Dave,
I assumed you had an entertainment unit behind you that you were using as a bookcase and wanted to put your surround QS8s on that. Now I realize that you want to put surround speakers in front of you. As others have said, you can't do that. You will not get a surround effect since the sound will be localized to the front mostly.
You say you want incredible sound and you don't want it to distract the neighbors. Axiom speakers will give you incredible sound with relatively low volume...they don't need to be turned up to sound real good. I run mine at a half watt when the family is home and I enjoy them very much. And when the neighbors are away or you decide to move to a house in the future, you can be confident that your Axioms have the ability to be driven very loud without losing their sound quality. But, they must be placed properly and that includes surrounds around you and not in front of you.
You may be tempted to look at other multi-function, uni-box products such as the Polk or Yamaha sound bars. These products attempt to simulate sonic cues through a combination of "beaming" sound and time delays to trick your ears into believing they hear surround. The time delay technology is certainly advanced and appropriate but the beaming technology is too room-dependant. It's a great concept but it requires technological advancements in speaker materials in order to sound appropriate. In my opinion, these products should have never been brought to market as they don't deliver what is advertised. I have heard the Yamaha sound bar in what Yamaha describes as an ideal environment (my buddy's place) and let me tell you it is not a solution and I feel sorry for all those that are being swindled. My buddy got defensive and told me that he was very impressed until he came over and watched a movie at my place. Then he realized how many sonic cues he was missing with his "simulated" surround. Perhaps I should have never let him listen to my system because in audio, what you don't know can't hurt you. On the other hand, I can't let him live in a dreamworld. At some point, we all need someone to give us the red pill to expose the truth.
A few wires routed discreetly on the floor or along the ceiling is a small price to pay for yours and your loved ones listening enjoyment. And with the amount of speaker finishes that Axiom has, you should be able to select them so they look like another piece of artwork in your place.
