The sound of any speaker, including omni directional drivers, is always better "on axis" because the stereo image is right, all conventional drivers beam some anyway, and phase plugs and proper modern horn design is about dispersion to prevent extreme beaming. Any speaker manufacturer that says their speakers sound great anywhere in the sound field is hyping their stuff, because it just ain't so since the closest speaker is always louder (see "Garcia's Second Law of Nearness," Merkle Press $4.50 plus shipping.). The "little" horns in the Heresy IIIs seem to disperse as well as the conventional tweeter speakers I have around. In fact, a little test of "realistic" (by my standards anyway) sound is how a speaker sounds from nearby…not in the direct field like when I’m in the adjoining part of the sort of "great room" where my gear is (making another martini or curled up in a fetal position weeping quietly), and the Heresy’s sound like, "hey, there are musicians over there doing something." Also note that some designs feature the fact that they "beam" higher frequency tone at the "sweet spot" listener as a way to limit wall reflections. Who cares what the speakers sound like from the side anyway? The dent on the couch from my butt where the system sounds best is there for a reason.
