So I have 3 Monitors that I use with my computer, a central 27" widescreen monitor flanked by two 19" non-widescreen monitors oriented sideways. It is a great setup and is highly productive.
 

 
The problem is that this causes my speakers to be set very far apart. I previously had them sitting under the two side monitors but having them firing so low was very problematic for their sound so I moved them to the sides and have raised them a bit. This is the best setup I have come up with so far, the only problem is that the optimal listening position is about a foot and a half behind me (just judging by ear).
 
Also I am currently using the Dayton B652s they are not ported speakers. However I am looking at upgrading sometime in the future to something like the JBL LSR305, Adam F5s, or Focal Alpha 50s and am wondering if these ported designs will cause lots of issues with the right speaker being so close the the wall and  so close to the corner of the room. Also if the front ported design will be better for this.
 
Any help or suggestions for how to better this setup and how ported speakers would perform and how any problems with them could be solved would be great.

Move the speakers forward and then experiment with more toe-in, and maybe move the monitors back a bit.

I don't understand how moving my speakers forward will help since right now the optimal position seems to be behind me. Also I unfortunately can't move my monitors any further back as they are attached to the back of my desk.

logscool said:

Also I am currently using the Dayton B652s they are not ported speakers. However I am looking at upgrading sometime in the future to something like the JBL LSR305, Adam F5s, or Focal Alpha 50s and am wondering if these ported designs will cause lots of issues with the right speaker being so close the the wall and  so close to the corner of the room. Also if the front ported design will be better for this.

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They should still a lot better than the Daytons since those are a big jump in speaker quality, whether or not you get some issues from having the speaker close to the wall.

Since you already have the Lepai, you might also consider passive speakers. I have these, which sound better to me than the Adam F5s.

Is there any way you could contrive to 'fly' your speakers or mount them on stands behind the flanking video monitors then angle them downwards?
 
People quite often place monitors on the desk itself and angle them upwards. Some manufacturers even sell special wedges to that effect. It's clearly much more effective doing it the other way round. Point them down towards you! You see set ups like that in studio settings and it's usually how it's done at gigs and clubs now as well.
 
I had a similar situation as yourself and that's what I did. I had a little more space behind the desk so I could squeeze a tall monitor stand in. You might have to be a little more creative. A cool side benefit is that the tweeters point direct to your ears in the primary listening position when you sit up at a desk. Whilst in the 2nd best listening position further back one might recline in a low chair. Aagain in a direct line to the tweeter.
 
Don't worry overmuch about front or rear ports. You only really need 2-3 inches. Anything more and if you drive your speakers that hard your ports themselves will start farting at you whether they are mounted front or rear.
 
I think you are on the right track with choice of new speakers. Monitors of that standard ought to have mounting brackets on the rear or underside. If you are worried about size and weight consider going down a size to 4" but up a quality level. Adam A3X, Focal CMS40, Eve SC204 (standard fitting for a microphone stand on the underside), Genelec 8020, KRK VXT4. Something like that. You can always get a sub to put under the desk if you find you really need one.
 
What pros do if they have to make a temporary studio in a small rectangular space is place the desk across one of the corners. Leaving a triangular space behind. (fill with bass absorbers of some kind, also the other corners). That way both speakers are equal. You lose some space this way so it might be going a bit far for now.

logscool said:

  I don't understand how moving my speakers forward will help since right now the optimal position seems to be behind me. Also I unfortunately can't move my monitors any further back as they are attached to the back of my desk.

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ProtegeManiac:
I should have made it more clear that the ideal listening position with my current setup was behind where I sit. But now I understand what your reasoning. The problem currently is that if I sit too close the speakers are wide enough that the stereo image becomes more like wearing headphones and I loose the whole reason I would listen to speakers instead of headphones.
 
RonaldDumsfeld:
Thanks for all of the advice. I have actually been considering moving them above my monitors, but I will likely need to manufacture some sort of stand first to try this.
 
Unfortunately in my setup moving the desk at an angle in the corner doesn't work (I tried it last night).
 
