Equipment Rack Between Speakers...Good or Bad

Its a trade off. In my room over the years its been quite the sound lab. At first completely empty it was easy to hear even the smallest change. Put just one amp on the floor between the speakers, or a TV screen, even way back a good 5 feet behind the speakers, doesn't matter the sound stage takes a hit. 

One time, true story, record company VP says sounds real nice, but left side, imaging not quite as good. Well I had left one record leaning up against the wall by the left speaker. So some of these record company honchos have pretty good ears. And yes even that one little record did make a difference.

There are things you can do to mitigate this- acoustic panels, tube trap, whatever. None are quite as good as nothing being there.

But then moving everything way off to the side or behind, that has costs too. Literally. As in, good wire ain't cheap. And let me tell you, the hit you take having something between the speakers is nothing compared to the hit you take running cheap wire. Which you have to do when its long. But not when its short.

So what did I say? Oh yeah: Its a trade off. You do what you can- listen, adjust, listen, compare. 

What else you gonna do? Listen to a bunch of interweb wanna bees?

Only my power amp is between the speakers which permits shorter cables.....anything else sounded compromised.

Try throwing a blanket on top, covering the sides, and you'll know the answer.

I do find that the floor between and behind speakers is more important than most people realize, especially for high frequency grit. It is often useful to damp that. Cheap experimentation with blankets, curtains and pillows may help you decide.

Thanks for all of the interesting responses so far. I want to make clear though that I am not personally looking for a solution. I am happy with the way my system sounds as it is, but I have heard this subject referred to before and I just wanted the views of others about the plusses and minuses in their opinions and experiences.