Tom - that reflection is real. Shielded cable has a ’sound’ due to inward reflection of propagation field effects. Unshielded sounds better when it can be used in benign circumstances.
I’m reminded of Thiel’s early electronics. The 01 and 03 generations all had equalizers built in electromagnetically ’open’ enclosures. The sides were wood, the front was acrylic and the back was aluminum. The EQ required careful placement, away from transformers, etc.
I’m a big fan of distance rather than shielding. Outboarding the XO provides enough distance from the driver fields, and the opportunity to spread out the xo components. Thiel’s home theater products incorporated bucking magnets on the drivers (at least the woofers). In addition to containing stray fields regarding video interference, they focus the field in the gap and clean up the electromagnetic soup inside the speaker. Win-win.