Removing components from between the speakers

I've done it both ways over the years depending on where I was living, and I never thought that the sound of my system suffered from having the equipment between the speakers.

I was thinking about this a little more, and as I said, I have done it both ways depending on my living situation with good results. What I was thinking yesterday though, assuming that you don't use a turntable, which I don't; is that the rack, and the components on it may in some way act as a room treatment in themselves.
What I mean is, when you look at the room treatments available, they fall into the categories of absorption and diffusion. (scattering) So why, as one poster said, would it always be desirable to have nothing in the center. I see some very high end systems here that have those protruding blocks on the center of the front wall with all of the random height blocks of different lengths.
My present system has a large rack between the speakers, and with eyes open or closed, the center image, and the soundstage as a whole is very focused and coherent. Many years ago, by necessity, I had a pair of Celestion Sl6 Si speakers on either side of a mohair upholstered 7' sofa and the sound was fantastic. That would have probably considered the opposite of what I have now, that was I suppose absorption. In each case, the sound was excellent. So, I am not suggesting that there is no difference, only that no single rule will apply to every room.