Speaker Positioning
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Positioning speakers in the near-field on a desktop is not really that much different than positioning speakers in a room---just a little closer.
Equilateral Triangle – The traditionally recommended way to position speakers is with each speaker and your head at the corners of an equilateral triangle. In a normal listening room situation there will often be reasons to modify this relationship due to room resonances, but this is rarely the case on a desktop. Generally speaking, positioning speakers in an equilateral triangle with your head is the way to go, or at least the way to start.
Remember, because the speakers are so close on a desktop you only need to move your head a few inches to significantly change the relative position of your head to the speakers; and your head will likely be moving considerably during the course of work. We recommend the equilateral triangle position to start, and tweeking as needed; if the image is to narrow, widen the speakers; if the image has a hole in the center, narrow the speakers.
Speakers at Ear Height – Your speakers should be elevated to the point where the spot half way between the woofer and tweeter is at ear height. There are two reasons for this: First, one of the most difficult things to achieve is audio localization directly in front of you. Positioning the speakers at ear height is one way to improve the straight ahead localization needed for a natural audio image. The second reason is that elevating the speakers significantly up off the desk top surface helps to bring the first reflections of the desk surface much farther off axis, and therefore lowers the amplitude of any residual reflection.
Tilt Speaker for Horizontal Axis – because the virtual point source of radiation from the tweeter and woofer in a speaker may not lay directly one above the other, it may be necessary to tilt the speaker forward or back so that the horizontal axis of the speaker is directly in line with the ear. Though partly geometric (usually the woofer point source is farther back than the tweeter), the crossover network also does a lot to change the relative timing of the two speakers.
The easiest way to tell is to raise and lower your chair as you listen for the most even balance to the sound highs vs. lows. There is no easy way to tell exactly where this axis is, but if you are too high (tweeter is closer than the woofer; on a speaker with the tweeter above the woofer and the) the sound usually gets a bit edgy or harsh; and if you are too low (woofer is closer than the tweeter) it usually sounds a tad too soft or muddy. Adjust the tilt on the speaker stands until this axis is horizontal and in direct line with your ears.
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