I am venturing into unfamiliar territory.

In walls can be tricky and expensive. Are you installing or your electrician at $80/hour++++++
What are your walls made of?
Are they insulated?
Do you care if sound echoes up to the floor above?

Some in walls have cabinets (snell...). Very nice but you will need someone good to install them. Also, they are not cheap.

In your budget range, I would suggest some nice ON-Walls that are not obtrusive (def tech). Keep in mind that you will need a sub also. You can get an in wall sub but they are pricey (niles, sunfire). The other choice is mini monitors like energy, paradigm or .... with a sub.

You should figure $1000 for the sub, $1200 for the speakers and then get an outlaw or denon reciever with what's left. If your buget allows, the more you spend on the receiver, the more bells and whistles you will get (but not always better sound). Sometimes the oposite-compare onkyo to rotel.

Well Dr. Rob, as usual..your couch is comfortable. I'm thinking that you could rent yourself out for a small fee.

Dave

Hey Rsbeck,

Loved your post.

Analyze this though: In my critical listening audio room, my wife was complaining about all the equipment being housed in a cabinet/rack which exposed everything, i.e. everything showed. Sooooooooo, being a good husband, I pleased her by purchasing her very favorite armoire to house the electronics. Guess what though, several thousand bucks later, the doors to the armoire stay open almost all the time, exposing the equipment for all to see. Go figure.

I have heard KDS in-walls used as rears and thought they sounded very nice. Paradigm also makes an inwall speaker, and although I have not heard them, I can say what Paradigm speakers I have heard makes me confident their inwalls are worth a listen.

>>the armoire stay open almost all the time, exposing the equipment<<

This says, "You KNOW the armoire was *my* idea -- so I've done MY part to civilize this guy -- it's only open because my husband was raised by wolves."
And your wife tolerates it because that's a message with which she is comfortable. It also says, "look I'm a good guy -- I put them in an armoire,
but it's more efficient to leave the doors open than to have to open and close them all the time -- and -- I paid for this stuff, I WOULD like to SEE it once in awhile." A message with which you feel comfortable. So, she's saying, "he was raised by wild animals." And, you're saying, "But, I'm a good guy who's trying." I would bet that characterizes most of our marriages. The good ones, anyway.