Small monitor- made in the states

would aerial 5 series work?

I just tried fritzs' 261 very impressive but too big for my room. So I'm going to go with his 'Monitor X'

How how the single driver Creation 650D?

If you're going to use a sub and tri-path amp,I have the same set-up with Tekton Design single driver speakers with 6.5 inch Fostex 167e speakers and am amazed at how loud and full they sound in that configuration, not to mention the excellent sonics. Since there is only one driver per side and front ported, I don't see why they couldn't work on a bookshelf, just turn them on their sides and they are well under 12 inches tall. They are superb speakers and very inexpensive, working well with every type of music I throw at them.

i second the fritz speakers. Amazing quality for a faction of the price!!

Thanks so much everyone for all the input.
I should've stated that I have a small budget to work with ($500 or so) and that used is always an option. I am very interested in the Silverlines and have had two (long) talks with Fritz.
I really hope that no one got the impression that I have anything against any foreign country or people- I just value talking to people and small industry etc : it's healthy to eat what is locally grown.
thanks again everybody!

All I know is the Silverline website states "proudly designed & handcrafted in the USA" at the bottom of the Minuet page. Not sure what "handcrafted" has to mean, legally. It may just be assembly. At any rate, they're great, and not just for the money.

Please do yourself a favor and try or at least research the Silverline minuet. Made in the USA, small, affordable, easy to drive and sound great.

Hmmm, I'd agree that Alan Yun makes wonderful monitors, but I don't think his stuff is made in the U.S. They may be assembled in CA, but I'm pretty sure his drivers are sourced elsewhere, and the cabinets are actually made elsewhere (read: overseas). I could be wrong, but you might want to check into that if that's your criteria for buying a monitor. Of course some aspect of any of the products recommended here may also be actually made overseas and assembled here as well. It'd be pretty difficult to buy any electronic gear tthat is purely U.S. made inside and out.

Please do yourself a favor and try or at least research the Silverline minuet. Made in the USA, small, affordable, easy to drive and sound great.

A small monitor that is honest to 40 Hz, extremely fast and revealing and has a very wide sweet spot is the High Emotion Audio P-7. It is under a foot tall and is easy to drive with both tubes and transistors- it has a very flat impedance curve. It needs to be about 1-1.5 feet away from the rear wall for best results. We've been using a variant called the S-7 (which is port loaded rather than passive radiator loaded) in our recording studio as a near-field monitor. So far it is far and away easily the best monitor I've heard.
[ulr]http://www.highemotionaudio.com[/url]

Check into Selah Audio. Rick can build pretty much anything you want.

I second the recommendation for Fritz (www.fritzspeakers.com).

I heard the Vandersteen VLR in John's (Audioconnection's) showroom with a pair of Vandersteen subs. Assuming they will work next to a wall (and John seems to think so from his post) I would highly recommend them. The combination of these speakers and the Vandy subs was some of the best sound I've heard anywhere, and took me completely by surprise. IMHO, of course. If you play them loud, though, without the subs, you will get some distortion and less clarity in the bass area; that completely goes away when you cross them over for the subs.

Vandersteen USA made 33 years in Biz model VLR for 1100 bucks in Ebony wood sounds and looks great.
Cheers Johnnyr

Thanks Jax2, but at this point none of my speakers are suitable for Wombat3's application (maximum height 12").

If Audio Concepts (ACI) speakers are still available, they are excellent designs. What you can't see from eyeballing them is that designer Mike Dzurko makes (in my opinion) the correct tradeoffs in the crossover region, and the result is very natural sound.

I heard Fritz Speakers at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest a few months ago and was quite impressed with them. Again, the designer is doing something very right in the crossover region.

BTW, I didn't think of him because you said "on a shelf" which wouldn't necessarily consider to be optimal so this may be moot, but then you're talking about a sub. You don't mention a budget either. If you really want to kick some very serious high-end butt with a monitor/sat system made in the USA, definitely do not miss Duke Lejune's line of Audiokineses speakers. His Planetarium system is amazing! I would definitely put it on my short list if Duke tells you it can work in a bookshelf. Not exactly small, but let me tell you, that system is taking names! Aside from the Planetarium system, I've only ever heard his much larger speaker, which is also VERY impressive but larger than you'll want. Highly recommended with no reservations.

Check out Aether Audio (formerly SP Technology)

Check out Fritz speakers. Most definitely a person, although I think he likes Chinese food, if that matters.

I would go for a small Dynaudio.

Second ACI as a great speaker for the money but as stated you will have to buy them used.

Disclaimer
I represent Role Audio in the North East (NJ) - The Role Audio FTL. will be what I highly recommend. These takes on speakers like the Magees 1.6 etc - Company Based in North Carolina, Learn more about them. Website link below.
http://www.roleaudio.com/sampan-ftl.html
This little folded transmission line bookshelf is amazing,weighs only 4lbs. No subwoofer needed unless subterranean bass is what you want. If sub is needed then, add the Role Audio parent company's subwoofer - The NSM 15EXP. email me for any other concerns Highly recommended.

I have North Eskas, which I enjoy very much, so I can second Muzikat's suggestion that you look into North's "bookshelf" models, which are voiced for such applications (many or most smaller speakers aren't). There are models at a range of pricepoints. Lee Taylor makes (lovely) boxes for North, and both companies are in upstate New York, though I believe at least some of the drivers are sourced overseas. But you will be dealing with actual people, who are smart and helpful. John

Tpdoc - Mike is retiring and ACI is going out of business. Good speakers and subs though.

look at these speakers

http://www.audioc.com/speakers1/speakers.htm#stereomusic

1. joseph audio
2. tyler acoustics

How much ?

This is a great speaker/company:

http://www.northacoustics.com/North_Spirit/Spirit.htm