Making the best of mediocre speakers

Thanks guys. Bday0000: there is a wife, but you are right insofar as I agreed with her insistence. It is a difficult room: open on both narrow ends of the rectangle, with 3 doorways and a dining room area, and no shelves for bookshelf speakers... Short of putting the speakers on stands in the middle of the room, which was what she vetoed (I volunteered to keep them grouped together along the wall when not in use, and that was declined), there are no easy solutions. Which is where the in-walls come in.

Thanks for the suggestions of angled tweeters, and the hope that perhaps Thiel or someone else makes good in-walls.

Maybe I could rephrase the question as this: given the constraints of placement and of having to use fairly small in-walls, what can an audiophile do in order to get the best possible results?

From reading the threads here on Audiogon I get the sense that some people (probably a minority) think that lesser speakers can be brought along by great sources and electronics, and made to really sing. Others may say don't waste the time and money. That's my real question, though I am starting to realize that maybe this just can't be a true listening room!

I appreciate everyone's advice.

First of all,I hope you own the apartment,or got permission to do this.In the wall speakers just can't seem to sound anything like normal speakers.And another thing,are there any neighbors behind those walls with the speakers that may not enjoy the same thing your listening to?I hope not.

Another problem,regular drywall will have a tendency to vibrate loose,whether screws or nails are used.I can't imagine what the in wall subs will do.

In wall can be made to work well, according to Floyd Toole, author of a great book called 'Sound Reproduction'. My take on his comments is that an in-wall sub is not going to work. So, try to get the wife to bend on that issue. In the end the fact you are in an apartment with common walls might doom the use of speakers. A great headphone set appears to be the 'final' solution. If that is the case, I would scale back on all the electronics and get a great tube headphone amp.

If it was me, and I was set on in walls at non ideal heights, Id buy the Dayton top model(8 inch woofer/dual tweeter) speakers all around for under $250 pair at partsexpress. I would hit them with a Onkyo NR906, and a SVS sub. The cylinder subs they sell can offer huge bass and fit snuggly in a corner.

The Daytons have soft domes, and kevlar drivers. There easy to install yourself, and the Onkyo NR906 will crush them. Id expect to cross over between 80-120HZ. You may want to buy 2 qty SVS subs so the bass isnt localized at high cross over points.

The Onkyo has auto EQ with auddusy.