Help me narrow down the usable max speaker size for this location plz

[nirurin]

So I have been going back and forth a lot on different speaker options lately, with the big limiting factor being that one of the speakers has to fit into a fairly small spot on the desk next to my left arm. The right speaker has various places it can go... it's an L shaped desk with two huge monitors spread across it so yeh it's an awkward layout.

So I'd been looking for particularly compact speakers, which generally meant 4" woofer ones (which for desktop use is fine, if not already overkill), but I want to be able to buy these speakers for the long term and (for the most part) the 'really good' speakers with great build quality and looks along with (ofc) sound seem to start in the 5" region and up. Which concerned me cos I thought maybe that would push the front of the speaker too oppressively close to me.

So I ended up just going to the effort of trying to mock up the common two sizes I had in my shortlist:

Micca MB42x G2, and the RB42, and the Swan 140. All kinda similar in size / depth. This is RB42 length from the wall, so it would be up against the wall, while the MB42x would have a couple inches of gap.

Cambridge Audio SX-50, and Neumi BS5. I actually thought these would be more oppressive than this, but actually in place it seems not so bad. Again, will be up against the wall as much as I can make it.

At which point I'm wondering if this is already pushing things too close, or whether I could start looking at the speakers I'd been skipping, such as:

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (not sure if these are any good)
Polk ES15
Elac Debut b5.2
Elac Debut Reference
Kef Q150 ... (I think they can be plugged so maybe they'll work against the wall but idk, if they can work these might be fantastic, I'd liked them early on but dismissed them solely on size... I probably shouldn't get excited by the idea though cos I'm sure someone will tell me they won't work lol)


But yeh, sizing up opens up a lot of nice options that (should) last me a long long time and be more versatile. But ofc if it's going to be a hindrance or a pain using it in my current desk use case then probably not worth it. But I can't easily test it so figured I'd ask the question to the experts! Appreciate any guidance on this!

(PS. And yes, I'm aware the D3V and Kali are probably the sensible desktop choice, I just don't like them. Aesthetics is raising it's ugly head.)

 

[AnalogSteph]

This is RB42 length from the wall, so it would be up against the wall, while the MB42x would have a couple inches of gap.

If the back is slammed right against the wall, a rear-ported speaker is pretty much out, so keep that in mind.

Cambridge Audio SX-50, and Neumi BS5. I actually thought these would be more oppressive than this, but actually in place it seems not so bad. Again, will be up against the wall as much as I can make it.

The BS5 is front-ported so that would work. What kind of listening distance (tweeter to ear) would this option be leaving you?

I hope you aren't forgetting about the need for desk stands of some description to raise the speakers to ear height.

(PS. And yes, I'm aware the D3V and Kali are probably the sensible desktop choice, I just don't like them. Aesthetics is raising it's ugly head.)

Are there any actives you do like then?
There's also the potential complication of cables sticking out the back... models that have things plugged into them from the bottom are generally going to be blowing you budget.

Side note - is the RGB-lit thingy on the bottom left a "gaming" microphone?
1. A condenser microphone should be roughly 20 cm (8") from your mouth, which usually precludes a position on the desk. The desk itself also is a disturbance. This is why microphone arms are a thing.
2. A pop screen mounted 1" from the microphone is a bit silly and arguably more of an alibi. These things are more effective the closer they are to your mouth. When you see a singer being recorded, you'll find a pop screen pretty much right in front of their noses. For general use, you can do away with one if the microphone is placed 20-90° off-axis so plosives will go right past it (do keep it pointed at mouth, obviously). Left, right, up, down, doesn't matter too much. It was good enough for ABBA...

 

[nirurin]

If the back is slammed right against the wall, a rear-ported speaker is pretty much out, so keep that in mind.

I know, but non-back-ported speakers seem to be hard to find.
The kef apparently gets advertised/shipped with plugs for the back port and mounts that let you wall mount it so I assume theyre OK.
The smaller speakers i can leave a gap behind them where needed, I just have them for this example as if theyre flush with the wall. The smaller the speaker depth the further forward i can move it i guess.

The BS5 is front-ported so that would work. What kind of listening distance (tweeter to ear) would this option be leaving you?

Roughly 50-60-70cm from my usual sitting position depending on if I'm sitting back or forward to type.

I hope you aren't forgetting about the need for desk stands of some description to raise the speakers to ear height.

Yeh id already planned some kind of stand, but I couldn't mock that up with these boxes and papers. They'll still be that distance from the wall just raised up so for the purposes of this test it seemed good enough.

Are there any actives you do like then?
There's also the potential complication of cables sticking out the back... models that have things plugged into them from the bottom are generally going to be blowing you budget.

The kanto ora4s were ok, but i just fancied branching out into passives with an amp. No particular reason why other than I could and I've never done it before.

Side note - is the RGB-lit thingy on the bottom left a "gaming" microphone?
1. A condenser microphone should be roughly 20 cm (8") from your mouth, which usually precludes a position on the desk. The desk itself also is a disturbance. This is why microphone arms are a thing.
2. A pop screen mounted 1" from the microphone is a bit silly and arguably more of an alibi. These things are more effective the closer they are to your mouth. When you see a singer being recorded, you'll find a pop screen pretty much right in front of their noses. For general use, you can do away with one if the microphone is placed 20-90° off-axis so plosives will go right past it (do keep it pointed at mouth, obviously). Left, right, up, down, doesn't matter too much. It was good enough for ABBA...

Yes, I wouldnt worry too much about that, a lot of things on the desk got moved around for the photo. There also is usually a computer speaker there but thats shoved to the side.

