Centre speaker choices - need something thin

[Autopilot]

I'm finally getting around to converting half my under stairs cupboard in to a new home for all my AV gear so need to make a few choices. Previously, I had an Onkyo AV receiver which was OK, but died a death when one of the boards melted (common problem on this model!). I replaced it with a Yamaha AV3030 which is significantly bigger front to back, so bought it knowing standing it on the upturned box it came in on the floor was only temporary (didn't fit on the shelf where the old one sat).

My issue is that currently the TV is mounted on the chimney breast. My centre speaker was put on a stand and whipped out from its hiding place when it needed to be used - which is:

A) Irritating
B) Only possible to do if the log burner isn't being used

It got so irritating that I just stopped using the centre speaker and used it in phantom mode, but as I'm now redoing it all, now is the time to put it right. So, I'm looking for recommendations for a thin centre speaker that could be wall mounted above or below the screen. My previous centre speaker is huge, I suppose a good 30cm deep hence why I used the bodged method of whipping it out when needed.

Can anybody suggest a wall mounted centre speaker that is 'reasonably' flat?

It will be driven by the AV3030 and sat between a pair of KEF IQ90's. I'm not sure in real terms how important having 'matching' speakers really is, but surely having a dedicated centre is better than running in phantom mode?

Thanks in advance!

[T1berious]

B&W did some crazy thin speakers that would happily sit under your TV.

http://www.bowers-wilkins.co.uk/Speakers/Theatre_S...

As with anything with the world of AV it's budget dependant. Did see a few smart looking DIY installs using B&W flat panels for CC, FR and FL. couldn't remember what he did for rears but it was on AVForums (I think).

Cheers,

T1b

[Ultraviolet]

Put in a ceiling speaker, just above the chimney breast? A pivoting / drop down jobbie would work very well and is likely to sound significantly better than a thin on-wall item

Uv

[JimbobVFR]

Im gonna go against the grain on this, providing your main speakers are positioned well I would prefer having no centre as opposed to a poorly matched centre. A centre speaker can help if your main L&R aren't ideally situated but IMO choosing a centre on slimness alone is probably going to lead to a poor match IMO.

[VEX]

Have a look at the Monitor Audio Radius 225 as a nice, thin wall mount center.

We have used them a number of times on installs with thin wall mounted TV's.

V.

[BRMMA]

The Q Acoustics 7000i centre is small and comes with an inbuilt wall mount, obviously due to it's size it won't put out anything like the power of a bigger speaker but in my relatively small living room it's more than good enough