Need new Speakers

Will62

Purchased a home that has a challenging room design where I want to locate a stereo system. 14 by 14 living room. Hardwood floors which I intend to keep. 9 foot high ceilings. On the wall where I need to locate the speakers I have a fire place and mantle that juts out about 15 to 20 inches from the wall, runs almost 8 feet up and and is around 6 feet wide. This leaves roughly 3 to 4 feet recessed to the back wall on either side where it meets up with the other walls.

I've been told that rear firing ports won't work well at all in this situation. Seems logical since it will probably change the sonic characteristics of the speaker especially the phasing of the base since it has another side wall to bounce off of opposite the main wall on the other side.

This being the case I seem to have two options. Find a speaker that has a front firing port only or plug the back of a speaker with rear firing ports with foam. Not sure which is the best method for this situation.

I looked at the Polk RTI A1 and A 3 today. It appears as though there is an opening on the back side but it is covered by some kind of plastic cover that sticks out an couple of inches from the speaker. Not sure what this is or if it is passive or active. Front of the speaker has a port.

Took a look at a couple of TSX series towers that have no port or similar hole in back like the afformentioned bookshelf speakers. However, I don't know anything about this series and whether or not they possess the tonal characteristics that I like.

Budget is under $500 for a pair. Want something similar to one of the following speakers:

Jamo C603 or C803
Boston Acoustics M25
Dali Zensor 1 or 3
Phase Technology V 52 or V 62

All have a neutral sound with detail yet are not harsh in the high end and. Jamo's are slightly warm in the mid range but not overly syrupy. I don't need a lot of heavy bass but want it to be balanced with the midrange and not overpower it. All of these speakers seem to have a wide soundstage which is something that I prefer. Unfortunately all have a rear firing port. Can't use them in this room.

Any suggestions on which Polk speakers to consider given this somewhat challenging environment? A while back someone suggested the LSIM 703 bookshelf but that is not in the cards at this stage. Beyond my budget at this point and for the foreseeable future. Have to stick with speakers that run $500 or less for a pair.

Thanks!

Zentish

You could look into some used vintage POLK's, the old Monitor 5/7/10 or the tower 8T or 11T can often be had from craigslist for well under your budget.

F1nut

I looked at the Polk RTI A1 and A 3 today. It appears as though there is an opening on the back side but it is covered by some kind of plastic cover that sticks out an couple of inches from the speaker. Not sure what this is or if it is passive or active

That is a power port, so the speaker can be placed close to the back wall without the usual concerns of a rear port.

Neither of those is going to offer much in the bass department. The addition of a sub for a fuller range would be a good idea.

Zentish's suggestion of the older Monitor series is solid. The passive radiator design likes to be close to the back wall. The RTA 8T is front ported and the RTA 11T or TL version use PR's, so those would work as well.

All of the older speakers suggested would benefit from tweeter and crossover upgrades making them much better than stock.

Will62

Thanks for the suggestions. I will look into these.