The filter is only there for the occasional times I'm doing funny voices close to the mic for when I'm running DnD. Largely unnecessary but it came with it and it diffuses the LEDs. Its fine, its cheap, and its way better than a headset mic.



I also have the option of the speaker going on the actual bookshelf next to me. Would put it more directly to my left instead of in front of me but the height would be correct.

 

[Roland68]

So I have been going back and forth a lot on different speaker options lately, with the big limiting factor being that one of the speakers has to fit into a fairly small spot on the desk next to my left arm. The right speaker has various places it can go... it's an L shaped desk with two huge monitors spread across it so yeh it's an awkward layout.

So I'd been looking for particularly compact speakers, which generally meant 4" woofer ones (which for desktop use is fine, if not already overkill), but I want to be able to buy these speakers for the long term and (for the most part) the 'really good' speakers with great build quality and looks along with (ofc) sound seem to start in the 5" region and up. Which concerned me cos I thought maybe that would push the front of the speaker too oppressively close to me.

So I ended up just going to the effort of trying to mock up the common two sizes I had in my shortlist:

Micca MB42x G2, and the RB42, and the Swan 140. All kinda similar in size / depth. This is RB42 length from the wall, so it would be up against the wall, while the MB42x would have a couple inches of gap.

View attachment 498260


Cambridge Audio SX-50, and Neumi BS5. I actually thought these would be more oppressive than this, but actually in place it seems not so bad. Again, will be up against the wall as much as I can make it.
View attachment 498261


At which point I'm wondering if this is already pushing things too close, or whether I could start looking at the speakers I'd been skipping, such as:

Wharfedale Diamond 9.1 (not sure if these are any good)
Polk ES15
Elac Debut b5.2
Elac Debut Reference
Kef Q150 ... (I think they can be plugged so maybe they'll work against the wall but idk, if they can work these might be fantastic, I'd liked them early on but dismissed them solely on size... I probably shouldn't get excited by the idea though cos I'm sure someone will tell me they won't work lol)


But yeh, sizing up opens up a lot of nice options that (should) last me a long long time and be more versatile. But ofc if it's going to be a hindrance or a pain using it in my current desk use case then probably not worth it. But I can't easily test it so figured I'd ask the question to the experts! Appreciate any guidance on this!

(PS. And yes, I'm aware the D3V and Kali are probably the sensible desktop choice, I just don't like them. Aesthetics is raising it's ugly head.)

I would look at two more speakers.

The Elac Carina BS 243.4, which have a relatively small footprint and taper to a point at the back. The bass reflex port is on the bottom. They are smaller and shallower than the DBR62.

The T+A LIGNUM LGR 10 are very good speakers with a small footprint and a front-mounted bass reflex port. Ideal for this application. They feature a very high-quality driver configuration with a ring radiator and a 5.5" long-throw mid-woofer.

 

[nirurin]

I would look at two more speakers.

The Elac Carina BS 243.4, which have a relatively small footprint and taper to a point at the back. The bass reflex port is on the bottom. They are smaller and shallower than the DBR62.

The T+A LIGNUM LGR 10 are very good speakers with a small footprint and a front-mounted bass reflex port. Ideal for this application. They feature a very high-quality driver configuration with a ring radiator and a 5.5" long-throw mid-woofer.

The lignum seems to not exist in my country, and the Carina would be wonderful but its about 5x more expensive than all the speakers on my list unfortunately

 

[Roland68]

The lignum seems to not exist in my country, and the Carina would be wonderful but its about 5x more expensive than all the speakers on my list unfortunately

I would suggest looking for used speakers. With luck, you can find the Elac Carina BS 243.4 for €400-500, and the T+A LIGNUM LGR 10 for €200-300. You'll need a little patience.

How are your DIY skills? Can you build a speaker yourself?

There's a fairly simple and not too expensive option. You would place a box about 10cm deep against the wall and install an in-wall speaker in it.
For example, something like the Triangle Secret - IWT7 or 8.
Triangle InWall
These components come fully wired with a crossover, and you can have the MDF panels cut to size at a hardware store.
Of course, in-wall speakers are also available from other manufacturers.

 

[nirurin]

Unfortunately the used market here seems to be pretty slim pickings. None of these speakers seem to have ever appeared in recent history. The only speaker that has had a single listing is the Kef Q150 which I'm tempted to go for.

Noone seems to have said that a bigger speaker would be too big for that location so maybe i'll just try it and see what happens.

 

[Roland68]

Unfortunately the used market here seems to be pretty slim pickings. None of these speakers seem to have ever appeared in recent history. The only speaker that has had a single listing is the Kef Q150 which I'm tempted to go for.

Noone seems to have said that a bigger speaker would be too big for that location so maybe i'll just try it and see what happens.

The depth of the speakers and the shorter distance to you are the problem.
I have a similar issue at two workstations, which is why I also own the speakers mentioned. But I have a straight wall behind my monitor.
It's much worse for you because your desk is in a corner, not against a straight wall with walls on either side.

 

[nirurin]

I ended up running across a set of Kef Q1 Metas for 350 new, including 6 meters of decent quality terminated cable, which isn't a super amazing deal but it's the cheapest these have ever been. Impulse buying is a problem.
I could have gotten used Q150s for 200 but by the time I picked up cable and grills it would have been ~100 to get brand new updated versions. Probably not worth it as the metas are only marginally improved from what I could find, but having a warranty is worth something too.
So yeh, will see if I can make them work in the space I have. Will give me a little project to work on at least.

 

[Penelinfi]

I've tried larger speakers on the desktop and currently using my own double 3" MTM. I feel like smaller drivers with better in crampy spaces. Of course, you can EQ speakers on the PC if you have issues.
Only thing to watch is if you screen record including your audio output, it'll record equalised audio