[bpape]

Well, in HT mode, dipoles are not a good choice for the mains - sorry. The front wall needs to be dead to keep reflections from the surrounds from messing up the front soundstage and image lock. What you likely heard was some high frequency absorbtion from the suede like covering emulating a very small amount of front wall deadening.

The wall behind the seating can be dead - but should be bass/lower mid only - something like a 703 with FSK face. This gives good bass control, minimizes nulls off the rear wall, yet still allows the surround field to be more lively.

Bryan