i'm at 112 inches tweeter to tweeter, and 108 inches tweeter to ear. so not much near-field. until 3-4 years ago i was more like 105 inches tweeter to ear. so moved back slightly.
but you have to consider a few things.
---my speakers are way out into the room. in my 29 foot long room my tweeters are 9.5 feet from my back wall. so there is a huge space behind my speaker driver plane, and the room is very wide and fairly tall. and it's not only all hardwood walls, but also a hardwood floor. tons of energy. so my soundstage is perceived more like halfway back toward that wall and there is a huge amount of spatiality and layering. no sense that the sound stage is in your lap. or you are looking up at everything. each recording is distinct. and i have simply adjusted my listening position to optimize realism, music focus and presence. where things optimally lock in. many listeners prefer the sofa behind my sweet spot for listening as the visuals of the proximity of the huge twin tower speakers take getting use to.
---with the 29 foot long room the listening position is 15.5 feet back from the front wall, but still 13.5 feet from the rear wall. so nearly in the middle front to back of the room and it's wide. i call my speaker positioning 'global', meaning it's less wall constrained with the width, where as most more normal rooms are narrower and i call them 'local' where the tweeters and mid range are nearer the side walls and ceiling. in a 'local' room the reflection times are different and more relevant to the result. so sitting near field is not hugely different than slightly far field as far as reflections.
---the room is seriously treated for neutral balance and there is zero glare. music with an edge certainly tells you, but the presentation does not have any of that overlayed. so nothing to push you back.
----the size of the room fits the speaker energy well, so wherever you sit or stand back front or side the music is comfortable. no feeling of being assaulted or under the gun. or other trade-offs for being in the holodeck spot. the term i use for this is that these large speakers have room to breathe naturally.
---for years i've done extended sessions and never 'have to get away'. i can decide to play stuff loud intentionally and need a break, but seldom do that except for visitors. and almost 100% of visitors prefer the near field spot and comment how much more immersive it is.....although sometimes it takes cycling through the listening spots a few rounds before they 'get it'. then have to pry them away from it.
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