true bookshelf speaker

I have a large wall-sized custom made bookshelf along one wall of my library/sitting room. Stand mounted speakers and floorstanding speakers were out of the question. Of course placing speakers into a bookshelf is a compromise, but it is possible with the right speakers. I have a pair of Von Schweikert VR-1s that sit perfectly into the bookshelf and are surrounded on all sides with books. This makes them flush and essentially "in-wall". I have pulled them out onto stands on occasion and they sound better, but I am quite content with them in the bookshelf. I know it is heresy, but worth a try. If you can find the right sounding speaker with the right dimensions, it may work for you. Since this is not my only system I can compromise. If this is your only system, you deserve the best sound you can get, or use headphones, which I also do in my library. Good luck!

There is a reason why most "bookshelf" speakers sound better when stand mounted. It usually has little to do with the stands themselves, but with allowing some space around the speaker (sides if not rear) and also for proper height positioning.

Think about it - what speakers would you imagine sounding good when placed inside a tiny cave (and you are outside the cave)? Reflections resonance (from the loosely mounted shelf) and proximity damping are the main problems working against you here. Almost any speaker placed on a standard height and width bookshelf space is going to sound, more or less, like a dorm room (no offense to those of you who might have great systems in your dorm room).

So, what can you do? You can try the following:
1- If you must use a bookshelf speaker on a bookshelf, try a horn loaded model like the Klipsch RB series or the HSU HB-1. Some folks have reported great results with Linn Tukans on a bookshelf, but I have only heard them on stands.
2- If you can lose a couple of shelves, try mounting a speaker designed for on-wall centered in the empty space. I have a pair of Dynaudio Audience 42W that are stand monuted in my office, but might work as this way.
3- Forget the bookshelf idea and use a relatively small floor or stand mount speaker. Again, a horn loaded speaker would work well, but I might try a Snell-style speaker like those offered by Audio Note.

Have fun.

I have my VR1s set up exactly as Tgrisham notes above, and it sounds great. On the built in bookshelves, surrounded by books. This is on the long wall of a rectangular living room. I sit on the sofa directly across from the speakers which are positioned just slightly higher than ear high. The design of these spkrs allows a pretty wide seating area and sweet spot. My wife was really happy for me to get my old floorstanders out of the living room, and for the room size, these speakers sound great. Of course, now I am moving and will have my own media room/home office where I can set up my huge Dynaudio floorstanders and really rock out. The VR1s will go into a bedroom setup. They really produce lovely bass down to around 50 hz or so. They have a small rear port that can be placed close to the rear wall. Sure, they get a little boomy in the upper mids in this setup, but they still sound nice. PS: I used blue-tack to stick the speakers to the bookshelves, which really helped with imaging and tamed any vibrations on the shelving.