Some help with setting up active desk speakers.


Hello,

My question pertains to equipment that does not quite reach the realm of high-end audio gear generally discussed here, but having been influenced by a good family friend and audiophile who once recommended AudiogoN, maybe you guys can help me!

For personal listening I used a Stax SRM-T1 with a SR Lambda Signature earspeakers, but since moving continents, this set up has had to stay at home.

Since I have two impending moves within the next two years, size and weight are necessary considerations, and although I would love to have a bigger setup, it simply isn't possible right now. A baby on the way has also limited the budget allocation, so to be honest, I wasn't even considering purchasing speakers.

Then I popped into a store in Denmark and asked for their active lineup, and had a chance to listen and compare a few different models from Monitor Audio, Audio Engine, and Audio Pro. I listened to Audio Pro's Addon Five, and the output fit the bill. Much more pleasant than larger, more expensive units, and perfect size.

I struggled with finding relevant reviews, it looks like they don't necessarily make their way to reviewers, and the company's website is definitely geared towards a more design centric consumer marked.

http://www.audiopro.com/products/addon-five

However, the performance did stand out, enough for me to order a pair.

The source for these will be an Apogee One, with a blue-jeans RCA cable.

My question is, sitting on a fairly large desk besides my laptop, what can I do, stand wise/positioning wise, to optimize the output from these small units?

I've not ordered the angled base stands visible in the pictures, and wonder about positioning them atop books...

Thank you!
bonatto
Thanks, I saw the wireless adaptor but will skip it for now and plug directly, I'd like tome help with proper positioning.
Honestly, your question is premature. There are quite a limited number of configurations, and you will figure them out for yourself with just a little bit of experimentation. How wide a spread will be obvious when you move them in and out. The only question will be height, angle, and proximity to surfaces (wall). Depending on the dispersion and "hotness" of the tweeter, you will want them firing towards your ears or towards your chest. You can play with that by moving your body up and down with the speakers fixed and decide what you like. I've seen a number of compacts using the wedged stands to aim the tweeters at the listener's ears without requiring the speakers to be raised 1.5' above the desk. Regarding distance to surfaces - I don't imagine you'll get much bass reinforcement by being close to surfaces (given the frequency response of the speakers), but it could affect the imaging.
Thank you for your input, Peter. I'll try it all out when they come in. I guess given the size it's a pretty straightforward trial and error job.

Could you please elaborate on what you describe as "hotness"? Would it be the highs standing out from the lower tones?
The first thing I would try is your idea of setting them on books. Hardcover of course. Here in the states you can find encyclopedia sets at garage sales on the cheap. Just play around with them a bit. You'll figure it out and it will be fun.

Enjoy yourself over there.
By hotness I mean if the tweeters are aggressive you may not want them fired directly at your ears. The will likely sound different (and have less power) off axis (not straight in front of them).