Geez, and they say i like to type alot.
Positioning is kinda tweaky. Something i noted in my M60 review as well, so you're not alone.
Chek out this link to a page from an Angstrom booklet (taken from a What? Hifi magazine) on how to setup speakers in your room according to distances.
I used it as a starting point myself.
link to the booklet pic on speaker setup according to wall distances
From that point on is when i started to tweak and toe things a bit since my distances appear to be similar to your own (speakers 5 feet apart, but my listening position maxed out at 8 feet).
my home pics for reference
Once i was done my adjusting however, i found the sweet spot to be about 4 feet wide on my 8 foot couch which is pretty good for such a small room setup.
As for the banana plug thing, there are plugs out there which are crampable making the wire to plug connection an easy little fix. Soldering is definitely for those who want headaches, but the challenge was fun.
