[asliarun]

Having to deal with life in a small apartment became even more challenging as I now have an active toddler constantly running around (and another one on the way)!

This got me thinking that I could significantly open up my room (and make it more runnable for the toddler) if I could get rid of my media cabinet and speakers. I was thinking of wall mounting the TV (42 inch LCD), and maybe setting up a couple of floating shelves on either side of the TV at the same height (about chest height I guess). I could then move my electronics to the floating shelves.

I currently have floor standers (Carnegie acoustics cst1) that I will replace with active wall mounted speakers. I am thinking studio monitors.

I have never done anything like this before and this is just an idea for now. But if I can pull this off, it would really open up the living room.

Would really appreciate any advice or thoughts on my plan. Is this feasible? What wall mounted speakers could I use that are also reasonably priced? I would like to stick to the c&c rule and keep the speakers under $1k or thereabouts. If I can get decent active speakers, I can get rid of both my floorstanders as well as my amp.

[srb]

Your current preamp/DAC electronics will fit, so all you're looking for are active speakers?

For wall mounting, the ideal speakers would be front ported, compact depth, recessed AC and signal connections and bottom and rear threaded mounting points.  The Focal CMS series seem to tick these requirements.

The Focal CMS 40 ($850/pair) are front ported with a 6.1" depth, have recessed power and down facing signal jacks and bottom and rear threaded mounting points. They have a 4" driver and are rated -3dB @ 60Hz and 97dB maximum SPL.

The Focal CMS 50 ($1200/pair) are over budget (+ 20% is probably not "thereabouts"?), have a 5" driver, 7.9" depth and are rated only a bit lower in the bass, -3dB @ 55Hz, but can play louder at 105dB maximum SPL.

Steve

[Cacophonix]

If you are looking at wall mounted speakers, i think its better if you go with sealed passive speakers, and power them with a small receiver that can do HT duties as well. Powered monitors will require you to run power cables along with RCAs to each of the speakers.

My situation is somewhat similar to yours in the living room, and i've a pair of NHT super zero on wall powered by a marantz NR1603. Have a subwoofer in a corner that is baby proofed. Cheap and definitely cheerful.

[Letitroll98]

Headphones?  I'm assuming a pair of them.  You could buy an awesome pair of cans for under a grand.  Just thinking outside of the box, so to speak.   

[jarcher]

Sorry dude - trying to wall mount your current system I don't think is going to get you where you want. And honestly haven't really heard many speakers that sound great on-wall or backed up against the wall. Heard some in-walls that sounded good - but quite pricey (wisdom).

In your situation where presumably freeing up space and  your toddler are a bigger priority than absolute sound quality, I'd honestly just get a Sonos soundbar below the wall mounted flat panel and perhaps augment with a Sonos wireless sub if low frequency extension is found wanting.

Is this going to be the most hi-fi solution?  No, but that doesn't seem to be the priority in your life right now, and there are far worse sounding systems than Sonos at greater expense. Presumably your family is not going to care and they might actually welcome something easier to use. And it's all about enjoying the family and the music, isn't it?

Post that, box up your 2 channel rig and save it for when you have a proper space for it. Otherwise donate it or sell cheap to a budding young audiophile.

[persisting1]

I have never heard them, and I know they are not exactly what you're looking for, but the Magnepan MMGWs might work well for you.

http://www.magnepan.com/model_MMGW

[PRELUDE]

look under this page for wall mounting speakers.
http://www.simplifiaudio.com/online_store/dls_store.html

or if you do not mind to buy used and just spend a little more, then you could go with the wireless dynaudio like this one.
http://app.audiogon.com/listings/monitors-dynaudio-xeo-3-satin-black-excellenct-condition-transmitter-remote-2014-10-21-speakers-48416-brown-city-mi


Good luck

[SteveFord]

I've got a set of the MMG-Ws and they're okay but you'd really want a center channel and a subwoofer with them.

[JLM]

I like actives (as long as you avoid the typical dry studio sound).  As their designed for shelf placement in normally small rooms, wall mounting shouldn't be a problem.

Other actives to consider are the Adam F5 ($500/pair, F3=55Hz) and Adam A3X ($650/pair, F3=60Hz).  Both use ribbon tweeters, the A3X is a bit smaller and better sound.  They have an airy sound compared to the Focal CMS 40/50.  Like the Focal CMS 40/50 mentioned, neither have subwoofer outputs, but would also work great for a desktop system down the road.

Problem with actives: they need a power feed/cord/plug (beyond the signal feed).  The NuForce S3-BT can be fed via bluetooth, thus saving a set of wires.

[jimdgoulding]

I sure would recommend that you put you speaks on stands and get um out from the walls as much as you can even if it means having to get them out of the way for normal traffic.  This will increase your sense of dimensionality in recordings that contain such.

[asliarun]

All - thank you so very much for your replies and suggestions. I would normally thank everyone by name but there are too many replies! 

I'm still mulling this over. I'm not really *hurting* for space (but could do with a bit more for sure). Considering this, I'm thinking I will keep my current setup for now (which by the way is Marantz NR1403 as a preamp, Dayens Ecstasy as a power amp, Carnegie Acoustics CST1 speakers) - which does audio and video duty (all in stereo mode). I use Roku as a source for audio (FLAC, WAV, internet radio) and video - so yeah, I have a bit of a crazy setup. Plus, the only real appeal to me is if I can somehow get rid of the media cabinet - which doesn't seem feasible - given the other electronics that have to go away too (like the Comcast box, cable modems, AVR, etc).

Thanks to your replies, I got introduced to quite a few interesting options. I am intrigued by the DynAudio option. I used to have Totem Model 1s - and while they were power hogs, they sounded quite nice. Actually quite a nice fit for a small-mid sized living room. I would imagine that DynAudios (and other mini monitors) would be similar in nature. (Totem Model 1s have DynAudio drivers).

[RDavidson]

Dynaudio tweeters are magnets for getting poked by little fingers, and they're expensive to replace. I wish Dynaudio would protect the tweeters on their home audio speakers even if it means just adding something that can be used to protect them when not being played, but easily removed otherwise. They're entirely exposed. Even with the grills on, one could just push the fabric in.

[timind]

The NHT SuperPower 2.1 Self-Powered Speaker with the matching sub would be a wonderful option if you decide to go with powered speakers. Way less than a grand even with mounting brackets.
Here's a link to the NHT site page: http://www.nhthifi.com/Powered-Desktop-Monitor-Speaker-Super-Power_2-1?sc=12&category=5060

Good luck with the little ones.