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Need Perfect Speakers for Acoustically Hostile Placement

Seeking speaker recommendation. Here is the situation:

 

Cabinetry in our kitchen has two cabinets for speakers. (See photo.) This is next to the ceiling,...about 7-8' off the ground. For the last 8 years, these have had a pair of B&W 705 speakers, wired to a multi-channel amp pushing about 60w. And it has sounded terrible.

 

There are several issues which, I believe, make this an especially "hostile" environment for speakers:

  • No fixed listening position. It is a kitchen. We are all over the place.
  • Next to ceiling...I imagine this creates unhealthy reflections
  • Inside a box. Ugh. It is what it is. Should this disqualify any rear-ported designs?

 

New system:

  • New amp will deliver 140wpc of class A/B power
  • Rebuilt "grills" to allow much more open space
  • I may treat the inside of the cabinetry with absorptive material (should I?)
  • Bookshelf speakers will lay on their side, likely on dampening foam like Auralex Mopads that will reduce vibration and allow some downward tilt

 

Now I need to choose speakers. Any suggestions...?

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.  


128x128temporal_dissident
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Spending $11,000 for speakers to put there? I though I was out of my mind. Temporal, spend your money on something else, women, fast cars
Sushi whatever. Spending more than a couple of grand for speakers there is just a waste of money. 
gdnrbob
4,444 posts
 
@mijostyn,
+1.
Bob
trudat
60 posts
 
I would use a speaker designed to be an in wall. Use the cabinet, dampen properly and if you still want it to look like a cabinet door build it inset just a few inches.  I know you said you don’t want to build it, but sure seems you have the budget to pay someone to properly do it.

As usual audiotroy shilling what he sells. A point source would work as would several in walls, or other options. Especially with an 11k budget. You have options at 11k...
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,182 posts
 
Look for a pair of used Realistic Minimus 7s.
temporal_dissident's avatar
temporal_dissident OP
13 posts
 
Spending $11,000 for speakers to put there? I though I was out of my mind.
@mijostyn, you misread my budget. I wrote $11 Million, not Thousand.  
And I was kidding. i wanted to eliminate budget as a constraint so I could hear the widest range of creative solutions from the community. 
In reality, yes there is a budget. 
Here is where I have landed:
I plan to test two different, front-ported Center channel speakers in these cabinets. I will do some basic dampening inside the cabinet and find a way to tilt these speakers downward. 140wpc from a Crestron SWAMP A/B amplifier, which may not be audiophile, but is very configurable. I will test both mono/stereo and onboard DSP correction. Either a Bluesound Node 2i or Meridian 218 will serve as Roon endpoint for hi-res streaming. 
No desire to shut off discussion, but that is where my head is at. Additional advice welcome and appreciated. 


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