Least sensative speaker to placement

Horns are directive and so can be placed closer to side walls than cone speaks. Also, Gradient makes a cone model (forget the name) which is intended to be placed close to walls, and Audio Note and Klipschorns are meant to be placed in corners.

What you need is a small two-way speaker and sub. Get a Tact Audio pre-amp with speaker AND room correction.

I have experience with integrating MBLs into a room and it sure isn't as easy as it might seem. We had a lot of difficulty getting the imaging right. But now they sound great.

The Klipschorn idea might work for you - they are designed to be placed smack dab in the corner of the room and the latest generations really sound great. Some of the higher end KEFs are also rather insensitive to placement and have the flexibility of tailoring the bass and treble to suit your specific room. I think the bigger Vandersteens also have that ability. Choosing the right model depends on how much bass you want and how large your room is.

Arthur

This is easy...now. The new Podium panel speakers. Read the comments on Stereomojo's RMAF coverage. The panels were turned in opposite directions and still threw a perfect soundstage. Not even omins will do that.

MBLs and other omnis do not work well that close to the wall in my opinion. Let me explain:

In general, early-arriving reflections are undesirable. The can cause coloration, image-skewing, and degradation of clarity. On the other hand, late-arriving reflections are beneficial as they impart a sense of liveliness and richness without the negative side-effects of early reflections.

The transition between detrimental and beneficial reflections is about 10 milliseconds. In other words, ideally you want the extra reverberant energy from an omni (or dipole or bipole) to arrive at least 10 milliseconds later than the first-arrival sound. This is a fuzzy transition zone, rather than a clear line in the sand.

Sound travels a little over one foot per millisecond, so 10 milliseconds corresponds to a path length difference of about 11 feet.

In my opinon, given Yetis' placement constraints fairly directional speakers make sense as a way to avoid detrimental early reflections. In this I agree with Triode's comments. Placement very close to the walls can cause overemphasis of the bass region, so that might be a factor as well.

Duke
dealer/manufacturer