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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.  


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andy2
1,547 posts
 
Then it hit me—center speakers are designed for horizontal placement.
Actually center speakers are often designed with horizontal orientation is purely for cosmetic reason NOT for acoustic reason.
audiokinesis
2,737 posts
 
Audiotroy wrote: " The Uni Q driver allows for a very wide soundstage and is also a very coherent sounding driver, we would recommend that you install a small wooden lip made by using a 1 * 2 on the front bottom of the cabinet which will keep the speakers from sliding out and then use one of two sets of isoacoustics footers on the back of the speakers or use another 2 * 4 with a set of isoacoustics footers on the rear to raise up the back of the cabinet and angle it down, the front lip 1 * 2 is being used to secure the speaker even with the angle and you would be good to go. "

This all makes sense to me. A coaxial driver has far more uniform horizontal off-axis response than a sideways MTM center channel speaker (which is actually rather poor in that respect), plus it is fairly uniform in the vertical plane. And I like your idea of angling the speakers downwards a bit while keeping them stable.

Duke
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
7,977 posts
 
Your stated budget is $11,000,000. You can build an new house, buy the speakers of your choice and retire.
kgbspy
60 posts
 
i had similar situation ... with the budget several hundred bucks. i have a small family room with a 55 " tv at the opposite wall and bookshelves on both sides. the speakers had to be placed inside shelves . pair of used Energy C2 biamped (paid $100.)+ PSB SubSeries 200Powered subwoofer (used, paid $35.)hooked up to yamaha RXA730(paid $35) (yes , I’m a cheapskate ! )created a sound I’m surprised. the trick is Yamaha with calibrating mike automatically sets up the level and equalization of all 3 speakers with the divine sound on a budget ... you can repeat the same result or better with similar set up without a budget . and you are correct , the speakers should be front ported.
good luck . Alex
coffee-jerk
73 posts
 
I have a similar situation, and am having very good results with Proac Response D2, which are front-ported and a hair less than 17” tall.  I previously had difficulty using rear-ported Proacs and Dynaudios.  
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