[callmecars]

Since this is my first post I might as well make the (somewhat) proper introductions.

Hello everyone my name is Cars (as my username says to call me as such). I do not consider myself in no way an audiophile, as I still lack the knowledge for it. But hopefully with your help I can learn more and understand the technicalities of sound.

So for now as the title says I'm just looking for some Edifier r1600t plus speakers in the Philippines since I'm from there (I asked around in another forum, a more PC gaming oriented forum)

I thought as well that since you guys probably know more about these audio products than the other forum where I asked, that you can recommend to me as well other choices for speakers (especially if they're available in the Philippines) that are just at the same price as the Edifier r1600t plus or even cheaper (which would be preferred)

other details that could probably help in this search for other speakers.

I'd prefer it to have "natural" sound, if that makes sense? like it just sounds like how it's suppose to (the speakers, or maybe I'm also talking about the games). another way I think of saying it is that I want it to have crisp clean sound, not much on the bass side especially if it's unnecessary added bass...

for loudness I'd also prefer it to be loud enough that I never have to turn it up on full volume, if that makes sense again...

and features... I really just want them to be good ol' fashion speakers, I don't know much of what features that would really benefit me in any way (it would be nice if you could share what features would probably give an edge)

and I can go either 2.1 or 2.0 or whatever else is there as long as the price remains sensible. and of course sensible that it won't look like much clutter.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

So for now as the title says I'm just looking for some Edifier r1600t plus speakers in the Philippines since I'm from there (I asked around in another forum, a more PC gaming oriented forum)

 
Did you happen to ask in TPC? I found one seller there.
 
http://www.tipidpc.com/viewitem.php?iid=34852679  
 

I thought as well that since you guys probably know more about these audio products than the other forum where I asked, that you can recommend to me as well other choices for speakers (especially if they're available in the Philippines) that are just at the same price as the Edifier r1600t plus or even cheaper (which would be preferred)

----

I'd prefer it to have "natural" sound, if that makes sense? like it just sounds like how it's suppose to (the speakers, or maybe I'm also talking about the games). another way I think of saying it is that I want it to have crisp clean sound, not much on the bass side especially if it's unnecessary added bass...

for loudness I'd also prefer it to be loud enough that I never have to turn it up on full volume, if that makes sense again...

 

I wouldn't know about the sound as I haven't heard these. The Edifier bookshelf-size monitors in SM appliance store that are priced higher than the R1600 are made out of cheap wood - one knock test on them and you can immediately tell how they got the price that low vs Audioengine for example (not that I'd recommend spending that much on those). My friend has one of those though and the sound isn't something I'd complain about for the price, although for the 6k he spent buying it from Western Appliances, I would rather get the Swans D1080 from PCHub Edge in Gilmore. 
 
 

  and features... I really just want them to be good ol' fashion speakers, I don't know much of what features that would really benefit me in any way (it would be nice if you could share what features would probably give an edge)

 
Not sure what you mean by that - old fashioned speaker (system) sounds like something bulky to me.

Then again, old is relative so you might just be a lot younger than me, or your grandparents didn't have anything like the one below. My grandfather thought my Pacific Pi10 and NAD304 were "amazingly compact but big-sounding."

 

[callmecars]

   
Did you happen to ask in TPC? I found one seller there.
 
http://www.tipidpc.com/viewitem.php?iid=34852679  
 
 

I wouldn't know about the sound as I haven't heard these. The Edifier bookshelf-size monitors in SM appliance store that are priced higher than the R1600 are made out of cheap wood - one knock test on them and you can immediately tell how they got the price that low vs Audioengine for example (not that I'd recommend spending that much on those). My friend has one of those though and the sound isn't something I'd complain about for the price, although for the 6k he spent buying it from Western Appliances, I would rather get the Swans D1080 from PCHub Edge in Gilmore. 
 
 
 
Not sure what you mean by that - old fashioned speaker (system) sounds like something bulky to me.

Then again, old is relative so you might just be a lot younger than me, or your grandparents didn't have anything like the one below. My grandfather thought my Pacific Pi10 and NAD304 were "amazingly compact but big-sounding."

well the one in TPC isn't the exact one I was looking for so yeah...

the 

Swans D1080 look awesome... would you mind explaining why they'd be a good choice?

and what I meant by good ol' fashion was just basic looking speakers, kinda like the one you recommended, not those other ones that just look fancy and have all these "bonus features" that are just BS

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  well the one in TPC isn't the exact one I was looking for so yeah...

