cwlondon, I have the "matchstick" cabinets about 3 feet in front of my desk. The drivers are nearly at ear height even though the speakers are roughly 5 feet tall. See my virtual system on audiogon. My office is about 10 feet wide and only 7-8 feet deep with the door on the one side. It's cramped to have chairs in front of my desk anyway, so speakers were an easy choice. (this makes it great to keep away visitors since they have to compete with a speaker for space.