[Coolme]

I have this question about speakers that´s left unresolved.

I listen to a lot of music in a small computer room and I´m thinking about getting or building good speakers for this purpose. My ears lie at 75cm/30inches away from the speakers. In the past I have used dedicated computer speakers in the room and now I´m wondering if I will get good results using bigger and more audiophile units. So is it possible to expect good results with the distance I sit away from the speakers and the size of the room?


Thanks,

Coolme

 

[4DHD]

Depending on the speakers you choose, yes.

I have some 30 year old speakers wall mounted to both sides of this monitor. But these were the top of line in their day and sound very good at low volume. I tend to not have them as loud while sitting here, as when I have them playing while in bed across the room.

They're quite large (16w x 24h x 5d).


There are many onwall or bookshelf speakers you could use.

 

[XanderMoser]

It is called nearfield listening. The general rule is if the speakers are within arm's reach then it is nearfield. There are more technical rules, but that's good enough for now.


You'll be fine with building most MT designs. That is a speaker with just a mid and a tweeter.


I would not go with a 3-way at that distance.


I certainly would not go with an MTM (mid, tweeter, mid) because the sound from each individual driver will reach your ears at different times, causing phase shifts and ugly frequency response. They need proper space between the speaker and you.


There are a lot of DIY designs on this forum designed by professionals:

http://www.htguide.com/forum/forumdisplay.php4?f=6


Some are very large, but there are a number of smaller "bookshelf" speakers. Just make sure to select a crossover with minimal BSC if you will be placing them very close to the wall.

 

[4DHD]



Quote:
Originally Posted by XanderMoser /forum/post/15397100


It is called nearfield listening. The general rule is if the speakers are within arm's reach then it is nearfield. There are more technical rules, but that's good enough for now.


You'll be fine with building most MT designs. That is a speaker with just a mid and a tweeter.


I would not go with a 3-way at that distance.


Some are very large, but there are a number of smaller "bookshelf" speakers. Just make sure to select a crossover with minimal BSC if you will be placing them very close to the wall.

Small 3-ways will work and it would be best if they're on-wall design, for two reasons. First, on-walls are designed for that purpose and second, would also provide max distance from speaker to seat.

My 3-ways are 84" c/c and 48" from my seat. I put them that far apart for when I'm laying in bed (15.5ft wide room) to give a good stereo soundstage.

 

[XanderMoser]



Quote:
Originally Posted by 4DHD /forum/post/15397194


Small 3-ways will work and it would be best if they're on-wall design, for two reasons. First, on-walls are designed for that purpose and second, would also provide max distance from speaker to seat.

My 3-ways are 84" c/c and 48" from my seat. I put them that far apart for when I'm laying in bed (15.5ft wide room) to give a good stereo soundstage.

I already mentioned on-wall design. Same thing as minimal BSC. Sorry I wasn't more clear.


You are correct in the fact that placing them on the wall will give a max listener to speaker distance. However, wall mounting speakers can collapse the depth of a soundstage. It's a tradeoff.


Small 3-ways could work. Just more complicated and definitely expensive to build.

 

[Coolme]

Great, thanks for the infos. I´m thinking about a bookshelf size speaker with tweeter and mid.

 

[4DHD]



Quote:
Originally Posted by XanderMoser /forum/post/15397385


I already mentioned on-wall design. Same thing as minimal BSC. Sorry I wasn't more clear.


You are correct in the fact that placing them on the wall will give a max listener to speaker distance. However, wall mounting speakers can collapse the depth of a soundstage. It's a tradeoff.


Small 3-ways could work. Just more complicated and definitely expensive to build.

There are trade offs with wall mounting speakers. The speakers I have in this room are the same model as the pair I have in the LR, which are 54" out from the wall.


The LR pair certainly provide a deeper soundstage, but the pair, wall mounted in this room more/less make them disappear. Which is the reason many dedicated HT use on-wall/inwall speakers.


But in the case of using larger speakers for computer use, I'd go with onwalls.

