A listening position within a foot of the back wall was one recommended by John Dunlavy if the wall behind the listener is heavily damped. This is from my Dunlavy SC-III manual:
"All of these potential problems [of short wall placement] can be avoided by simply rotating the room layout 90 degrees such the loudspeakers are located along the longest wall of the room with the listener seated adjacent to the opposite wall directly across from the center-point between the speakers. The listening position should be close enough to the back-wall (less than about one foot) to eliminate low-end standing waves between the wall and the listener.
A thick sound-absorbing drape (preferably with a high percentage of sheep's wool) between the listener and the back-wall will further mitigate problems from developing at the low-end of the sound spectrum. (A low cost alternative is to use a 3 to 4 inch thickness of sound-absorbing polyester foam, perhaps 4x6 feet [the accompanying diagram of is labeled ACOUSTICAL FOAM, 4' WIDE, 7' HIGH], affixed to the wall behind an attractive drape, preferably one containing at least some natural wool (which will help to absorb mid and high frequencies). This arrangement provides the most accurate spectral-balance, the smoothest and deepest bass, and most natural imaging and soundstage."
"All of these potential problems [of short wall placement] can be avoided by simply rotating the room layout 90 degrees such the loudspeakers are located along the longest wall of the room with the listener seated adjacent to the opposite wall directly across from the center-point between the speakers. The listening position should be close enough to the back-wall (less than about one foot) to eliminate low-end standing waves between the wall and the listener.
A thick sound-absorbing drape (preferably with a high percentage of sheep's wool) between the listener and the back-wall will further mitigate problems from developing at the low-end of the sound spectrum. (A low cost alternative is to use a 3 to 4 inch thickness of sound-absorbing polyester foam, perhaps 4x6 feet [the accompanying diagram of is labeled ACOUSTICAL FOAM, 4' WIDE, 7' HIGH], affixed to the wall behind an attractive drape, preferably one containing at least some natural wool (which will help to absorb mid and high frequencies). This arrangement provides the most accurate spectral-balance, the smoothest and deepest bass, and most natural imaging and soundstage."