@teajay -
It saddens me that this proud owner of these very special speakers will not really hear the magic of what the Ulf's can do if placed in the correct position in the right sized room.
Are you familiar with the Sumiko method that I linked a few posts back? According to this method - in theory - there is no such thing as a "right sized room," but only how your speakers act in the room, and only by careful positioning will one achieve (thus conquering) the room's nulls, voids, etc., which might not equate to a symmetrical placement, yet an optimal placement, nonetheless.
Of course, much of the Sumiko method relies on the ears, but what better ears than your own to judge tone, timbre and SPL levels at they interact with whatever room they are placed in? In fact, the only negative feedback I've read about this method was that it's time consuming, and for a person who doesn't care for patience, like myself, that can be a problem. However, for those who have stuck it out, I have read from people who have reaped extreme dividends by using this method; indeed, some who were able to get rid of expensive panels and crap on their walls. That's because the method first requires the end user to take down their acoustic paneling.
All of this to say, I'm not sure there is a "correct" position in the "right sized" room. I know a dude who have Revel Salon2s in a 12x10x8 room, and while he didn't set up his speakers with the Sumiko method; nevertheless, he has a DEQX rig that makes the music in his room sound as if you're listening to analog tape in a recording studio (if you're familiar with that sound).
I'm sure that taste has a lot to do with it. Who's to say I would come over to your pad and dig the vibes you have going on? I might go over and visit Jeffery and imagine the trumps of the second coming, you know?
I've got a 13x12x8 room. I've ordered the mini-Ulfs. If I wanted to I could literally turn the room into an anechoic chamber. I've got the money and I've got the room. But I'm not going to do that.
I am, however, going to position the speakers about 2ft from the front wall, and 2ft from the side walls, giving me about 7ft apart from center to center of the speakers, and about 9ft to my listening position. Roughly. If the Sumiko method works.
I don't know; am I wasting my time, too? :-)