aaarrgh.... I hear you guys! But I'm afraid this is a no option situation. I'm not a big complainer, and I see the matriarch's point. The room is dominated by the large boxes flanking the TV, which in turn is compromising seating options. We will be able to fit the new furniture in the room, but the armrest of the sofa will be less than a foot from the left channel, and if I can't get the full effect of the speaker, I'd rather not hear it at all. When I brought this to the attention to the queen, she was honestly disappointed saying she's grown attached to the speakers. I know I can get great sound out of a pair of toy speakers, which makes me semi-ok with the idea. I'll still have my cave for the big azz speakers.