.
Like you the sight of multiple speakers and equipment in a multi-use room is no longer appealing. For me, enjoyment of the music/content these days is rarely impacted by the capabilities of the speaker or equipment. That is not to say I do not prefer larger, more capable speakers and multi-subs! I am now more willing to accept the inevitable tradeoffs.
My listening levels have decreased over time and I rarely critical listen so squeezing the last ounce of performance out of speakers/equipment is not at the top of my priority list. As much as I believe in the audio science there is the realty of dealing with a budget, size/space limitations (eg speakers have to fit in a certain spot), aesthetics/integration with room, poor room acoustics, effort / $ required to obtain "text book" results, etc, that ultimately dictates my choices. How do you define "reasonable accuracy"?
I have found small white speakers on slim stands/wall/bookshelf do blend in better than towers or non-white finishes. My previous towers were quite narrow and in a lovely wood finish, however, the Arendal 1961 bookshelf speakers on slim stands disappeared more. These speakers are 6" deep, have no screws on the front of the speakers and a decent finish for a reasonable sum. They play quite loud and have extension to 80 hertz. A great little speaker that might meet your requirements. You are going to have to try the speakers in your room with your music to see if they meet your criteria. The bookshelf speakers that replaced my 1961s are quite a bit larger and even though these new speakers are objectively better (unbelievable bass) than the 1961's I do miss the blend-in the background/small size of the 1961s. White speakers, white speaker stands and aesthetics of the speakers have made a difference in our multi-use environment.
Besides small bookshelf speakers, architectural speakers (on-wall, in-wall) could be a good option and some members already mentioned this. Kal mentioned Lyngdorf on-wall speakers (FR-1) - no clue how these measure. PSB have on-wall speakers. For in-wall, Kef, Revel and Triad have good options. I believe Amir has tested some in-wall speakers. Also reviews over at EAC. All of these options will of course have tradeoffs and not be as accurate as free standing speakers. At least for on-wall you can try these in your space to see how they fare. The in-wall speakers will be a big leap of faith, require construction and be a pain to take with you if you decide to move.
Lastly, custom designed bookshelf speakers that meet your size and aesthetic requirements might be an option depending on your budget. There are a number of excellent speaker designers on this forum that you can reach out to.
In terms of subs, white is generally harder to find. Kef KC62, SVS 3000 micro come in white. Sigberg Audio offers the INKOGNITO sub (tall and skinny) that can be hidden under furniture, attached to a wall or used as a table. If you go custom, the sky is your limit in terms of size and colours.
Ultimately you will have to decide on your prioritization of aesthetics vs accuracy vs budget vs performance capabilities and test the speakers in your room with your music to see if they pass muster.
www.stereophile.com
it can be room size depending
