I recently auditioned a pair of 7-ES3s for a couple of hours. The distance was more like 7 1/2 or 8 feet, but I didn't notice any driver integration problems at that distance. I found them a very natural sounding speaker, devoid of any audiophile gimmicks.
But then Sam T. is a professional reviewer and by trade has to find something to call out. And different people are sensitive to different things. That said, I've read Tellig uses this model Harbeth as his reference, so it can't be too much of an issue.
Sounds like you're at the point where you simply need to listen for yourself.