Dear @treitz3 : I don't have a dedicated audio room and the nearfield seat position is the best trying to listen as in a "free space " where the room stays out of " consideration ", yes I know that's just a dream but is all I have. As you I don't listen always at near field position.
Even all what involves my room/system I could think is a system with very high resolution and acceptable quality level performance. Main characteristic is an almost non-existent elctronics/speakers noise floor where I or any one can't detect it even with the volume wide open and with the ear at 10 mm. from the silk dome tweeters.
From there the speakers 95db efficiency helps to have that quality level to the listen reproduced sound, any kind of MUSIC at any SPL. No it does not have the " immediacy " that only horn driver has but at least " approaching " it.
For me that immediacy is an intrinsical characteristic of live MUSIC at nearfield position where between you and the source exist only " the air " and is from here where the other live MUSIC characteristics are developed through those whole instruments/source transient responses. Only an opinion.
Yes, my system is a full range one and has external powered subwoofers, even that it does not has any external hi-pass cdrossover for the main speakers where the audio signal could be degraded and this no/hi-pass it's because I took advantage of my Levinson monoblocks original design where the amps are coupled by an input cap and it's through this input cap where the high-pass is " happening " at around 80 hz
In that way the speaker/subs signal comes directly from my Phonolinepreamp to the amps and subs. Other characteristic in my system is that the elctronics it does not use any input connector for the electrical power and neither input fuses: both " elements " generates some kind of different type and level of added noise.
In the other side the noise floor enviroment is something that I learned to " disappears " when in listen sessions where in your system is just truly non-existen ( I envy you about. ).
" That was the absolute best I have ever heard a near field setup. ", that's for sure and maybe only a few in the audio world can have same kind of outstanding experience in their own systems. Congratulations "! !.
You are rigth, we all are in the " hands " of the whole recording engineers and yes what we all listening in our room/system is a far-away " approximation " of the live recorded MUSIC and my main target is to stay "truer/nearer " to that " approximation " trying , between other things, to put at minimum any noise/distortions developed at my room/system adding the less and losting the less too.
My very long trip in the audio world looking to listen MUSIC was and still is a learning one trying to scale step by step to the next level of that audio/MUSIC learning ladder till we find out " total " satisfaction " according each one of us audio/MUSIC targets and priorities. Ok, those it what I want to share here.
@milpai " With the right setup you would have the perception of depth with vocals (most of them) near the front and the instruments either on the sides and/or behind - depends on the recording. " obviously with out that black paint/fabric on place.
I agree with you and yes @gdaddy1 needs to works with because IMHO his room/system has a " problem " that till today was not yet detected, this is part of the " learning ladder ".
R.