Front Wall with Full length Workbench Shelf

I must plead guilty to trying for all the audio nirvana I can eek out of this very imperfect space…lol.  I’ve spent a chunk of time trial-and-erroring absorptive DIY wall treatments to the end result that this system has gone from “a little too bright/forward to live with” to downright addicting to my ears, but the point as to trying to elevate a $1000 setup to “cutting edge” is well taken.

A shift in my inquiry here, then, if a course change within one thread is doable — Is there that much difference between the neighbor irritation factor of a down firing subwoofer in this plywood floor/raised on cinder blocks space and a front firing sub?  Nearest neighbor is in a brick house approx 10-12 feet from this listening space…

It started out a combo light duty wood shop and art studio that’s transitioning to a light duty art studio and listening area.

I'd just put them on the workbench and add a sub if you want/need to. I wouldn't spend too much time trying for nirvana. 

@Russ69

It started out a combo light duty wood shop and art studio that’s transitioning to a light duty art studio and listening area.

It sounds like it is a workshop and not a dedicated listening area, am I wrong? 

I would get Isoacosutic stands for the speakers and you can experiment with the tilt and decouple from the shelves. Next I would see about back filling those shelves with acoustic treatments. if you post a pic it would help.