One speaker observation from the New York Hifi show.

Different speakers require different placements.  Speakers that radiate front and back differ from box speakers.

There is no universal “Best”, it all relates to the speaker type and room.

within the world of Maggies there is always debate about tweeters inside or outside placement.

Sit in your listening position and move the speakers around until it sounds good.  If moving them around is not an option, just put them where they have to go and deal with it.

Think about your room before you buy speakers.  If you are really into imaging, buy smaller speakers.  The main problems will be with the longer frequencies (bass) coupling with the walls (and anything else in the room).  I don't think it matters much whether the speaker is ported or not, those low frequencies are going to couple with the walls in all directions.  The further way from the walls, the less energy will be presented to the reflective surfaces, thus the bass will be better tamed.  If you must have your speakers near a wall, DSP may well be a good option.  Room treatments work well, but they can get expensive (and if you are forced to put the speakers next to the wall, there is a high likelihood that bass traps and acoustic panels will also be forbidden).

 I attended the NY hifi show and felt it was a shame the size of the rooms would not allow most of the systems to do justice to their potential. So much time and effort from the exhibitors with costly equipment and other than the Martin Logan monoliths in the cavernous conference room, all the other rooms made me feel clostraphobic.  I chose to sit or stand in the very back of most rooms just not to be in the face of  the speakers. 
Gotta give credit to the exhibitors , probably spent several hours positioning trying to make the most with what they were dealt.
i just wonder if the show was held say..in the Javitz Center or someplace in seacaucus with room to spare ...... nah,never mind.  I just appreciate the opportunity to see a wide range of equipment in one place.

Newbee and AudioKenisis between them have it right, in my opinion.  I've been married twice and a bachelor twice as a result, so I've had many, many chances to experiment with different rooms and setups.

If you have a dedicated listening room, understand the physical properties of sound reproduction, and have access to sound conditioning materials, it is almost always possible to gain "three dimensional" imaging.  And it is spectacular when so achieved.  But it is also "false" since we do not hear that type of imaging when listening to a concert ... whether pop, jazz, chamber, or orchestral.

Just recently I tested that again by attending a concert by the Emerson String Quartet at the smaller auditorium at Tanglewood.  We had seats in the seventh row, front an center, an ideal spot for such music but hardly an equilateral triangle from the violinist to the cellist (I'd guess the spread was about 45 degrees).  I particularly wanted to focus on separation ..... so in addition to immensely enjoying the concert, with my eyes closed I focused on whether I could isolate the instruments.  I could not .... at this distance these four folks mesh so well that all you could hear was a broadly dispersed string sound, top to bottom.

I also attend jazz sessions every other week in the area, often at a club with excellent acoustics.  I usually try to get there early and sit with friends at a table second from the front.  This is still not an equilateral triangle, but is closer (about a 75 degree spread).  Again, I listen usually with my eyes closed, as I do at home.  Here I clearly could hear some separation between the pianist on the left, the bass and horn player in the center, and the drums on the right.  Separation, a bit, but certainly NOT holographic imaging. 

In neither of these cases do I hear anything much different at home.

So while I agree that the technical aspects of being a hobbyist audiophile are often challenging and fun, it is useful to remember that if the goal is wanting superior sound reproduction of the music we hear live, a perfect listening setup is not neccesary.  The reproduction quality of the equipment, however, is.  For those of us having to do double duty with a living quarter and spouse, a "perfect space' is usually not possible.

Harrylavo,

Really excellent post. You’re entirely right.
But it’s fun trying to achieve that “holographic” imaging, even though it’s tortuous.