Speakers recommendations when placement is an issue

Here's a further thought for you--the Egglestonworks Andras. I bought them, aside from the fact that I loved them, because they are designed to go close to a back wall without any boom (I've had them as close as 10" to the back wall with no ill effects, in a setup where my old B & W's had to be at least 2.5' from the wall, with a tube trap immediately behind them as well), and they project as wide a sound front as you'd ever want (at 9 feet apart to clear my equipment cabinet, with a foot on each side), and using an LP with a solo violin that is particularly hard to keep from stretching out into 2 distinct sound sources, the speakers are still aimed to cross their direct radiation output about 2 feet behind my head (if the room were in fact that wide). Only caveat: you need lots of power. I use Classe CAM-350s (350 watts per side), and they're great, but 250 watts per side is a minimum.

Aeriel Model 6 is a beautiful floorstanding speaker that will thrive within you limitations. It was purposely built with being close to rear walls in mind. Should complement your gear nicely.

While I agree with Whatjd that Vandy speakers are good, I find they are quite placement sensitive and would not want them 1-2 feet from the back wall--they'd lose much of their magic.

The only speakers I'm aware of that I'd care to mention or that are made to sit near or against the back wall are from Spendor, Audio Note, and possibly Osbourne? I've only heard them at shows but they sounded pretty good considering their placement. Although I'm not a fan of their speakers, I've seen some Linn speakers used to good effect from that distance to the back wall as well. Best of luck.

Tim

Talon Audio speakers are designed for real world listening spaces and they are OUTSTANDING performers (at least in my experience with the Peregrines) ... defintely worth a look if they are in your budget. I never thought I could have my system successfully integrate with my living room until I tried the Peregrines.

http://www.talonaudio.com/

I'm not quite sure I understand all of the limitations of your setup, so this recommendation may be qualified. The Wisdom Audio M 50's like the above Bohlender's are a true line source speaker. The dispersion patterns are radically different than dynamic drivers. Although your setup will compromise imaging somewhat I think the dispersion characteristics of a line source would serve you better. I own Avalon Radian HC's and Wisdom Audio M 75s. With the Avalons I needed a full complement of ASC tube traps and wall treatments. With the Wisdoms I only need two tube traps in the rear. The electronic crossover gives you almost unlimited flexibility to fine tune the speaker to the room. The M 50 is a one piece design which uses a 50" magnetic planar driver sitting atop a 12" underhung woofer. I like this speaker line so much I became a dealer. If you've got the bucks this is a phenomenal speaker. The other good thing about this speaker is that it is so revealing and transparent that every improvement in the rest of your system will be apparent. The down side of the speaker is that it is expensive and it must be biamped. Fortunately though you don't need a ridiculously expensive amp on the bottom, just one with high current capability. Happy hunting.