best position of components in relation to spkers?

I'm a very experienced Audiophile and I learned several new tricks fro Jim Smith's book. Getting the rack out of the middle, is a great idea and it really can improve your sound. For excellent inexpensive interconnects try Signal Cable Silver Resolution.

I have been following this thread. The dominant view here seems to be to remove the components from between the speakers. My experience is much different here.

For many years I had the rack on the back wall with only the mono amps (CAT JL3) next to the speakers (Sound Lab A1). The problem was the expensive 10m Purist Dominus IC along the side wall to the amps. And from my experimentation with ICs, the most critical link is from the line stage to the amp(s), not source to the line stage, which is all too often reported here. There is just no way I am going to destroy the 3D in the system by putting a crappy IC here, 1m or 10m. Again my experience is much different here.

As an experiment, I then moved the rack to the side wall. The speakers radiate a lot of energy that made me feel this was not a good idea. If the 13' wide room was wider, I might not have this concern as the speakers would be further from the side walls and thus not beaming toward to the rack.

After repeated suggestions by Arthur Salvatore in emails, I I tried the components between the speakers. This turned out to be the best sound I have had. I bought a pair of 2-shelf stands, 18 inches tall. I placed these between the speakers. With components installed, the height was about two feet tall. I would never put a 5 or 6 foot rack between the speakers but this worked beautifully. As I sit near field, there is much depth behind the speakers which are 6 feet into the room from the front wall. The images of the instruments and musicians are crystal clear.

With this implementation, I can use short ICs that are either not available or affordable in longer lengths. It works for me very well.

Hi all! Again thanks for the great discussion. Jafox, my own intuition, couple with practical limitations in my listening room (possible furniture position variables, WAF, and cost of super long SCs or ICs) has quelled my initial curiosity to change my components' position somewhat. I will definitely try reducing direct and perpendicular reflections as much as possible, and may try placing my amp and CDP on a smaller and lower stand. And Lester, I will try the terry cloth towel trick too. I liked the simplicity of your solution and it's cheap too.
Positioning behind my listening position or on a side wall is something I would still like to try at some point, and I value and respect the feedback from those of you who have had success with that type of solution, And FYI, I would still recommend Jim Smith's book. Philosophically and technically, he offers many great insights into the crazy world of "audiophilia." Cheers!