Shelving question


I have a very small wall and want to install a rear projection TV. The wall length will be completely consumed by the TV (I want a 57") and my very narrow speakers to either side of it. The problem is, this leaves no room for my stereo components. I have 4 components now, but want to fit up to 7 or 8 in the coming months.

I don't want to stack my components on top of the TV, and my big issue is that I don't think I have studs in the wall to mount a shelf (it's a middle wall). Anyone have any suggestions regarding the following:

1. Good way to find studs. My studfinder (even when on deep scan) gets confused and does not help. Would prefer not to hole up my wall.

2. Is there a sturdy shelf I can buy that sits on the ground but has the first shelf above the height of a 57" HDTV?

3. Is there any way to fit the stuff under the RPTV? They all seem to come with a huge base that houses a speaker that I will not use. What would be perfect is to replace that with a very sturdy hollow space I could put my components in.

Thanks for any advice.
matt8268
an answer to Q #1 is that studs are on 16" centers...
so measure from a door,window,corner voila!! you found your studs. unless your looking for my services,that'll cost ya....
It's hard to imagine a wall without studs, unless it is made of brick or concrete.

I generally have more success finding studs by rapping my knuckles on the wall with my ear close by.

If it were my room, I would probably try to site my amp(s) near the speakers then run long, balanced interconnect from my pre to amps, so that I could put the rest of the equipment outside my field of view.
I assume you have an older home with thick plaster walls over lathe. This means your walls are very thick, which renders your studfinder useless. In that case, drill holes and use molly bolts. This will hold a lot of weight. Another technique (similar to the Dogeatpuppy response) is to find one stud by drilling small holes at regular intervals of about an 1/2 inch apart 16 inches from the corner, and then measure from where you hit a stud.

The wall has to have studs or I would be moving asap as you have some serious issues with the integrity of your walls.

However, if I understand your situation, my advice would be to move the stack of components to another wall and use longer cables to whatever needs to be on the TV wall.
Consider a Billy bags pro 54 or more suitable size. They seem pretty nice and you can spec the heights of your shelves to suit.

I saw a pro 54 at CEDIA in Minneapolis and I liked it so much I bought a pro 75 3 bay. I am just a customer, and that is quite a stand.