Embarrassed....Audio furniture help


Well, I swore I'd never let a woman dictate my two channel system but here we are.  Wife and I bought our first new home, I've got a small but adequate second living area for my system.  Problem is, as mentioned, my wife.  Setup will consist of CD player, AppleTV unit and integrated amp.  May add a streamer at some point but we'll cross that bridge later.  I'm using a pair of bookshelves and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Here's the rub....She is demanding an A/V credenza, so speakers sitting on the credenza on either side of the TV.  Of course I'd love a vertical audio stand and be able to use speaker stands but it's too open, too many exposed cables, blah blah, you know the story.  

Question of the day:  can anyone point me in the right direction?  I need minimum 18" depth and all the awful Crate and Barrel stuff she recommends isn't up to my audio standards.  Needs something with doors for a clean look but I still need my IR signal to work.  Because the speakers aren't going on stands, I'd like something at least 20" tall.  A lot of the fashionable stuff is 14-16" tall, putting the tweeters way below ear level in the listening position.  

Any help would be much appreciated.  

Sincerely,

Man shaking his head with a borderline resigned look


cjlundberg
Is she even going to be in that room listening to you or is is a part of a living area that will be used by both?   You have to push back a little here....don't give in to having to have a "credenza".  I'm happily married and don't give into that kinda control over a system setup....She can have most of the house how she wants it, but not all of it. 
Just recently l had the same delimia  In a quick hurry you can end up spending a lots of money! I went to Best Buy to pick up my new 65" LG OLED TV ( love it!!) and noticed they had TV/audio credenza's on display 
I was impressed with one in particular, the Bell'O model PR45 The cabinet is 65" long x 22" deep & 28" high Mine is dark walnut which looks almost black. It's very well made and is solid wood and be warned it's very heavy! The bottom portion has three glass doors that houses six components, above that, are three open shelves. It has lots of venting slots in the shelves. On the back are three well made removable panels and an area for wiring. l have all my AV 5.1 & two channel equipment in the cabinet. I think it's on sale currently  $769  My wife is very happy and good luck on your search
Webstaurantstore.com for black wire shelving on poles. They disappear with equipment on them. 
All good advice here.  You might also check Craigslist. There are often misc. furniture and entertainment set ups on that site.  You could always get a divorce, but an elaborate custom made wall unit designed and hand made by a dozen Italian master carpenters and a dozen German engineers would be a lot cheaper.  Good luck.
I had a similar experience where I went from:

These:

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9046

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9186

To this:

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9292

The cabinet is from Crate & Barrel, which meets your wife’s desire for C&B furniture. It is very functional; it’s sturdy, very well ventilated and IR remotes are no issue. The size is quite nice as well: 54" long, 24" high and 20" deep.