Goatwuss - after getting all fired up reading through the thread on the Ohm Micro Talls, the idea that only bookshelves will work with my room is an idea I hate to face!
On monitor/bookshelves, I guess my main concern is - will I require stands to get a sound that's comparable to something like what floorstanders like the Ohm Micro Talls would deliver? Because for me stands are out. Apart from the worry that floorstanders wouldn't work in my room, the only point of having bookshelves would be their easy placement on an actual bookshelf.
Right now I've got a cheap 5.1 surround system with the two fronts placed conveniently, but haphazardly, with one in the back corner of a bookshelf nearly a foot higher than the level of the other, which is on a table next to the center. Would I be assuming correctly that this is totally unacceptable if I'm serious about sound?
Also, I do watch a lot of movies. While it sounds like Gallo 3.1s or Ohm Micro Talls would be great for that, I wonder whether I'd be disappointed by the punch, power, etc. that's going to be delivered by a pair of monitors versus the two fronts plus a center that I've got now? If I go the monitor route, would it make sense to just go 5.1 surround? At that point, it seems like I'm spending as much as I would have on a great stereo setup.
I don't want to sound like I'm set against bookshelves - quite the contrary and I'd be thrilled if somebody told me all these worries are unfounded. But at the end of the day, I guess I wonder how much of a quantum leap I can expect - how much of a mind-blowing experience - I can expect from a better pair of bookshelves from the setup I've got now if I stick with the odd placement strategy I'm using now.
On monitor/bookshelves, I guess my main concern is - will I require stands to get a sound that's comparable to something like what floorstanders like the Ohm Micro Talls would deliver? Because for me stands are out. Apart from the worry that floorstanders wouldn't work in my room, the only point of having bookshelves would be their easy placement on an actual bookshelf.
Right now I've got a cheap 5.1 surround system with the two fronts placed conveniently, but haphazardly, with one in the back corner of a bookshelf nearly a foot higher than the level of the other, which is on a table next to the center. Would I be assuming correctly that this is totally unacceptable if I'm serious about sound?
Also, I do watch a lot of movies. While it sounds like Gallo 3.1s or Ohm Micro Talls would be great for that, I wonder whether I'd be disappointed by the punch, power, etc. that's going to be delivered by a pair of monitors versus the two fronts plus a center that I've got now? If I go the monitor route, would it make sense to just go 5.1 surround? At that point, it seems like I'm spending as much as I would have on a great stereo setup.
I don't want to sound like I'm set against bookshelves - quite the contrary and I'd be thrilled if somebody told me all these worries are unfounded. But at the end of the day, I guess I wonder how much of a quantum leap I can expect - how much of a mind-blowing experience - I can expect from a better pair of bookshelves from the setup I've got now if I stick with the odd placement strategy I'm using now.