Blow your ears clean off with perfectly mounted desktop speakers [Setups]

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Ready, aim, fire! Get the perfect sound with mounted desktop speakers.
Ready, aim, fire! Get the perfect sound with mounted desktop speakers.
Photo: rovervogue@reddit.com

These days, you can find computers and monitors with pretty good speakers. Or you can set up a pair HomePod minis or some other nice little Bluetooth speakers for solid computer setup sound.

But some people aren’t happy unless they have massive audio power on the desktop, complete with perfectly positioned speaker stands for maximum balance and clarity — and all of their speakers’ impressive wattage pointed right at their face.

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The basic setup

Redditor rovervogue could be such a person. In a computer setup post called “Saturday jams,” they showed an M1 Mac mini running with a Dell U2720Q UltraSharp 4K IPS Monitor. (OK, fair enough; neither is making headlines for world-beating sound quality, so the sound gear described below is not overkill). The display features high-dynamic range (HDR) technology and 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution running at 60Hz.

With that, they use a classic array of Apple peripherals: Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Mouse 2. Like a lot of folks, Rover likes to use both trackpad and mouse input devices for different reasons.

But it’s the sound equipment we’re here to admire, really.

Amp with desktop speakers and speaker stands

Rover’s emphasis on high-quality (but affordable) sound is obvious from the setup photograph. In the corners of the broad desk, two white speaker stands hold up a pair of formidable-looking speakers, positioned just-so, pointing at the desk chair. That channels the rich sounds of music, movies and games right to Rover’s ears.

Rover controls sound to the speakers (or headphones) using a Kanto Yaro2 35-watt-per-channel USB/DAC amplifier. Its simple interface makes the audio’s volume, tone and balance easy to tweak.

The speakers are Pioneer SP-BS22A-LR Andrew Jones Home Audio Bookshelf Speakers. They feature Dolby Atmos and digital theater system (DTS) speaker configurations for room-filling sound options. And the 1-inch soft-dome tweeter, 4-inch textured-surface woofer and crossover design help, too — especially in a smaller space like a workstation.

The stands are Kanto SP6HDW 6-inch Desktop Speaker Stands. Designed for 4- to 7-inch desktop and bookshelf speakers, they’re made of heavy steel with foam padding for high stability and low vibration. They include a rotating top plate to help position speakers and a design that lets you hide cables.

Put song lyrics on your screen

You may notice the lyrics to the Nelly song “Over and Over” on Rover’s screen, visible in the photograph. A commenter asked how they did that. Here are Rover’s steps in reply:

  1. Go to Apple Music.
  2. Play something.
  3. Shift + CMD + M(mini player).
  4. Ctrl + CMD + F(full screen).
  5. Click the lyrics button.

The other neat thing about this setup is the sweet Land Rover parked just to the left of the Mac mini. It’s an LCD Models 2017 Range Rover SV Autobiography Dynamic White 1/18 Diecast Model Car. It, along with everything else, is in the gear list below.

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If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches or challenges.

 

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