Near field listening

[nandac]

So for a short time I had to sit at a large desk and in that time had a pair of Dali Mentor Menuets on the desk connected to a Cyrus Streamline 2.

At two feet it sounded spectacular. I heard detail I have never heard before.

So are there speakers specially meant for near field listening?

In an earlier thread on the subject on Hifivision I saw somebody mention Micca RB42. But neither in the product description or reviews on Amazon do I see any mention of 'near field'.

Also how about active vs passive monitors? Are active monitors more suited for near field listening?

How about the KRK Rokit RP5 G4 or Genelec?

Appreciate the insights.

 

[nandac]

I also see this one which specifically mentions 'near field' : KRK Classic 5 Near-Field 2-Way Studio Monitor

 

[Analogous]

So for a short time I had to sit at a large desk and in that time had a pair of Dali Mentor Menuets on the desk connected to a Cyrus Streamline 2.

At two feet it sounded spectacular. I heard detail I have never heard before.

So are there speakers specially meant for near field listening?

In an earlier thread on the subject on Hifivision I saw somebody mention Micca RB42. But neither in the product description or reviews on Amazon do I see any mention of 'near field'.

Also how about active vs passive monitors? Are active monitors more suited for near field listening?

How about the KRK Rokit RP5 G4 or Genelec?

Appreciate the insights.

I just now came upon this thread. I fell this is an important topic. A few thoughts:
I am a fan of near field listening with any speaker (haven’t heard open baffles enough though)

You are right, the amount of detail and sound stage from near field placement is wonderful- everyone should try it once at least. It also helps us listen at lower volumes with greater emotional engagement.

I have found in near field set ups with bookshelves on stands, a sub, properly set up, definitely adds presence, heft and elevates the effect of mids and higher frequencies.

A near field setup away from walls on all sides (and tables too) eliminates the effect of reflected sound. To hear a distinct echo the time interval between the original sound and the reflected one must be at least 0.1s. The sensation of sound persists in our brain for just about 0.1 s. So playing around with near placement relative to the size of the room can result in magic.

The reason (I believe) why more people do not consider or try near field is the aesthetics and physically inconvenience of having speakers well inside the rooms. Speaker-room acoustic interactions do not co relate well with our instinctive need for visual symmetry or aesthetic.

But once we have the near field placement figured out it is easy enough to mark the spots with a permanent marker or tape and move the speakers into place for listening sessions.

Hope more people try it out and see if this works for them. The trick is to push back our visual preferences for a while and focus only on the auditory. Happy exploration!

PS: A friend who listened to my near field set up remarked “that’s the biggest pair of headphones I ever seen “

 

[Analogous]

Forgot to add: how near is “near field” is totally upto us.
Bold and patience experimentation with speaker placement got me some important discoveries and delight.
Best of all you don’t have to break the egg to make this omelette (but do take care of your back)

 

[Analogous]

Some gyan from J. Darko on the topic:

KIH #64 - Get real! | Darko.Audio

Loudspeaker solutions from Amphion and Fram.

darko.audio

 

[Subbu68]

@Analogous

What you wrote is being experienced while I write now.

Not any exotic setup. Harman Kardon Nova 2. A 2014 model 2.0 setup - 3" woofer with 1/2" dome tweeter , bi-amped. NFC / BT, Aux and Optical IN. HP out for personal listening. There is a passive radiator behind each unit so HK recommended placing near wall.

Good enough for close listening, very clear and experienced a stable imaging OR can blast the house (boom box era).

Now my amps and speakers in my signature are sleeping since some time . Can be with my wifey and music at the same time - else with the living room setup ON she says the "Giant has started roaring" and moves out to the bedroom though she likes to listen to casual music.

Harman Kardon Nova Review — Gadgetmac

Harman Kardon is a company that is in absolute no need for any introduction – has a new speaker system it wants to share with the world. Putting its interior on display using Harman Kardon's signature see-through speaker enclosure design sense, the Nova is a new triple-driver wi

gadgetmac.com

My little setup with Mac Mini (feeding with Optical Out)

 

[MasTerasTrix]

@Analogous

What you wrote is being experienced while I write now.

Not any exotic setup. Harman Kardon Nova 2. A 2014 model 2.0 setup - 3" woofer with 1/2" dome tweeter , bi-amped. NFC / BT, Aux and Optical IN. HP out for personal listening. There is a passive radiator behind each unit so HK recommended placing near wall.

Good enough for close listening, very clear and experienced a stable imaging OR can blast the house (boom box era).

Now my amps and speakers in my signature are sleeping since some time . Can be with my wifey and music at the same time - else with the living room setup ON she says the "Giant has started roaring" and moves out to the bedroom though she likes to listen to casual music.

Harman Kardon Nova Review — Gadgetmac

Harman Kardon is a company that is in absolute no need for any introduction – has a new speaker system it wants to share with the world. Putting its interior on display using Harman Kardon's signature see-through speaker enclosure design sense, the Nova is a new triple-driver wi

gadgetmac.com

My little setup with Mac Mini (feeding with Optical Out)

View attachment 74744

Such a pretty & elegant table. Minimalistic & classy .