 
Just Googled it and good news for you, the "Plus" version is what I saw in SM that failed the knock test (that means you can easily find it in SM, or you can just go ahead and get the other one). The R1600T in the TPC link looks like it has a better cabinet - not necessarily for the knock test, but if the desk you'll be mounting these on are a lot lower than your head, the angled front baffle can help a bit. The remote looks nice too, and costs a bit less. If I remember correctly the Plus in SM was around P3,800.
 

  the 

Swans D1080 look awesome... would you mind explaining why they'd be a good choice?

 

Their cabinets did a little better than the Edifiers on the knock test, but of course don't expect it to do as well as an Audioengine A5 or a B&W 805D. Also my friend's larger Edifiers tended to have a bit of looseness in the bass, but it wasn't noticeably louder. The D1080 by contrast managed to go a bit louder but still did the bass tighter and a bit more impact from the bass drum hits. No audible (much less annoying) treble peaks - overall it was great for everything but I was happy with them playin metal. Percussions were loud and clear, guitars were warm but not excessively so (although they lacked a bit of "bite" when they got more aggressive), vocals weren't shrill (overall natural enough, but some male vocals have a little bit too much bloom). Overall I was happy for the price. I used an Ibasso D-Zero as a DAC, no preamp as I had ReplayGain on my music and I just leave the volume control in one setting.

 

Oh and the bass was so tight and yet can get really loud that during the times that I was working on weekends I'd fire them up to play house (you can tell how old I am since I'm not using the term nor listening to the broader genre called "EDM") and I could be taking a shower in across the second floor hallway and I can feel the bass there as I pretend that I'm actually going out and having a social life (NOT!!!). Just don't overdo the bass boost though - I never used more than 2:00 on the bass knob (I permanently had the treble at 11:00 though).

 

and what I meant by good ol' fashion was just basic looking speakers, kinda like the one you recommended, not those other ones that just look fancy and have all these "bonus features" that are just BS

 

To be honest the most extra features I've seen on speakers are those bass and treble knobs (aside from built-in iPod docks on Aktimate speakers), but then that's because the amplifiers are mounted on the speakers. Pro monitors for example look like they have a lot of features but they're all just redundant, like multiple inputs (also mounting one amp on each speaker, instead of one amp in one speaker and then wires going out to the slave). BTW, not sure if all Edifiers have a similar amp design (my friend's does, so does the R1600), but the Swans use four channels of amplification - separate channels for each tweeter and woofer. Pretty much the kind of amplifier architecture you can find on a professional monitor, but with the convenience of plugging in only one power cord.

 

[callmecars]

   
Just Googled it and good news for you, the "Plus" version is what I saw in SM that failed the knock test (that means you can easily find it in SM, or you can just go ahead and get the other one). The R1600T in the TPC link looks like it has a better cabinet - not necessarily for the knock test, but if the desk you'll be mounting these on are a lot lower than your head, the angled front baffle can help a bit. The remote looks nice too, and costs a bit less. If I remember correctly the Plus in SM was around P3,800.
 
 

Their cabinets did a little better than the Edifiers on the knock test, but of course don't expect it to do as well as an Audioengine A5 or a B&W 805D. Also my friend's larger Edifiers tended to have a bit of looseness in the bass, but it wasn't noticeably louder. The D1080 by contrast managed to go a bit louder but still did the bass tighter and a bit more impact from the bass drum hits. No audible (much less annoying) treble peaks - overall it was great for everything but I was happy with them playin metal. Percussions were loud and clear, guitars were warm but not excessively so (although they lacked a bit of "bite" when they got more aggressive), vocals weren't shrill (overall natural enough, but some male vocals have a little bit too much bloom). Overall I was happy for the price. I used an Ibasso D-Zero as a DAC, no preamp as I had ReplayGain on my music and I just leave the volume control in one setting.

 

Oh and the bass was so tight and yet can get really loud that during the times that I was working on weekends I'd fire them up to play house (you can tell how old I am since I'm not using the term nor listening to the broader genre called "EDM") and I could be taking a shower in across the second floor hallway and I can feel the bass there as I pretend that I'm actually going out and having a social life (NOT!!!). Just don't overdo the bass boost though - I never used more than 2:00 on the bass knob (I permanently had the treble at 11:00 though).