 

[XanderMoser]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Coolme /forum/post/15397505


Great, thanks for the infos. I´m thinking about a bookshelf size speaker with tweeter and mid.

So are you more interested in building or buying?


As far as the on-wall goes, a speaker will sound different when used out in the open or backed up against a wall. The closer to the wall you get, the more the sound changes. Basically you get more low end, and even some increased lower midrange.


If a speaker is designed to be used a couple feet off a wall, it will sound chesty when backed up against a wall.


Alternatively, if a speaker is designed to be used close to a wall it will sound thin and weak when too far away from a boundary.


Many of the designs in the forum I linked have multiple crossover designs for different locations, just something to be aware of.


Any budget in mind?

 

[ZombieTheater]

I use these for nearfield listening http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...number=300-670 IMO they are awsome for the money. My only gripe is that they look like outdoor speakers.

 

[Mr. Audio]



Quote:
In the past I have used dedicated computer speakers in the room

What computer speakers have you used before?

 

[Coolme]

I come from cheap Logitech speaker kits, small units with subwoofer. I really would like to enhance my listening experience so I thought I´d try "real" speakers now with adequate amplifiying. I already own a descent sound card. Concerning my build I have to admit I´m not doing the design, I´ll just buy a kit, testing is possible so I´ll be able to choose the right speakers to match my room.

I was today in an audio store and did a little test, I put my ear close to some speakers to see if the restitution was well and have to say I´m not really enthusiastic. I´m now asking myself if speakers designed for near field listening are not a requisite? Do they put special units in computer speakers?


My budget is around 250 Euros for the speakers. [edit]


Coolme

 

[Mr. Audio]



Quote:
I´m now asking myself if speakers designed for near field listening are not a requisite? Do they put special units in computer speakers?

No. The fact is that small speakers sound better up close because their drivers are closer together and their drivers are often times smaller as well. Speakers like Bose with their cubes that have no tweeters often sound their best up close. Take note that all Bose demo displays have the speakers and bass module right in your face. Yeah it sounds doable there, but spread those things out in your home and they aren't as dynamic as they were in that display. It's all about size. Take my Paradigm Mini Monitors and Monitor 9s. The Monitor 9 has one 1 inch dome tweeter and two 8 inch woofers. The Minis have one 1 inch dome tweeter and one 6 and 1/2 inch woofer. The tweeter on the 9s has to be loud enough to blend properly with the woofers. The tweeter in the Minis has to be quieted down to blend properly with only one small woofer. With larger speakers you want to sit far enough away to where the sound has time to blend. Sit too close to a tower speaker you'll hear more tweeter than you want to. Sit too far from a bookshelf and the sound will be more muffled than a tower would be. The most important factor when choosing a speaker for nearfield listening is size. Most people, myself included buy speakers that are too big. I should have gotten Monitor 5s or at the most 7s and I fight to make the 9s sound more like they should. Not enough emphasis is put on distance vs. size. Most people know because it's mainstream that they should take into consideration the distance they sit from their TV when choosing it's size. What they don't know is that their speakers are not only the same way but a lot more important to achieve the best sound. I didn't know this either when I bought my speakers almost 10 years ago. Most likely you should be fine buying a small bookshlef. I don't think you should do sats because of their limited bass response. A good quality bookshelf will provide you will great full sound up close.

 

[Coolme]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Audio /forum/post/15406829


... With larger speakers you want to sit far enough away to where the sound has time to blend. Sit too close to a tower speaker you'll hear more tweeter than you want to. Sit too far from a bookshelf and the sound will be more muffled than a tower would be. ...

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I think I will have to see if a small bookshelf speaker will do the job. The part about the sound blending is exactly where I got stuck. The speakers I listened to just were not right from a short listening distance.

 

[Coolme]

Axiom sells some speakers in the category computer speakers which are supposed to be great:

Axiom


Does anyone have any info on how these speakers are specially adapted for computers?

Thanks.