JL8888
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- Jan 10, 2021
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I know I am not the only one with this challenge, and I suspect fleshing this out here will help others in the future. I spend a ton of time at my desk and want high-quality sound. My desktop setup, however, is not conducive to good speaker placement. I know turning almost any speaker on its side or upside-down is a big no-no for a variety of reasons, but I can't see any other way to setup my desk. Please allow me to briefly describe my situation and hopefully those with experience and/or knowledge can help provide some guidance.
I have a triple 27" monitor setup which are all touching with no gaps. I am seated 2 feet from the monitors. The top edge of the monitors is at eye/ear height. I use an electronic sit-stand desk, so the desk height is variable. The speaker placement options I see are as follows:
1. Below the monitors - NO. There is not enough room below the monitors (6 inches) for speakers.
2. Outside the monitors - NO. The gap between speakers is very large (6+ feet) and I would have limited sound stage. I also don't have the space to accomodate them.
3. Behind the monitors, on floor stands, normal vertical speaker orientation - NO. Because the desk height is variable, the speakers would be completely blocked by the computer monitors in one of the desk positions.
4. Above the monitors, on desk-mounted stands pointing downward, normal vertical speaker orientation - NOT GOOD. It would be hard to get the angle just right, the speakers would be dangling higher than I like, and I doubt how good the sound stage would be in that scenario.
5. Just above the monitors, on desk-mounted stands, flipped vertical speaker orientation (woofer on top) - MAYBE? With traditional 2-way speakers this won't because the mids would be too far off axis. But what about 3-way speakers with a concentric mid/tweeter design like the Elac Ubi 51/52? Although still not ideal, would I be able to get decent stereo imaging and sound stage in such configuration?
6. Just above the monitors, on desk-mounted stands, turned on their sides - MAYBE? Same as above, would concentric designs work here, and would it be better than the flipped vertical orientation? Should the mid/tweeter be inside or outside?
I hope people can comment on the accuracy of my assumptions above, especially options 5 & 6 (flipped vertical & side orientations). I am open to any and all suggestions for placement, speaker types, and specific speaker models. I am hoping someone will be able to confirm what works and what doesn't.
Regarding preferences...I will not be able to add a subwoofer as this room is directly above a sensitive sleeper. That being said, I don't need deep bass, anything that gets to ~50HZ and below would be sufficient. Additionally, I will not be playing at high volumes so high sensitivity and/or large sounding speakers are not required. I am fine with either active or passive speakers if I don't have a choice, whatever will allow me to retain the best imaging and sound stage given my restrictions. I may prefer passive as I am not a huge fan of class D in general, which most actives use. With regard to actual studio monitors, I am not so hot on those as my feeling is they would be a bit too stale/clinical for my liking. I admittedly don't like an ultra neutral sound, I do prefer something that has a bit warmer mids with a slight roll-off in the highs. I get treble fatigue somewhat easily.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to your feedback. If this specific case has already been covered, my apologies in advance and please provide the relevant link. Cheers.
I have a triple 27" monitor setup which are all touching with no gaps. I am seated 2 feet from the monitors. The top edge of the monitors is at eye/ear height. I use an electronic sit-stand desk, so the desk height is variable. The speaker placement options I see are as follows:
1. Below the monitors - NO. There is not enough room below the monitors (6 inches) for speakers.
2. Outside the monitors - NO. The gap between speakers is very large (6+ feet) and I would have limited sound stage. I also don't have the space to accomodate them.
3. Behind the monitors, on floor stands, normal vertical speaker orientation - NO. Because the desk height is variable, the speakers would be completely blocked by the computer monitors in one of the desk positions.
4. Above the monitors, on desk-mounted stands pointing downward, normal vertical speaker orientation - NOT GOOD. It would be hard to get the angle just right, the speakers would be dangling higher than I like, and I doubt how good the sound stage would be in that scenario.
5. Just above the monitors, on desk-mounted stands, flipped vertical speaker orientation (woofer on top) - MAYBE? With traditional 2-way speakers this won't because the mids would be too far off axis. But what about 3-way speakers with a concentric mid/tweeter design like the Elac Ubi 51/52? Although still not ideal, would I be able to get decent stereo imaging and sound stage in such configuration?
6. Just above the monitors, on desk-mounted stands, turned on their sides - MAYBE? Same as above, would concentric designs work here, and would it be better than the flipped vertical orientation? Should the mid/tweeter be inside or outside?
I hope people can comment on the accuracy of my assumptions above, especially options 5 & 6 (flipped vertical & side orientations). I am open to any and all suggestions for placement, speaker types, and specific speaker models. I am hoping someone will be able to confirm what works and what doesn't.
Regarding preferences...I will not be able to add a subwoofer as this room is directly above a sensitive sleeper. That being said, I don't need deep bass, anything that gets to ~50HZ and below would be sufficient. Additionally, I will not be playing at high volumes so high sensitivity and/or large sounding speakers are not required. I am fine with either active or passive speakers if I don't have a choice, whatever will allow me to retain the best imaging and sound stage given my restrictions. I may prefer passive as I am not a huge fan of class D in general, which most actives use. With regard to actual studio monitors, I am not so hot on those as my feeling is they would be a bit too stale/clinical for my liking. I admittedly don't like an ultra neutral sound, I do prefer something that has a bit warmer mids with a slight roll-off in the highs. I get treble fatigue somewhat easily.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I look forward to your feedback. If this specific case has already been covered, my apologies in advance and please provide the relevant link. Cheers.