 
 

To be honest the most extra features I've seen on speakers are those bass and treble knobs (aside from built-in iPod docks on Aktimate speakers), but then that's because the amplifiers are mounted on the speakers. Pro monitors for example look like they have a lot of features but they're all just redundant, like multiple inputs (also mounting one amp on each speaker, instead of one amp in one speaker and then wires going out to the slave). BTW, not sure if all Edifiers have a similar amp design (my friend's does, so does the R1600), but the Swans use four channels of amplification - separate channels for each tweeter and woofer. Pretty much the kind of amplifier architecture you can find on a professional monitor, but with the convenience of plugging in only one power cord.

sorry I don't understand 50% of the terms you said... what's angled front baffle? and I don't seem to understand what's the purpose of this knock test you keep telling me about, what does it mean if speakers fail the knock test? does that mean their sound quality is bad or what?

and with all the loose and tight bass... yeah I don't get that as well sorry. I think what I'm looking for are speakers that can go loud without sounding broken, if that makes sense..

and you said something about using Ibasso D-Zero, are those necessary to optimize these speakers? if so then what speakers would be good without those? I'm thinking of a 4000 PHP budget.

I don't know if this information would help, but my PC has a Realtek ALC1150 audio card, so if there are speakers more optimized for those then I'd appreciate to know.

and it seems like I really am into the look of the bookshelf speakers now hehe

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  sorry I don't understand 50% of the terms you said... what's angled front baffle?

 

Here's the R1600T I linked, side view: https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607995652424139180&pid=15.1&P=0

Similar speakers: https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608031292061780720&pid=15.1&P=0 (not for nearfield use though)

 

Here's the R1600T Plus, 3/4 view: https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608016873854797784&pid=15.1&P=0

 

Here are a couple of diagrams I made on Paint just now (excuse the quality) that shows the differences when used on a low desk. Arrows indicate the direction of the sound from the speakers; lines drawn from the ears to the speakers show relative distance. In FigA (click to zoom), with conventional straight baffles, the speakers' output is nowhere near aligned with the head, and there is some variance in the distance from the tweeters to the ears vs the midwoofers to the ears. That can cause some (not too obvious nor easily attributable) timing issues and cause problems for the overall sound. The brown box on the other hand shows the typical mounting for a studio monitor relative to the engineer working on the tracks, which is why pro monitors typically use straight baffles and the orange and light blue lines are nearly equal in length, but the reality is that most non-professional applications might not any provisions for mounting in that manner.

 

 

In FigB (click to zoom) the angled baffle compensates for the relatively low desk by angling the front panel (or "baffle"), aiming in the general direction of the listener's head, and the angling moves the midwoofer slightly forward - note how the red and blue lines are nearly equal. Not as much as in the pro mounting in FigA, but it comes close considering the desk.

 

 

  and I don't seem to understand what's the purpose of this knock test you keep telling me about, what does it mean if speakers fail the knock test? does that mean their sound quality is bad or what?

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5KNFdajWUE
 

  and with all the loose and tight bass... yeah I don't get that as well sorry. I think what I'm looking for are speakers that can go loud without sounding broken, if that makes sense..

 
Let's take a few kinds of bass lines for example.

Metal - fast double pedals
Tight: thudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud
Loose: thwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthd
 
Jazz - plucking double bass
Tight: dum, da, da, da, da, da, da, dum
Loose: dwuuummdwaaadwaaadwaaadwaaadwaaadwaaadwuuuum
 
Basically, loose bass means you lose definition on each individual note, regardless of how loud the bass is.
 

  I think what I'm looking for are speakers that can go loud without sounding broken, if that makes sense...

 

If all you want is high power handling without the speakers breaking up, you're going to need speakers with powerful amplifiers. The Swans D1080MkII 08 (and later versions, but that's the one I had) have a lot of clean power. Like I said, I could make my house sound almost like I went out, minus the people high on ecstasy that we would normally try to steer clear of (because they might also be highly intoxicated and barf all over us).

 
 

  and you said something about using Ibasso D-Zero, are those necessary to optimize these speakers? if so then what speakers would be good without those? I'm thinking of a 4000 PHP budget.

 

A DAC like the D-Zero can give the amp (whether built into the speakers or in a separate chassis) a cleaner input signal than say a laptop's soundcard, and also louder than an iPod's for example. However at this stage I'd say it's better to just save more money and spend more on the speakers, especially since your goal is to rock the house. Go cheap, and you can end up with speakers that sound clean but can't go loud (basic audiophile stuff) or speakers that go loud but even if they don't start breaking up there's still too much harmonic distortion in the signal.

