I've been enjoying my LGK 1.0 kit on my computer for a couple months now but am getting the itch for a little more of everything. I've also been wanting to get more into measuring and the design aspect which has brought me to an idea that doesn't seem to be expressly addressed (at least that I can find). Do 2.0 speakers exist that are specifically designed for music listening on a desk?
I've been reading and watching a million reviews of all sorts of speakers, from powered bookshelves, to passives, to HT setups, and it all seems to be a bit of a guessing game. Some bookshelves do great near-field, others not so much. Powered pairs come with a little more certainty since the dac/amp don't come into play,but those also tend to be lower end. Some are way too big for desktop use. Others are rear-ported which makes for a problem with a typical desk being right up against a wall. The logical solution is studio monitors which are in general meant for desk use, but they also tend to be flat and neutral for production use, at least according to the reviews, I've never owned a pair of studio monitors.
I love every pair of GR speakers I've built from the A/V-O, A/V-2, LGK, and V2. My thought process was to start with something like the N2X, but I wondered if there was any way to improve on them for the specific use case. I am wanting to stick to 2.0 because in my experience a sub sounds a bit off by being under the desk, and I want to keep the setup contained on the desk. This is my first time diving into more of the science of it, so I'm curious if there was any way to optimize the tweeter for near-field, to minimize desk reflections, to extend bass response (passive radiator?).
Before getting too deep into this I was wanting to see if Danny or anyone else has had experience, lessons learned, or things to avoid in this realm. A couple thoughts I had were that off-axis isn't super important since seating position at a desk is a very stationary and repeatable listening position. Also having a taller, thinner box would be ideal since my desk has 2 computer screens and real estate is at a premium. Most setups I've seen have bookshelves on a stand anyway to raise the height and angle them upwards, so why not make them tall enough from the beginning.
Mostly I'm just trying to brainstorm and gain some direction before anything else. Thank you!