r/audiophile Shopping and Setup Help Desk (2020-08-27)

Hi all,

Hopefully this is specific enough to not be considered a basic question thread fodder. I’m looking for recommendations for powered Bluetooth bookshelf speakers and have some concerns. Here’s the facts:

  1. Will be placed on a drywall mounted bookshelf with about 3 feet between speakers. Will be up against drywall. No books will be touching the speakers but there’s a ‘cubby’ between the speakers where I will put books.

  2. Must have bluetooth AptX and an analog input. Analog will be hooked up to the 3.5mm SE out of my Massdrop X Grace balanced SDAC. Max 12.5 inches speaker height, max 10 inches speaker depth or rubber feet footprint

  3. Around $500 budget. No rush. Interested in Vanatoo T1e B-stock and Massdrop’s Audioengine HD6 drop. Primarily used for leisure music listening. Medium sized room, nothing too loud.

Concerns:

  1. Is it a huge problem to have the back of these speakers up against drywall? Or, should I completely avoid rear ported speakers?

  2. Is it a problem to have the speakers touching the side of the bookshelf? Or should I leave a tiny gap?

Thanks for your help.

/r/audiophile Thread