I concur. With asymetrical placement, the nearfield is the only option you have left. I don't mean to knock it, cause when it works, there's nothing better than listening in the nearfield. However, you still need minimal acoustic treatment, and shying away from it leads to mid-fi sound IMHO.
Merlin in small room? (or what?!)
I am thinking about either Merlin (VSM or TSM--tell me what you think is better & why) or Martin-Logan. Because of the room size, I think I am limited to the Aerius. My room is small and weird shaped. About 15 x 15 feet and open on one side to a kitchen that's a bit larger. One speaker is near a side wall (2 feet), the other speaker has no wall beside it. I can pull the speaker about 18 inches off the front wall. Which speaker do you think will work best?