Thanx guys, I'm narrowing the choices:
1) I see the Swans on Newegg for $190 shipped. I have no PC Audio at the moment, just streaming radio thru the stock soundcard on an aging & very full PC. I do my real work on a laptop at the same desk, tho adding a TB-sized server to store work, hence there will be new space if I bite off PC audio. I can see this being a "tip of the iceberg" kind of purchase. The Swans are pretty bulky, and my computer monitor is already massive. The powered speakers have the advantage on having the volume knob right next to the ringing phone. But they will occupy some serious desk space, wouldn't mind a more compact solution.
2) A buddy has an older Denon UD-M3 for me at $35 plus a 6-pack if he finds the remote (I had to bargin him UP just to feel like I wasn't taking advantage of him.) I'd be happy to put these BIC DV62s to use, which came out of my workout room, and put them along with the Denon right BEHIND me on the credenza. Never trying it before, I just auditioned some music on my main system (whose imaging sounded relatively flat today), and tried listening turned backwards. Yes, it seemed funny, it still imaged, guessing I heard empasis on reflections. Is the behind me layout a poor choice? It's certainly cheap to try it out.
Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it. One more note is that I almost always listen to low volumes while trying to work... I have a hard enough time concentrating already -