 

  I don't know if this information would help, but my PC has a Realtek ALC1150 audio card, so if there are speakers more optimized for those then I'd appreciate to know.

 
The problem is that the output stage on the entire soundcard/on-board sound has to be designed as a compromise between feeding speaker amps and driving headphones, but for now I wouldn't worry about it. You can always just use the volume knob to stay away from output levels with too much distortion. Get the most powerful speaker you can get considering your objectives, then worry about the decoding hardware quality later.

 

[callmecars]

   

Here's the R1600T I linked, side view: https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607995652424139180&pid=15.1&P=0

Similar speakers: https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608031292061780720&pid=15.1&P=0 (not for nearfield use though)

 

Here's the R1600T Plus, 3/4 view: https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608016873854797784&pid=15.1&P=0

 

Here are a couple of diagrams I made on Paint just now (excuse the quality) that shows the differences when used on a low desk. Arrows indicate the direction of the sound from the speakers; lines drawn from the ears to the speakers show relative distance. In FigA (click to zoom), with conventional straight baffles, the speakers' output is nowhere near aligned with the head, and there is some variance in the distance from the tweeters to the ears vs the midwoofers to the ears. That can cause some (not too obvious nor easily attributable) timing issues and cause problems for the overall sound. The brown box on the other hand shows the typical mounting for a studio monitor relative to the engineer working on the tracks, which is why pro monitors typically use straight baffles and the orange and light blue lines are nearly equal in length, but the reality is that most non-professional applications might not any provisions for mounting in that manner.

 

 

In FigB (click to zoom) the angled baffle compensates for the relatively low desk by angling the front panel (or "baffle"), aiming in the general direction of the listener's head, and the angling moves the midwoofer slightly forward - note how the red and blue lines are nearly equal. Not as much as in the pro mounting in FigA, but it comes close considering the desk.

 

 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5KNFdajWUE
 
 
Let's take a few kinds of bass lines for example.

Metal - fast double pedals
Tight: thudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthudthud
Loose: thwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthdwuuthd
 
Jazz - plucking double bass
Tight: dum, da, da, da, da, da, da, dum
Loose: dwuuummdwaaadwaaadwaaadwaaadwaaadwaaadwuuuum
 
Basically, loose bass means you lose definition on each individual note, regardless of how loud the bass is.
 

 

If all you want is high power handling without the speakers breaking up, you're going to need speakers with powerful amplifiers. The Swans D1080MkII 08 (and later versions, but that's the one I had) have a lot of clean power. Like I said, I could make my house sound almost like I went out, minus the people high on ecstasy that we would normally try to steer clear of (because they might also be highly intoxicated and barf all over us).

 
 
 

A DAC like the D-Zero can give the amp (whether built into the speakers or in a separate chassis) a cleaner input signal than say a laptop's soundcard, and also louder than an iPod's for example. However at this stage I'd say it's better to just save more money and spend more on the speakers, especially since your goal is to rock the house. Go cheap, and you can end up with speakers that sound clean but can't go loud (basic audiophile stuff) or speakers that go loud but even if they don't start breaking up there's still too much harmonic distortion in the signal.

 
 
The problem is that the output stage on the entire soundcard/on-board sound has to be designed as a compromise between feeding speaker amps and driving headphones, but for now I wouldn't worry about it. You can always just use the volume knob to stay away from output levels with too much distortion. Get the most powerful speaker you can get considering your objectives, then worry about the decoding hardware quality later.

holy cow thank you for going through all the trouble to explain these things to me!

the new dilemma I thought of now is that I can't really do any knock test on speakers that I'd buy online lol. 

I get now about the angle front baffle that you talk about. A question though, are the Swans D1080 angled? when I look at them they look like straight facing speakers.

with that I also wonder if I can have a custom made desk to emulate the brown box placement you drew. thinking about that I have more questions, does their placement on the x axis matter for sound? like is it better or worse if the speakers are closer to each other or further from each other? and is there and kind of wood or material that would do well to support such speakers?

 

[callmecars]

one more thing, I found on TPC two more comparable (at least by price) speakers by Edifier and Swans. I just want to ask for a suggestion between them since you would probably know better hehe

the two are the Swans HiVi (D1010-IV) 2.0 and the Edifier (R2700) Studio 2.0
 
they're both at the 6k price range so I thought they'd compare against each other.

