Put on the first track of James Taylor's October Road album and listen to the vocals. Now take it and play it in the car. (The acid test) See what you think. We used the car stereo a lot when I owned an 8 track recording studio.

My apologies. This discussion is like discussing religion, politics or how food tastes. Most of this is just opinions. Opinions are like a**holes. Everyone's got one and everyone thinks the other guys stinks! True?

If I'm not mistaken, my opinion is the only one that counts...RIGHT?

I have only been loosely following this thread but have you ruled everything else out but the speakers? I just don't think the Tritons are THIS sensitive to setup where every room position seems to yield very poor results in one phase of the sound or another. I've played with mine a bit but they sound fantastic in basically the same spot I've placed every other speaker I've owned, give or take a few inches.

I completely agree with imahawki. While placement is very important, the Triton's are certainly not finicky in this regard. No need for laser precision. I did mine by eye and tape measure, staying within the confines of an equilateral triangle.

If manufacturer Tannoy is stating that positioning oneself further away than the speakers are apart, perhaps they are reiterating - albeit in a different way - what I have also stated. Pythagoras' theorem applies in the case of equilateral triangles and in following that formula, you will find yourself further from the speakers than they are from one another.

Tannoy XT8F placement from the user manual:

Begin by angling the speakers towards your chosen listening position, usually this is on the centre line of the room,
so that when seated you can just see the inner side panel of each speaker. The front of the loudspeaker should
not be obstructed in any way. The loudspeakers should be located between 1.5 to 4.5 metres (5 ft to 15 ft) apart -
with the listening position set slightly further away than the speakers are apart. Avoid positioning the loudspeakers
in corners of the room, as this will have a negative effect on performance. Ideally, maintain a distance of at least
0.5 metres (20”) from the rear wall, and 1 metre (39”) from the side.