Hi-fi on-wall speakers - is this possible?

[nightflier]

I've tried several types of tower speakers with my 2-channel seperates system, but towers & bokkshelves on stands don't work well with with kids & pets. I am intreged by the MGG-W maggies, but the 100-16000Hz numbers are not adequate. So I was wondering what people thought of the other options out there:

- Other Maggies (can they be mounted on the wall?)
- Vienna Webern (a bit modern-metallic-looking)
- Martin Logan Scripts / Voyage (also would look out of place in my house)
- Axiom w22's (a little low-budget for my needs)
- Vandersteen VSM's (a little pricey for what you get)
- Vandersteen 2ce's (can these be mounted on a wall?)

Any other on-wall recommendations? I don't want to install in-wall speakers but I would like something beyond the Polk/Infinity offerings.

[Olivertmc]

Nightflier:

Currently, I am in an identical position as you with respect to speaker options. I have NHT SB-3's on stands as mains, but with a new baby at home I know that the speakers will need to be moved. The SB-3's are pre-drilled for use with certain omnimount brackets. So, I'm going to mount them using this method - because of they're sealed design I am not overly concerned with the speaker's distance from the wall. Perhaps some small bookshelves may work for you using this mounting method. Good luch.

- Olivertmc

[Woochifer]

You're going to have issues with the low end extension with just about any on-wall speaker. With dynamic drivers, those speakers will typically use a shallow sealed box design that constrains the bass response, while the wall-mounted Magneplanars simply don't have enough surface area to reproduce much of the bass range.

Among the speakers you listed, the Vienna Schonbergs sound about as close to a good standmounted speaker as I've heard from an on-wall design (the Weberns are also very good, but have much less of a presence). I definitely preferred them to the wall-mounted Martin Logan Frescos. Also, the Vandersteen 2ce is way too big to mount on the wall. With just about any on-wall, you'll likely need to pair them with a subwoofer.

Some of the other companies that make on-walls include B&W, Paradigm, PSB, Energy, Klipsch, Boston Acoustics, and Definitive Technology. This is by far the fastest growing part of the speaker market, with additional companies introducing new models constantly.

[topspeed]

In addition to the other suggestions, you might consider the Legacy Sconce, Von Schweikert VSX, or Thiel Powerpoint or Viewpoint. The proliferation of flatpanel monitors has made on-wall speakers a new, and likely profitable, niche for speaker manufacturers and it's nice to see some of the upper tier designers getting more involved. Considering the gene pool these speakers are from, they should be worthy of an audition.

BTW, I have two little hellions myself, so I feel your pain. That said, my VR1's are practically immovable. A little BluTak, a custom Skylan stand with an oversized base (Noel makes every stand custom, so you can dictate what you want), and a couple of bags of Playsand gives the speaker and stand a very stable 50+lbs of dead weight. Lead would have been even heavier! Now, these things are more stable than my floorstanders. The boys have run into them numerous times and I assure you, they came away the worse for wear.

Hope this helps.

Powerpoint
http://thielaudio.com/THIEL_Site05/images/powerpoint_plane1_2_images/PwrPoint1_2single_NB.jpg

VSX
http://vonschweikert.com/vsx_m/vsx_upright_wht.jpg

Sconce
http://legacyaudio.com/2004/images/sconce.jpg

[nightflier]

Wow, I didn't know there were so many other options. Like the Vandersteen VSM's, I really want to avoid buying a pair of surround speakers and asking them to do front L&R duty, but some of the others like the B&W FPM6 and VSX have good specs. I'm not too keen on the metallic-look, though.

Wooch, if I were to get a sub to mate with Maggies or Vienna's, would I be approaching my goal? I can hide the sub in a corner where it is less likely to become a jungle gym target.

Top, the VR1's were on my list originally. I'd hate to drill into them, but if I could find a solid wall bracket, that would be another alternative.

Also, are the MMG's wall-mountable like the MMG-W's or would that just destroy the di-polar sound?

[topspeed]

Top, the VR1's were on my list originally. I'd hate to drill into them, but if I could find a solid wall bracket, that would be another alternative. Ask and you shall receive :).

http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/lifestyle/2000/l121BT77BMT.jpeg
http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2002/121/l121bt77s-f.jpeg

These BTech Wall Mounts (http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/products/2002/121/l121bt77s-f.jpeg) from Crutchfield do the trick nicely. They use compression to hold the speaker and have foam on the insides of the calipers so you don't scratch the finish. No drilling required :). Think of it like a big vice-grip. They are very well built and rated to 55lbs, overkill for the diminutive VR1's. They hold my CDM1NT's extremely well, even though they have a chamfered edge which lessens the area for the calipers to grip on.

Hope this helps.

[filecat13]

This oft-overlooked, hard-to-find line features very flexible placement options. Exceptional sound quality, terrific mids and highs, and articulate bass. The wall mountable speakers (PT800 and PC600 center), however intentionally don't go below 80Hz. They require a sub, like virtually all wall mounts. The PS 1400 is a relatively small footprint 14" sub with a 400W amp that goes down to 28Hz.

No, I'm not kidding: JBL Performance Series--IF you can find it.

http://jbl.com/home/products/series.aspx?SerId=PER&Language=ENG&Country=US&Region=USA

[nightflier]

Speaking of that 80Hz barrier, I've noticed that most smaller bookshelves & wall hangers will go down about that far, but when they roll off below that, there is a slope of lowering SPL's, making the blend to a sub manageable. Now I read that the Maggies won't slope off like that and that below 80Hz (for the MGG's) they just drop off. Is that true?