 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  one more thing, I found on TPC two more comparable (at least by price) speakers by Edifier and Swans. I just want to ask for a suggestion between them since you would probably know better hehe

the two are the Swans HiVi (D1010-IV) 2.0 and the Edifier (R2700) Studio 2.0
 
they're both at the 6k price range so I thought they'd compare against each other.

 

I think my friend has the R2700, and going by the knock test, the D1080 was a bit better, so my guess is so would the D1010. However, the R2700 does have larger drivers, and the bass distortion is minimal; note that the D1010 has a 4in midwoofer like the R1600T III I posted the link to. So in theory, the R2700 should reach into deeper bass and the drivers should have less distortion. The disadvantages with the cabinet quality probably wouldn't undo all the benefits of the larger driver.

 

Note though that those R2700s are HUGE. They're markedly smaller than the old school speakers I linked to above, but are still larger than current standmounts. Check Edifier's website first for the actual physical measurements and check if they fit on your desk. Also, three drivers means that you need to be able to have all three at near-equidistant positions relative to your ears, so expect the likelihood that they might sound very different at your desk compared to hwo they'll sound on a counter with you standing when you test them at the store.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  one more thing, I found on TPC two more comparable (at least by price) speakers by Edifier and Swans. I just want to ask for a suggestion between them since you would probably know better hehe

the two are the Swans HiVi (D1010-IV) 2.0 and the Edifier (R2700) Studio 2.0
 
they're both at the 6k price range so I thought they'd compare against each other.

 
I think my friend has the R2700, and going by the knock test, the D1080 was a bit better, so my guess is so would the D1010. However, the R2700 does have larger drivers, and the bass distortion is minimal; note that the D1010 has a 4in midwoofer like the R1600T III I posted the link to. So in theory, the R2700 should reach into deeper bass and the drivers should have less distortion. The disadvantages with the cabinet quality probably wouldn't undo all the benefits of the larger driver.
 
Note though that those R2700s are HUGE. They're markedly smaller than the old school speakers I linked to above, but are still larger than current standmounts. Check Edifier's website first for the actual physical measurements and check if they fit on your desk. Also, three drivers means that you need to be able to have all three at near-equidistant positions relative to your ears, so expect the likelihood that they might sound very different at your desk compared to hwo they'll sound on a counter with you standing when you test them at the store.
 

  the new dilemma I thought of now is that I can't really do any knock test on speakers that I'd buy online lol.

 
Are you having them delivered? How far are you from the stores? I found the D1080 on TPC then I drove over to PCHub Edge near Gilmore St. in QC. Note that shipping these will be expensive - the boxes are huge and heavy.
 
 

  I get now about the angle front baffle that you talk about. A question though, are the Swans D1080 angled? when I look at them they look like straight facing speakers.

 

Nope, they're not angled, but I pushed for them when you said you needed louder output with less obvious distortion (ie drivers' overexcursion and the like). Plus I can say from experience that although they're smaller than the R2700 they can really pound bass playing House (ie mostly those CDs with the cartoon bikini girls from European beaches).
 
 

  with that I also wonder if I can have a custom made desk to emulate the brown box placement you drew. thinking about that I have more questions, does their placement on the x axis matter for sound? like is it better or worse if the speakers are closer to each other or further from each other? and is there and kind of wood or material that would do well to support such speakers?

 

Speakers are better farther apart, but depending on how close you are to the center of the speakers, that will have its limits. Also you'll need to have some toe-in angle, regardless of how far apart they are, and that varies with each speaker. Are you just adding these to an existing desk, or are you having the whole desk (re)made from scratch?

 

As for the material, as long as it's sturdy wood it's fine. MDF is the material of choice for speaker cabinets, so I'll start there. Marine plyboard is good and has better moisture resistance, but I think it's less dense so you'll also have to get the the thicker ones. Check the local lumber store where your carpenter will have to get them and see what they have. If you're willing to really blow money on this you can use Narra, but of course the craftsmanship will be expensive, plus the finish will look better but you shouldn't just put your Mountain Dew on it (so there goes your late-night cramming or marathon gaming sessions).

 

[callmecars]

   
I think my friend has the R2700, and going by the knock test, the D1080 was a bit better, so my guess is so would the D1010. However, the R2700 does have larger drivers, and the bass distortion is minimal; note that the D1010 has a 4in midwoofer like the R1600T III I posted the link to. So in theory, the R2700 should reach into deeper bass and the drivers should have less distortion. The disadvantages with the cabinet quality probably wouldn't undo all the benefits of the larger driver.
 
