How far up the chain is worth it in a compromised room?

[zeeke42]

My wife and I recently redesigned our living room. Priority was on design and livability with audio way down the priority list (I care, my wife doesn't at all). The original plan was to wall mount the TV with a media cabinet in the corner for the AVR, PC, etc. Once we saw the furniture in the space, we pivoted to putting the media cabinet centered with the TV on top. PXL_20231013_133122590(1).jpg

Originally we were going to put the left speaker in the cabinet, center under the TV, and right in the bookshelf on the side, but running the wires in an aesthetic way was a no go. As a result, we're now limited to all 3 front speakers within the cabinet. (A BDI Corridor 8177 https://www.bdiusa.com/products/corr...storage-drawer). Similarly, wiring to the surrounds was problematic, so I purchased a DYNASTY WSA-5RP (speaker level wireless transmitter + wireless receiver with 50Wx2 class D amp built in) which can be hidden under the couch with wires just coming up to surrounds on the side tables.

When I set up my existing gear this way I discovered several problems. My L/R Paradim Titans woofer surrounds have given up, as has the driver in my Paradigm PDR12 sub.

Current equipment:
Denon AVR-S720W (Audyssey MultiEQ) - driving L/C/R
DYNASTY WSA-5RP - driving surrounds
Paradigm Atom L/R. (borrowed from my office 2ch system, replacing blown Titans)
Paradigm CC-170 center
Paradim ADP70 surrounds (small dipoles)

One of my best friends and longtime fellow audio traveler (we went to the original Head-Fi International Meet together years ago) is a happy Ascend Customer. After reading a bunch of threads here, I'm sold on Ascend as a company. Ascend feels like a spiritual successor to the old Paradigm I loved back in the NRC days before they seemingly lost their way: measurement driven pragmatic bang for the buck speakers.

Given all the compromises in layout, I leaned to the Signature series. However, the CBM-170SE is 9" wide (high in my situation, since all 3 will have to be horizontal), and I only have 8" available. L/R dimension limits: 17.25x8x18.5. C dimension limits: 25.5x8x16 (all inches). With an 8.25in depth limit, I have a full width of 61.5.

If only there was a CBM-170SE2 with the same 7.5" width as the CMT-340SE2, I'd be all set. I guess I could do the 340 center with the HTM200, but having bigger bass drivers in the center than the mains feels all kinds of wrong to me.

Surrounds wise, I may stick with the ADP-70s for a while or upgrade to HTM200s. Historically, I preferred the dipoles given the close position next to the couch, but maybe that's old school.

I started looking at the Sierra line and playing the classic audiophile game of, well if I spend a few hundred more, I can get this, but then a few hundred more again and that etc etc. While I could stretch all the way to 3x 2EXV2 or 2x2EXV2+Duo. I'm guessing it's probably not worth it given the layout compromises. Sub wise, no-sub, replacing the driver in my PDR12, and buying an L12 or LV12M are all potentially on the table. Location would likely be either back left corner, hidden by table and couch with wireless, or front left corner depending on the new furniture plan.

I'm not opposed to upgrading AVR too if more modern room correction is significantly better than the first gen Audyssey I have now.

Hopefully some of you made it through that wall of text and can help me with my analysis paralysis.

TLDR: Limited by WAF and logistics to L/C/R all inside a ~60 inch wide cabinet and wireless surrounds beside a very wide couch on back wall is high end gear even worth it?

ETA: overall room dimensions are roughly 20x20 (not square though). Left side is a sliding glass door that will be covered by drapery. Right side wall is built in bookshelves with an opening to another room in the middle. Front mid-right opening is 2 stairs up to a hallway that opens up to the rest of the downstairs.