You need to define what you are trying to do. True audiophiles will have speakers that are well spaced from the room walls so that the wall is not contributing anything sonically to the spatial stage that the speakers are trying to reproduce. You will find very few 2-channel guys who will want anything to do with Dolby anything. Most true audiophiles remove as many things from the signal path to reduce/remove any possible sound signatures that they may impart. This means any sort of DSP processing (like any Dolby Surround/Digital, etc). For the larger portion of the world that is not in the esoteric world of high-end audiophiles - this isn't really a reality that we'll live with. So its a compromise of sound fidelity and reality. Dolby (nor thx) have any speaker requirements that require speakers to be "on the wall". And honestly - thx certified is really a joke certification (sort of like energy star) - its the /minimum/ specifications with which consumers can live with. There are more high-end systems without THX certification that will blow away your "THX certified" system components. Your statement isn't correct that you can't get good sound from in-walls. I will point out that high-end in wall speakers all have their own backboxes and are highly tuned to impart the soundstage with the knowledge that they are to be placed in the wall. If you want high-end - go listen to a setup of triads, Revel inwalls, or Meridian in-walls. I guarantee you that you can tell the difference between them and a $20 Pyle (which I've never heard of). Also, just for your benefit - power plays a very little part of the entire equation. Power is a logarithmic function - it takes 10x the power for double the sound. So, sending more power isn't the solution for enveloping sound. What is primary into the equation for sound is speaker efficiency. E.G if you have an 87 db speaker vs a 90db speaker (3db difference). The 87db speaker will take DOUBLE the power of the 90db speaker to output the same volume. . Taking an even larger extreme - a 94db speaker at 4 watts is the same volume as a 87db speaker at 16 watts. Speaker efficiency is key here. Some manufacturers will lower impedance to drive efficiency but that just means that a higher quality amplifier that can drive a 4ohm (or even 2ohm) load is necessary. The next thing to consider is that full range speakers sound fuller and are better able to give a better (and louder) sounding experience than cheaper limited range speakers. There is a reason why some speakers are balanced toward the higher side and get "lost" when other sounds are present and other speakers don't. Believe it not, Bose is an expert at filling sound which is why some people believe their speakers are good. In no way am I going to say Bose is a great speaker - but I will give credit that they know how to fill sound and market it like crazy. People may not like Bose, but people also realize that Bose made a clock radio that sounded better than everybody else (and more expensive). Why is it that Bose made a radio that sounded better than everybody else ? Well, they made a system that reproduced sound as people wanted to hear (richer, deeper, fuller). You want your in-wall/ceiling speakers to be the same way - otherwise you end up with cheap clock radio sounding speakers.

regus thank you for the suggestion of a boom box since I am thinking it may be a good idea for that room or even for my home office room. I decided to look again for a smaller stereo for my spare bedoom since I just don't like having my stereo take up so much room and it looks like a pair of nice speakers are costly anyway and then have to be compatible with my system. Does anyone have an opinion on the five "stereo's" I narrowed my search down to so I can back to focusing on getting my work done at night instead of researching? There have less power than I had been looking at but they are the size I want and have decent reviews. Sony MP3 CD Boombox, Model ZSSN10S $79.99 in black and silver. Has very good ratings especially with radio reception and I like the way it looks. Sony ZS-S2iP Boombox for the iPod (white) that is pretty and maybe in the future I could buy an iPod for $89.95 Onkyo MC35Tech Executive Shelf System with 3 CD Changer. Has very good ratings of the sound quality despite only 20 watts per channel and 70 watts per the speakers. I like the way they look, their small micro size and maybe the $319.99 price is worth it? They have an attachment for an iPod and play MP3 files, etc. Then there is the JVC DVD Micro Componenet System in either the JVC UXg50 discontinued model selling by some places for $129.99 that plays 5 CD's and is very compact also with 240 watts of power and decent reviews or the JVC UXg70 that is the newer model with reviews not as good but good that also plays 5 CD's. I can place links in a posting if anyone wants to help me. I have so much work to do and I guess getting that dresser for that spare room and trying to make it look nice is having me really want a smaller stereo.

Jdbillp and others: So is there a small stereo of higher quality that would work for this sort of application or is there a minimum wattage per channel I should look for? It's not so much a question of $ as a question of size--I am limited to about a 10" depth for whatever stereo unit I chose. Thanks again, Dave

tube televisions. Who even has these anymore? pianos. I can see people not buying new ones as they are big space hogs. Not so many people play them these days, or have their children learn to play them. I still want one tho-someday! fax machines-these can be lumped in with many modern electronic office things. I was just thinking this the other day at work that I never send faxes any more-it's all done via pdf. Even received faxes show up in my in box electronically. And with electronic signatures and color scanning-it's far superior to go digital. phone books and address books-I like to have these as I really hate the on-line search engines-too many ads and pop ups. It's faster to just go to the phone book actually! printed maps-OH MY GOSH!! This one gets to me. I work with maps all day long-we're in GIS Heaven at work, but I still go back and refer to my old USGS Topo maps almost every day. Much easier on the old eyes. Plus, as I recently learned in a disaster training course, if there is no power, or cell towers are out, Google Maps sn't going to help you find your way to safety! Always keep a paper map in your vehicle-and learn to read it! alarm clocks-never gonna give mine up. I also would like to obtain a wind up one, just in case. desktop computers-I prefer mine over the laptop/tablet. but know it's a soon to be dinosaur (so are lap tops for that matter!) incandescent light bulbs, cable bpxes, photo albums, cd's, stereos (except car) and checkbooks-I see those as being extinct in just a couple years for sure. Printers will always be needed-we'll never go completely paperless. Same with stamps & memo pads. Sewing machines will also stick around, but as a craft oriented thing rather than a staple. I've had mine forever and decided the other day I wanted to sew some summer dresses-but after I went to buy a pattern and fabric, it was less expensive to go to Macy's and buy some! bar soap, corkscrews, mailboxes. cash + coins; piggy banks, dining room tables, wall calendars and books-I don't see those going away any time soon. We're still going to have to have those things until the entire globe is paperless. As to the defying the odds items-I think you can virtually put anything on there. As new generations and rural dwellers without access to urban infrastructure can attest, those things are going to stick around. Eventually vinyl is going to fade out of popularity again, I predict, sooner than later. This thread reminds me of a sign I saw in an antiques mall the other day-"Grandma had it. Mom threw it out. I bought one just like it."