Note though that those R2700s are HUGE. They're markedly smaller than the old school speakers I linked to above, but are still larger than current standmounts. Check Edifier's website first for the actual physical measurements and check if they fit on your desk. Also, three drivers means that you need to be able to have all three at near-equidistant positions relative to your ears, so expect the likelihood that they might sound very different at your desk compared to hwo they'll sound on a counter with you standing when you test them at the store.
 
 
Are you having them delivered? How far are you from the stores? I found the D1080 on TPC then I drove over to PCHub Edge near Gilmore St. in QC. Note that shipping these will be expensive - the boxes are huge and heavy.
 
 
 

Nope, they're not angled, but I pushed for them when you said you needed louder output with less obvious distortion (ie drivers' overexcursion and the like). Plus I can say from experience that although they're smaller than the R2700 they can really pound bass playing House (ie mostly those CDs with the cartoon bikini girls from European beaches).
 
 
 

Speakers are better farther apart, but depending on how close you are to the center of the speakers, that will have its limits. Also you'll need to have some toe-in angle, regardless of how far apart they are, and that varies with each speaker. Are you just adding these to an existing desk, or are you having the whole desk (re)made from scratch?

 

As for the material, as long as it's sturdy wood it's fine. MDF is the material of choice for speaker cabinets, so I'll start there. Marine plyboard is good and has better moisture resistance, but I think it's less dense so you'll also have to get the the thicker ones. Check the local lumber store where your carpenter will have to get them and see what they have. If you're willing to really blow money on this you can use Narra, but of course the craftsmanship will be expensive, plus the finish will look better but you shouldn't just put your Mountain Dew on it (so there goes your late-night cramming or marathon gaming sessions).

thanks for the opinion on the R2700 & the D1010, I didn't know that bookshelf speakers differ much in size, and knowing now would definitely be a useful guide into customizing my desk and whatnot

I actually went to the SM Appliance Center in Mall of Asia today and did some knock tests on the Edifiers they had (sadly they did not have the R1600t Plus for me to check, and they also said that the only bookshelf edifier speakers they had in the past were 7k+ so I'm not sure it's the same one) and I think, with my amateur knocking skills, that majority were actually good (they were 2.1 by the way)

by toe-in angle (and I searched this but I'm asking just to make sure) are you saying the speakers should face away from me rather than towards me?

and I'm planning on having a whole desk made from scratch, so if there are any guidelines to that then it would also be very appreciated.

I guess I'll just consult with a carpenter as well for the material, since I want to be able to put other stuff on the desk as well (maybe beer instead of mountain dew hehe)

 

[callmecars]

I was searching for some examples of how my desk would be built and I came across this http://imgur.com/a/Ahtx8
 
initially looking at it I think everything is too close, but I'm no expert. I'm still considering the distance (and total wideness) of my desk so that it could accompany a nice monitor, bookshelf speakers, normal sized keyboards, mouse, while also having the case on top of it. so I don't really know what to do just yet

 

[ProtegeManiac]

by toe-in angle (and I searched this but I'm asking just to make sure) are you saying the speakers should face away from me rather than towards me?

 

Toe-in means towards you. Stand up and mimic someone with posture or skeletal frame issues, look at your feet and imagine an object between them (object=listener, feet=speakers). Extreme toe-out is "sakang" (like babies who develop the frog leg posture by being carried around in a sackloth), "toe-in" is pike (like Sailor Mercury's pose after transformation). While I'm at it, standing at attention (45degree, heels touching; ex. national anthem) is like a dipole speaker. 
 
A few photos here too.

 

[callmecars]

 

 

Toe-in means towards you. Stand up and mimic someone with posture or skeletal frame issues, look at your feet and imagine an object between them (object=listener, feet=speakers). Extreme toe-out is "sakang" (like babies who develop the frog leg posture by being carried around in a sackloth), "toe-in" is pike (like Sailor Mercury's pose after transformation). While I'm at it, standing at attention (45degree, heels touching; ex. national anthem) is like a dipole speaker. 
 
A few photos here too.

haha thank you for that! I understand it now, especially since I also checked out the set ups of other people.

thank you sir for being so kind with your knowledge and sharing to me!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Have you joined the local group yet? We used to have a forum but FB Is more cost-effective: https://www.facebook.com/groups/headphiles/?fref=ts
 
Here's another physically local forum (ie when there are meets) with a lot of review articles: http://headfonics.com/