Can monitors sit on a TV console instead of stands?

1st, solve your center channel. Just below the screen works best to anchor the dialog to the screen.

Temporarily put books below the monitor, solve the height for both you and your mate/kids, ....

(not too high for neck looking up, see glare/reflections this/that height. To keep my center just below the monitor, I made a riser for the TV to raise it the height of the temporaty books below my monitor so that I could use this Klipsch Center Channel (no rear vent!)

Next: front left and right either on the console, or floor standers.

On the console: The monitor might be a bit more than 24" high (depends on monitors leg design), and then, add the height of any riser below that. Thus narrow speakers on the console could be narrow/tall i.e. 10" max wide, +/- 30" high. Again, Klipsch has speakers that are highly efficient, passive or self-powered. (You could actually use a pair of one of their center speakers vertically).

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Imaging: when no center channel info is present, the left/right information wants to present it’s content to a wide area, i.e. 3 people wide on a sofa. The ability to alter the toe-in can be a big advantage, not only for 5.1 say, but also when listening to 2 channel stereo, so think about a solution, i.e. felt pads on bottoms of L and R speakers.

A sub? I would start without, then add if needed. My sub, not for all content, just enough to add Jurassic Dino Stomp when present.

Whatever you do, put springs or some sort of decoupling solution under the speakers to reduce vibrations.

@labguy Definitely. You will feel that. I’d say to go with at least 10" woofer speakers (or doubled woofer) or add sub-woofer or a couple -- one per side. 

@czarivey , we all know Tony meant feet not ".

(1meter room ha ha)

Sounds like I might be better off with small floorstanders over monitors then?

Yes?, no?  ???

They will sound better on stands — more space to breathe and more flexibility in placement.  

3 meters away from monitor speakers is extremely too far. If you can place yourself away THAT far from speakers, perhaps you should consider getting a couple of horn loaded giants or at least, as you've mentioned getting a legit "cruiserweight" ...to... "heavyweight" types of floorstanding speakers. 

Even at the stage of live performances is at the café venues like Birdland, Irridium or BBKing, I would probably find myself closer than 3 meters away most-likely

@tonyl719 A foot x foot-and-half x 3/4 foot is very small room anyways. How you can stretch to 3 meters no idea.

@labguy 

That would depend on the size of the monitors and whether they are supplemented with subwoofers.

My room is 12" x 18" x 9" and my ATC SCM19's + subs is more than adequate. 

And having them 8' apart and 9' from you is almost ideal and allows you room to tweak their positioning. Something having them on the cabinet doesn't allow for.

@tomcarr, thanks,!will monitor speakers be enough for a 14'x14' room?

Most setups sound best as an equilateral triangle, or close to it. Eight feet apart and sitting 9-10 feet back should be no problem. Also, experiment with toe-in. Makes a difference.

No speakers will sound their best beside a TV, unless you cover the TV with a blanket.