whatz up with hi-end speakers near walls?

I tend to agree with Phasecorrect, although the wording was a little provocative.
There are SOME designs that will work adequately near a rear wall, but I have never heard a speaker that images anywhere near its full potential when it is near to the rear wall.
The reflex port placement is only part of the issue, and is more to do with whether the speaker produces boomy or excessive bass when placed near a rear wall. To me this is a secondary issue to that of imaging.
So I agree with Phasecorrect on the basis that many people spend a lot of money on their hifi, with one of their stated objectives being to have a good sense of imaging. However putting the speakers against the wall negates a lot of the imaging capabilities of the system, so they really could have spent less money to have achieved the same sound.

For example I think that the spendor s3/5 will sound pretty good when against the rear wall, since it presents a pretty decent tonal balance without boominess. However this speaker would sound much better on good stands out into the room.

Phasecorrect, thanks. I think it's easy to ruffle feathers when asking people why they wasted a bunch of money, even though they are perfectly within their rights to make poor purchasing decisions. Heck I wonder why people here in California buy 4x4 SUVs to drive to work and back. It's a strange world.

My goodness aren't we all hypersensitive today !? I think a bunch of you would do well to listen to some soothing music (with the speakers at an appropriate distance from rear walls per your manufacturer's instructions :-) )