As for speaker placement ... believe it or not ... this set-up works out ok. I do lose some of the audiophile niceties, mainly the disappear in the room act. However, the speakers tend to sound pretty good even 6 feet up in the air.
I started placing speakers both inside and on top of bookcases some 28 years ago, because I had some of the most acrobatic of cats, who would go to town on my speakers. There is an EPOS 11 in some landfill not speaking to me after Maddie pushed the EPOS off its stand. And there is the EPI 100 which Sylvester gutted. You get the idea. Cats will be cats and speakers will be speakers.
I have placed speakers on their sides, as well. But having the speakers properly oriented vertically seems to sound a bit better.
I don't always sit in front of the speakers. My iMac is just to the right of the speaker, so I am often on the computer doing something or another.
Vinyl sounds good so far. Using an AT 440MLA cartridge.
What the speakers aren't up here? Rest well in cat heaven, Jodie cat.
Rich
