Most large speakers are not designed to be listened to in a near field setup. The spectral balance will be incorrect and the overall coherence will be non-optimal. In a multiway speaker the drivers need a certain minimum distance for their soundwaves to correctly overlap.
BTW, near field is more correctly defined as listening within 3 ft. of the loudspeaker. It originated in pro studios with the speakers being placed atop the mixing console. The speakers were always either single driver or two way designs.
