whatz up with hi-end speakers near walls?

A good number of speakers were designed to be placed flush against the wall. I don't like any of them but that IS the way they were deigned.
-Vik
Checj ou some speakers from Linn, most Naim and many other British speakers and front ported monitors.

I tend to agree with Phasecorrect, although the wording was a little provocative.
There are SOME designs that will work adequately near a rear wall, but I have never heard a speaker that images anywhere near its full potential when it is near to the rear wall.
The reflex port placement is only part of the issue, and is more to do with whether the speaker produces boomy or excessive bass when placed near a rear wall. To me this is a secondary issue to that of imaging.
So I agree with Phasecorrect on the basis that many people spend a lot of money on their hifi, with one of their stated objectives being to have a good sense of imaging. However putting the speakers against the wall negates a lot of the imaging capabilities of the system, so they really could have spent less money to have achieved the same sound.

For example I think that the spendor s3/5 will sound pretty good when against the rear wall, since it presents a pretty decent tonal balance without boominess. However this speaker would sound much better on good stands out into the room.

Gradient Revolution. Images astonishingly well right smack against the wall.

I'm fed up watching the soundstage. It's too demanding. I'd rather relax and listen. Last night I moved the speakers alot closer to the back wall to unfocus the image and attain the blur that's closer to the real thing. The darn thing is still imaging! Believe it or not, it still takes good speakers to get a convincing blur.

NHT 3.3's lose their low-end "magic" if they're not within 6 inches of the rear wall. Several other examples have been given of speakers absolutely designed to be placed close to the wall. If I had specific room / placement constraints and wanted the best sound I could get, I'd ask a forum like this the same question.

I wonder how many people spend several thousand dollars on speakers and then severely curtail their performance by inappropriate placement? There probably are a bunch.