If my dedicated listening room is anything to go by then you can get outstanding sound in a rectangular room with the speakers across the shortest wall. In fact my room is the exact same dimensions as the "A" list room at Definitive Audio, Bellevue, where they claim to have paid a big audio design firm to come up with those dimensions and configuration back when they were building the store.
There's a lot more than pure sonics to be considered, as you already hinted at with your mention of people walking tripping over cables. But my point is that even when none of those considerations matter and with complete freedom to address acoustics alone its still perfectly valid to go with speakers along the short wall.
There's a lot more than pure sonics to be considered, as you already hinted at with your mention of people walking tripping over cables. But my point is that even when none of those considerations matter and with complete freedom to address acoustics alone its still perfectly valid to go with speakers along the short wall.