Right, but my question is - close wall placement, what's better, box or OB?
IMO, I think OB still wins even with close wall placement. Because box speaker the mids/highs will interact with the rear wall almost as much as an OB will, AND the box speaker will have a much worse time with bass production with a near wall placement. I think that swings the needle toward OBs even if 3 feet out is not possible.