Looks are a little deceiving as the Mahlers are 3 ft from the rear wall. The entertainment system does not effect the imaging as the Mahlers protrude 6" out in front. I never imagined a cone based loudspeaker could sound this impressive but the solid enclosure (150lb.s each) as well as the very narrow speaker width really does the trick. These will remain my reference for some time to come. I am content...! Now if I could just afford the Rowland 312!