Speaker Suitable for Baby/Children - Wall Mount


I have a baby that is just crawling and about to walk and another one on the way (an unexpected blessing!!!). I am in the process of selling all my equipment and build a simple system. My preference is to get the speakers out of arms reach, i.e. wall mount.

I like the Magnepan MMGW but these speakers do not cover the full Frequency Range (only goes from 100-16kHz) and therefore requiring a flooring standing subwoofer - this will not work. The MC1 seems like a better option. The addition of the CC3 and another pair MC1 would be a good HT option. The initial 2-channel setup would be driven by a NAD C320BEE integrated amp (would convert to NAD T743 or higher if we decide to go with HT later).

Simply put:
1 - What "kid friendly" speakers have worked out well for you and what have you used to drive it?
2 - If you have any experience or thoughts on the Magnepan MMGW, MMGC, MC1, or CC3 then I would love to hear it. How would you drive these speakers? Would the NAD C320BEE work out?

I am trying to build a system with consideration for safety (to both baby and equipment), economics, and sound quality. I have always had the bad "upgrade itch" but this system will have to say for a long time. We do not listen to music very load so do not need a lot of power or bass. We mainly listen to classical, classic rock, and some jazz.

This system would be for our family room which has vaulted ceilings and approx. 30ft x 45ft (not sure - will have to measure).

Thanks for your time and thoughts.
pvs1172
My first thought is that your room has considerable volume and your speakers will need to move some serious air. Wall mounting sounds like an excellent idea, both parentally and sonically, but given the Magnepan reputation for needing watts, I wonder if your planned 320BEE will not be working too close to clipping.

I have had great success with wall-mounted speakers, using the Smarter Speaker Support distributed by May Audio. I've done it to little boxes like the NHT Model One, the PSB Alpha Mini, an Energy 2.1 and a few more, but these were all in small or medium-small rooms. (And with 5-inch woofers at most, they could all use a sub. I've seen wall-mounted subwoofers, and maybe you could consider that.)

In a much larger room, with a high ceiling like yours, an older pair of Mission 761i worked well when driven with a NAD L40 of all things: only 20 watts. These Missions are four times the volume of the others I've mentioned, though, with 8-inch woofers, and are rated 91 dB/w efficient.

Right now I'm working on wall-mounting a pair of AR2ax in a large room. These vintage boxes need power, and I'll be driving them with a 100 w/ch Chinese integrated. They have 10-inch woofers and I expect the lower end to be quite good.

Hope this is useful! Let us know what you wind up doing, if you get the chance.
The Dunlavy WL-1 speakers were very rich sounding and could fill a room of moderate size fairly well. I think they went down to 50 hz or so. You could use five, or seven, in a room that size if theater or multichannel music is your plan.

They can be difficult to find on the used market, but do come up here occasionally. They are fairly attractive (depending on the beholder's eyes, I guess) and certainly good sounding for anything on or in a wall.

I have heard a few that people have made their own versions for themselves, friends and family since Dunlavy stopped producing them. Those knock offs are actually a bit better due to better components inside.
I use a pair of "the original" Duntech PCL-15, the larger of two wall-mount loudspeaker designs in the first line they exported to the U.S. When driven by my Aronov LS960I tube integrated amp, a similar, large space fills with great sound, including bass that emulates a small sub-woofer (don't ask me how it can hit real blues, and jazz electric bass notes, while hanging up on a wall, but it does). I bought these in the late 1980's when Audio magazine positively commented on them. These were from Australia, and according to the installing dealer even came with a genuine sheepskin for placement behind the speaker, to reduce wall vibrations.
I subsequently added floor-hugging Duntech Thor sub-woofers, affectionately(?) described by my tolerant family as "the coffins". These are surprisingly good self-powered sub-woofers for stereo, considering their antiquity, really fleshing out the sonic depths.
I think that if DIY'ers can really outdo Mr. Dunlavy's WL-1, then this talented, original Duntech designer apparently did not maintain his original perfectionistic approach when he migrated his wall-speaker concept to the later Dunlavy line of loudspeakers. But, I have never heard the WL-1, so don't personally know how it compares to his original Duntech.
If you see this older model for sale, it should work for you, but I have never encountered another owner. Anyone out there? We could start an exclusive wall-speaker club.
I have been in record/CD shop where regular box loudspeakers were mounted on wall, and in another shop from the ceiling, and the sound can be surprisingly good, but these were each smaller sized rooms, with less ambitious performance goals for the speakers.
I think wall mounting the kids is a great idea!

Kidding of course. I have a great three year old running around on whom I absolutely dote. Luckily, he's good about not fussing with any of my gear, though I am afraid he will sense my nervousness and do it just to get a reaction!