Having researched this question a couple of years ago, I discovered that there were a few speakers that were deliberately designed to be placed against the wall as opposed to speakers that "can work somewhat" close to the wall. The ones that were designed to be placed against the wall included a number of British companies - Linn, Naim, and Audio Note to mention a few. I am currently using my Zu Definition 2s within 4" of the wall; they were not designed for this placement, but they do work quite well.
Floorstanders designed to be against the wall?
In the old days there was Allison, who designed great floorstanders to work perfectly against a wall. I need a modern equivalent of Allison Ones, to stand against a wall and fill a large room. I know that North Creek Kitty Kat Revelators are designed for this purpose, but I need something larger to fill a larger space than a small monitor would do, as well as providing bigger bass output. I need speakers that are specifically designed this way, though, not full-range speakers that "can work somewhat" close to a wall, and invariably fall short in the soundstaging department. Suggestions, please?