In reply to:
I have been told that to get the right positioning on the speakers for the listening area I will need to have them over to the side close to the wall which may make back ported speakers not sound as good as they should
Nonsense. There are few absolutes relative to speaker positioning; the number of variables within your room render such a blanket assertion laughable. Not only do the room dimensions matter, but the interactions with the furnishings and the type of floor and wall coverings can also be meaningful.
Axiom speakers require little more than a few inches of breathing room for the rear ports to serve their purpose. How close to the side walls you put the speakers should be a function of trial and error for your ears, with your equipment in your room. Generally, putting speakers too close to the side walls can cause nasty early reflections that compromise the sonic image.
But the notion that speakers
should be close to the side walls seems nutty to me, as does the idea that rear-ported speakers would suffer more from such an arrangement than other types. Perhaps I don't fully understand your room.
Are you putting the speakers IN/ON a shelf or on stands? If the former, you may have a point about the ports, but will likely get pretty dismal performance regardless of the design or cost of whatever speakers you choose.
Who's providing this "advice"?
Anyway, I'd call Axiom, describe your room in some detail to them, and converse with them about options. They are fine folks.
