I agree that your triangle is too small, reducing your sweet-spot to a requirement that your head be locked in a vise. Initially I'd say that cupping increased the frequency response, compared to YOUR ear's normal reference, a LOT in the lower treble, where human hearing has evolved to greatest sensitivity to hear predators and crying babies, etc.
Taking into account that the N803 I demoed in an 8' triangle NEVER cohered correctly (as predicted by a couple of Brit reviewers a while back), I'd suggest that you need to open up the geometry because the crossover is set at a highish 4k. That means that the midrange is getting "beamy" in its upper passband, with the tweeter "flare" (which is HUGE with that siren-mounted hot tweet of B&W's) overpowering it, ESPECIALLY with sidewall contributants!
By cupping your ears you are eliminating the extra top octave energy from the hot tweeter and allowing more low-treble direct energy from the narrow-radiating midrange to be prominent. An exaggerated analogy would be cupping your hands in an environment with high ambient noise (whirring fans or splashing water), and cupping your ears to hear someone speaking a distance away.....Certainly I would suggest using a BIT more of the room, while still preserving a nearfield perspective, or as a last resort get monitors that cohere better in the nearfield, or at least have better off-axis radiation patterns. A quick bandaid might be sidewall absorption (pillows atop sofas), or a warmer set of cables to tame that bright tweeter, giving the mirange's top end a bit more perceived response.
Good luck. I could NOT get Nautiluses to sound good in my room, yet several others sound utterly superb. Hope this helps.
Taking into account that the N803 I demoed in an 8' triangle NEVER cohered correctly (as predicted by a couple of Brit reviewers a while back), I'd suggest that you need to open up the geometry because the crossover is set at a highish 4k. That means that the midrange is getting "beamy" in its upper passband, with the tweeter "flare" (which is HUGE with that siren-mounted hot tweet of B&W's) overpowering it, ESPECIALLY with sidewall contributants!
By cupping your ears you are eliminating the extra top octave energy from the hot tweeter and allowing more low-treble direct energy from the narrow-radiating midrange to be prominent. An exaggerated analogy would be cupping your hands in an environment with high ambient noise (whirring fans or splashing water), and cupping your ears to hear someone speaking a distance away.....Certainly I would suggest using a BIT more of the room, while still preserving a nearfield perspective, or as a last resort get monitors that cohere better in the nearfield, or at least have better off-axis radiation patterns. A quick bandaid might be sidewall absorption (pillows atop sofas), or a warmer set of cables to tame that bright tweeter, giving the mirange's top end a bit more perceived response.
Good luck. I could NOT get Nautiluses to sound good in my room, yet several others sound utterly superb. Hope this helps.