Are you saying that a higher quality 4" of similar price will sound better than the 5" speakers I am looking at? Many of the speakers you mentioned are either out of my budget range or right on the edge.

logscool said:

  ProtegeManiac:
I should have made it more clear that the ideal listening position with my current setup was behind where I sit. But now I understand what your reasoning. The problem currently is that if I sit too close the speakers are wide enough that the stereo image becomes more like wearing headphones and I loose the whole reason I would listen to speakers instead of headphones.

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logscool said:

Are you saying that a higher quality 4" of similar price will sound better than the 5" speakers I am looking at? Many of the speakers you mentioned are either out of my budget range or right on the edge.

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Not necessarily. A smaller driver is more challenged to produce bass at louder volumes. Often smaller driver speakers are optimized with a higher low end roll off as a consequence.

However, if you are going to add a sub to your system, then this is not an issue as you can let the sub handle those lower frequencies. Note, though, that some very small speakers roll off so high in the midbass that then the bass becomes localized to the sub, whereas lower sub bass frequencies (people often cite below 80hz) are more unidirectional (non localizable).

a higher quality 4" of similar price will sound better than the 5" speakers

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In your situation quite possibly yes. I'll try and explain why.
 
What matters most isn't the physical size of a given speakers come. It's the amount of air it can shift. A smaller cone with a longer travel moves as much air as a larger cone with a relatively short travel. The smaller speaker costs more because it requires more expensive components and better engineering.
 
You can see this phenomena in action in how speakers get larger and better. Once a 2 way system gets to ~7" (40-50 Hz;~100dB SPL) the designers and their customers have a choice to make. Going to 8" is the cheapest solution to get lower and louder. But the gap between tweeter and woofer starts to get a bit too large. So we see options such as twin 6" or 7" cabinets. Or three way systems. Even adding a subwoofer. The most expensive way of all however is to get one of the best 7" cones available. They will all get you another 5Hz lower and 4-5 dB louder. And it is all from one source. Tighter engineering standards, better components.
 
Once you eliminate the products aimed at those who cannot really afford them and those for people with too much money studio monitor models tend to split into three main categories. Entry level or bedroom studio, mid range or project studio and high end or pro studio studio. None of the high quality manufacturers currently make an entry level 4" model. But the ones I listed above, among others, do make a project studio 4" model. You pay a little bit more for the project studio 4" example than you do for the entry level 5". But not much and you get a better product with a longer guarantee. You lose a little depth and potential SPL but it doesn't really matter that much in a near field situation ( this will surprise many folks but it's true - read the reports: reviewers always remark on how much more depth and drive they experience from modern small cone speakers than they expected).
 
And since, if you want a genuinely full range system at some point, you are going to get a subwoofer anyway. So 4" mains going down to even as high as 65Hz (the ones I mention all go that low or lower) doesn't matter if you cross over with the sub around the standard 85 Hz mark. Your effective SPL will top out around 105dB but that will put the windows through in your room. Solution. A superior full range playback system. For not much money.
 
The reason I though of this in your case is particularly because of your size and location dilemma. The Eve SC204 would be a particularly good choice because it has a fitting for a standard microphone stand on the underside. So you only need 3" or less behind the video monitors to mount them economically and safely. You could also get a shop to bend plate metal into a long elongated U (like so |_______|) and clamp that to the back of the desk. Or suspend them from the ceiling.
 
Interesting project. Good luck with it. let us know how it goes.
 
The  

ronalddumsfeld said:

 
In your situation quite possibly yes. I'll try and explain why...

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Ok great thanks for all the help. You have definitely got me considering the slightly more expensive, higher end 4" models now. Hopefully I can make a speaker stand that will be able to connect to my current monitor stand as I think that would be just about ideal and I could then have my speakers above and behind my monitors angled down at the listening position.
 
Unfortunately I go to school in the middle of nowhere (it's really beautiful though). I am hoping that when I am home (Minneapolis, MN) in about a week that I can demo some of these monitors at a store (guitar center?) and hear for myself what the difference is like and which ones I prefer.