What speakers work well against a wall

Elac B6 2.0..

Corner horns, i.e. JBL Hartsfields...

Boston Acoustics A series are designed to be placed against the wall. 

hornguys"A simple thought experiment is the question, "Would I expect a violinist, a pianist, or even a vocalist to sound good from that position? The answer is NO. And another one, "Would any knowledgeable recording engineer ever record such instruments/performers in that location? The answer is NO. So why would we expect loudspeakers to be at their very best in a corner or against the front wall?

This is a misguided, confused or deceptive argument, inquiry or suggestion because some speakers designed for use in Music Reproduction Systems are specifically designed, specified and manufactured to be used in a corner or against a wall and in those locations such speakers will sound they're best when properly executed and installed.

A simple thought experiment is the question, "Would I expect a violinist, a pianist, or even a vocalist to sound good from that position? The answer is NO.

And another one, "Would any knowledgeable recording engineer ever record such instruments/performers in that location? The answer is NO.

So why would we expect loudspeakers to be at their very best in a corner or against the front wall?

Don, normally I'd agree, but things seem to have changed a bit.  I have Vandersteen Quatro's and they set them up in the very corner of the room and I'm getting great staging.  Very realistic.  It's all rooms and system dependent.  

You will never get “great soundstage depth” with the speaker next to the wall.

I have a pair of Zu Def 4s in my living room and a pair of Celestion SL700s that sound great when positioned against the wall.

In addition to the many other recommendations, Van Schweikert VR33 and VR35 are designed to be against the wall. 

@scottwsmith, If you're speakers are going to be up situated in the corners of the room, the Klipschorns work very well - http://www.klipsch.com.au/products/klipschorn-floorstanding-speaker
I'd also 2nd the AN speakers, especially if partnered with AN gear.

Lot's of them are good for the wall as you can see. What is your system?  Price?  If this is a general question, then I too love the Vandersteen's.  Their new carbon fiber tweeter is taking them to the next level for sure.  I have some Linn's in the bedroom and am figuring out the configuration to put the new Vandy's in.

Allison - designed for against-the-wall for best bass response! So are my Snell Type AIII's.

I like Audio Note speakers, even without considering their fitness for placement near walls and corners.  The sound they deliver is rich, harmonically complete and saturated and musical.  It is a BIG plus that they are reasonably efficient and easy to drive because I tend to favor low-powered amps.

I have heard, and liked the Gradient Revolution speaker in a near the room boundary position.  It is NOT an efficient speaker, but, it is otherwise quite desirable for its placement flexibility (the bass cabinet can be configured for different room placement).  

I have also heard British Neat speakers placed near the wall and they sounded good too.  

I’m also recommending Audio Notes. I run the AN E’s. The ability to run them against the wall is just icing on the cake, not a compromise in any way.  That's part of the reason their presentation is unlike most speakers.  My biggest audio regret is that I didn’t find Audio Notes years ago.

Of course it all depends on your sound preferences and amplification choices. Best of luck.

@scottwsmith - as a general "rule of thumb"  you could use any speaker that has either

1. a completely sealed enclosure
2. a bass port located in the front of the enclosure

Of course this is not definitive, but as a "guideline" it eliminates rear ported enclosures which are designed to have space behind them

Some e speakers with a downwards firing port in the bottom of the cabinet may also a good cabinet.. But this may only be true in some cases - t's a case of listening to them.

Hope That Helps - Steve

Audio Note all the way.  I was so impressed with their presentation that I was even considering non-optimal location (i.e. away from wall).  If you can afford it, go for the big ones in their basic model, though the smaller ones also sound good and of course benefit from boundary reinforcement.  Unless you're running something very low powered, stay away from hemp drivers and the HE models.

Sonner Audio do very well tight to a wall. 

Totem speakers can do amazingly well in almost any configuration!  

Vandersteen VLR.....as close as a few inches from the wall.  In fact, they’re designed for such positioning.  Excellent sound!

What speakers work well against a wall

Lots of Linn speakers were in the old days, for small English units, the Isobarics, Kans, Sara may the newer one are too??

Cheers George  

Wide speakers with a large baffle will work best. To get really close to a back wall check out these...



https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/6257#&gid=1&pid=3

Horns work well too. The importance is to minimize the frequencies going backwards (sound that wraps around the baffle). Horns do this by virtue of directivity and large baffles prevent mid range sound wrapping round the edges of the speaker cabinet.

I had the Wilson Audio Duette 2's and they do work super well right against the wall.  I currently have Sonus Faber Amati Tradition Homage speakers and they are right against the wall.  I love the sound.

If you are thinking of smaller speakers, you should check out a couple of Swedish offerings:  Guru G-10, and Sjofn's "the clue".  Both are designed to sit literally 1" from the back wall, being designed for the boundary reinforcement.

I run "the clue" in my living room system, because this suits my significant other much better.  They sit in bookshelves on each side of the fireplace, and to be honest, they sound pretty good and articulate.  Bass is adequate.

Might want to check out Von Schweikert Vortex speakers. Actually made to be just inches from the wall. Three models from around 2500 to 6500

Larsen loudspeakers

+1 on the Audio Note AN series great sounding speakers.

The Wilson Audio Duette is a two-way monitor designed for wall placement.

The Forte does have that rear passive, so, only experimentation in the particular room will tell ya. I believe the Heresy is better against the wall, with a sub or 2. Overall, it does depend on what you want ? Enjoy ! MrD.

Klipsch Forte in all versions work well to about six inches from the wall, with the Forte III being the best incarnation. Excellent speaker that belies it's price.

Oz

How much are you willing to spend? How big is your room? What is the rest of your system? 

AudioNote UK AN speaker line are all designed to work against the wall or better yet in the corner. Very nice speakers and hold their value.