Nearfield listening - once more

To echo what Mahgister said, eliminating interaural crosstalk vastly improves soundstage/imaging. This can be done in a near-field setting by situating yourself and the speakers such that your head/face blocks much of the sound from the right speaker from your left ear, and blocks sound from the left speaker from your right ear.  

Regarding speakers especially suited for near-field listening, the Graham Audio LS8/1 are excellent.  Having enjoyed them for about three weeks now, I can vouch for what is said in the following very interesting series of post from a fellow LS8/1 owner: https: //www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/graham-audio-ls8-1-signature-edition-a-new-system.37339/

Eagledriver, yeah it takes careful positioning through trial and error.  I've had best results with nearfield listening by positioning the speakers a few feet away from any walls (to minimize reflections), about 6 feet apart, sitting only about 1 or 2 feet away from them, tweeters at ear height and nearly pointing directly at my ears -- pointing just a little behind them.  The detail and clarity are almost like good headphones, but you also get the 3D soundfield of good speakers.  The instruments and vocals seem to be hanging in space out in front of you.  Optimal positioning and results I'm sure will vary depending on speakers and listener.  

Optimal height will likely vary a little from speaker to speaker - some tweeters are going to be too harsh in the set-up I've described, so may require slight adjustment in positioning - either with regard to height or toe-in.

you can get even the lowest octave in a nearfield set-up: