Upon hearing a well set up near-field speaker system or, for that matter, a properly set up far-field rig, it is hard to say one is better than the other.
For example, the near-field setup is more intimate. There is less room but more detail and closeness.
And our "normal" setup where the speakers are equal distance from the listener as they are apart have depth and room the near-fields cannot touch. But at the expense of detail and closeness.
The tradeoffs between the two are inevitable.
It's not that one is better than the other.
They are simply different.
Which one appeals to you more?
