Alright so we are here again. Originally I was going to run only run two monitors in this new office but I need to go to three. I could move the monitors aparts by maybe 5 inches but that will make working harder. More head movement.
So yeah, once I actually got in here I realized the 3 way I was making is just going to be too large for this work area.
What build would you make for this setup? I really want a three way but I don't think that is possible unless I mount the speakers on the wall above the monitors. I could put them on adjustable arms have them pointed down at me. The window kind of gets in the way of that.
I really don't want to be boring and put a couple 3" Mark Audios in some spherical enclosures underneath the monitors pointed up at me.
Anyways, let me know what you'd do if this were your new space
So yeah, once I actually got in here I realized the 3 way I was making is just going to be too large for this work area.
What build would you make for this setup? I really want a three way but I don't think that is possible unless I mount the speakers on the wall above the monitors. I could put them on adjustable arms have them pointed down at me. The window kind of gets in the way of that.
I really don't want to be boring and put a couple 3" Mark Audios in some spherical enclosures underneath the monitors pointed up at me.
Anyways, let me know what you'd do if this were your new space
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Don't give up the near field, the near field is a very good idea, because this idea greatly reduces the influence of the room on the sound. The high-frequency speaker in the near field, as I drew, will be almost at ear level, the center of the sound stage will be slightly above the head, or at eye level, which is quite acceptable. If you place the speakers along the viewing window, then the room will add its influence to the fullest extent.
Good point, those Altecs have a deep nearfield and one reason why still so popular for HIFI apps 50+ years later.
I can try it out with some carboard footprints. I have been working on the 3 way footprint for some time now. Most of that work was burned on a vertical alignment between the monitors so that is basically wasted as that isn't going to work out.
To me, projects like this come down to picking your poison even more so than a typical pair of speakers. My approach for desk speakers eventually converged around the idea that placing mid/high frequency drivers as close as possible to the desk was the least offensive solution. This is similar to the approach of some mixing consoles/speakers where you're trying to control the first reflection. If you get the drivers very close to the desk and on the right angle you wind up with smoother measured frequency response overall. Pressure zone microphones (PZM) are another example of this idea.
This approach sacrifices some imaging/staging specificity, but I'm not normally listening for this at the desk anyway, so trading that for a more even frequency response was the right solution for me.
The other issue is that it's harder to deal with midranges and tweeters together, so I picked the best driver I could find that would reasonably cover the 300 hz to 20 kHz region. To my ears, the ND-64 from Parts Express won out for ease of use and good overall sound (within its limits). It does lack top end air when compared directly to high quality speakers/headphones, but I don't miss it in casual listening. And I just looked it up again, and it's on clearance, so I guess it's being discontinued like most of their drivers I've liked for about a decade. I know they're trying to make money, but they are wearing me out with the product churn.
Having at least a 2-way design is also helpful for a speaker meant to sit on a desk if you aren't going to use active equalization. A 200-300 Hz cross point with careful crossover tuning can often ameliorate the hump in that region that's common with a speaker sitting on a table.
This approach sacrifices some imaging/staging specificity, but I'm not normally listening for this at the desk anyway, so trading that for a more even frequency response was the right solution for me.
The other issue is that it's harder to deal with midranges and tweeters together, so I picked the best driver I could find that would reasonably cover the 300 hz to 20 kHz region. To my ears, the ND-64 from Parts Express won out for ease of use and good overall sound (within its limits). It does lack top end air when compared directly to high quality speakers/headphones, but I don't miss it in casual listening. And I just looked it up again, and it's on clearance, so I guess it's being discontinued like most of their drivers I've liked for about a decade. I know they're trying to make money, but they are wearing me out with the product churn.
Having at least a 2-way design is also helpful for a speaker meant to sit on a desk if you aren't going to use active equalization. A 200-300 Hz cross point with careful crossover tuning can often ameliorate the hump in that region that's common with a speaker sitting on a table.
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