Well, I guess that I'm in the minority . . . my system's set up the opposite way. But both are equally valid in a purely technical sense, it all comes down to pragmatics.
Some advantages for longer interconnects:
-Rack of gear is smaller and less obtrusive, because the amp(s) are somewhere else
-Monoblocks look cool next each speaker
-Some speaker cables, with some systems, sound better in shorter lengths
-Long interconnects seem to be cheaper (in many manufacturers' comparable models) than long speaker cables.
Some advantages for longer speaker cables:
-Amplifiers sitting by the speakers clutters up and complicates speaker placement, and may compromise speaker placement options
-Makes a non-dedicated listening room look much less like a "man-cave"
-Some speaker cables, with some systems, can sound better in longer lengths.
-There is frequently less chance for hum and RFI interference; the preamp-level interconnect is much more suceptable than the speaker cable, and is shorter.
-You don't have an outlet by your speakers for the amp, (or) you don't have the amplifier AC running right next to your preamp signal for a long run, (or) you don't have to worry about two outlets being on the same circuit, same ground potential, etc. etc. for best performance.
For me, the decision was based on the fact that when I moved, and suddenly needed long cables . . . I liked my interconnects, which were short. But I wasn't really happy with my speaker cables, which were also short. So I kept the cables I liked, and replaced the ones I didn't . . .
