Duette's wont work in a shelving/cabinet unit. They work fine close to wall but no way in a cabinet.
Bookshelf speakers on a bookshelf (Sad)
Ok, building new house wife killed my stereo ambitions with an awful built in tv console cabinet. Room is large, there is Sonos in the ceiling and outdoor area so that’s fine for background. She sold my B&W 802s when we moved but thinks the McIntosh stuff looks cool so that can stay. MA352 int amp and a mt5 turntable. I thought there was room for floor standing speakers next to the built in but sadly there isn’t room. I can put a sub in, budget is whatever, but I don’t want want to turn 20k Focals into $4000 speakers buried on a bookshelf. Any suggestions? Thanks, Mark
Showing 5 responses by ghasley
@blisshifi is giving you proper advice. We have a tv room with a similar shelving handicap. I tried Harbeth, Wilson Tunetots, etc, etc. Rear ports are out. Just forget about them, even the tunetots. The best arrangement I found was with Audio Note Super K’s but the gear you have would be a poor match. I hesitated even replying because it will take work. You may need to install some acoustic panels in the shelves, you may need some adjustable stands to isolate and be able to get the tweeter firing at the listening position.
See if there is an Audio Note dealer near you who might have a demo pair for you to see how they work in your application. |
@blisshifi Indeed...you give/gave wise advice.
I had a similar situation for a room and tried almost everything. I ended up with the Audio Note K SPX (the OP should probably consider the SPE for cost) driven by SHindo electronics. The K is so versatile, its shallow and its a sealed design. Without seeing his intsallation if he bought a Leben 300, an OTO SE Signature or even a Sugden/Luxman class A, somthing like that I predict excellent results. I had the K's installed on their sides on some Isoacoustics Aperta stands for adjustability and the sound was superb. Very little compromise other than at higher volumes the sound didn't "scale" evenly. At lower volumes it was a little like having a loudness button engaged. Had a wireless subwoofer setup that I only used maybe 25% of the time. |
I'm not so sure, there are a couple of data points in the OP's dialogue that deserve mention. (1) His wife obviously has exceptional hearing if she expelled from her home and summarily banished a pair of B&W's and, (2) She agreed to jointly build a home on a golf course.
There is a special place in heaven for all of our significant others (if there happens to be a place in the cloud for us at all). The problem here may rest with whether we deserve our good fortune or not. A footnote to this story as well...since they were building, the OP could have specified a purpose built listening room and he did not. Therefore, if splitting hairs, this is a self inflicted challenge the OP must overcome LOL. Best to all. |
We never buy a home with fewer bedrooms than we have beds. So, if you have three beds, you buy a four bedroom home...
OP, what in your system is staying and what are you willing to part with to achieve excellent sound? I've mentioned the Audio Note K's are tailor made for your application, however, your Mac amplification would be a poor match. You may not believe they could be that good but I've heard a $50k plus system built around the K's and the musical presentation was exceptional. Of course, if your Mac amp is staying then we can all focus on something in that regard. I no longer own K's but it's because the system that was relegated to a built in wall unit like you will have was reconfigured for another room.
Best wishes but again, a home demo in your room placed like they will be placed will save you a great deal of heartache. Too many of us have assembled a hypothetically good system destined for an unsuitable application. You can either learn from our mistakes or repeat them...we will all be here to help either way. Good luck! |