[bpape]

There are many different ways to deal with a room. I too prefer a little less dead in the back. However, that doesn't mean that diffusion will work when you're only a couple feet away. General rule of thumb is that for diffusion to be effective at 1kHz and up, you'll need to be at least 8' or so away.

In a multic-channel only environment, it's important to have some absorbtion distributed throughout the space. There are ways to get absorbtion and diffusion both in the rear of the room and I personally like that - what was called abfusion before. A series of smaller hard-framed panels hung in an array will provide a bit of absorbtion well distibuted as well as the framed areas and between them acting like a crude well diffusor.

Bryan