I spent ten years as a US Navy submarine sonar tech so I can tell you the problem with early reflections is based on science. Your abliity to locate an object in space is based on the timing difference between both ears. Just like sonar techs use the timing difference between multiple microphones to shoot torpedoes at things. In our listening room, direct sound from the left speaker has to travel about 11 feet to reach my left ear. The reflected sound off the left wall has to travel about 18 feet. At sea, level sound travels 1100 feet per second. So the difference in arrival time is approximately .0064 of a second. If the difference in arrival time is small, and the amplitude is similar, it is difficult for the human brain to differentiate between the sound bouncing off the walls and the sound coming from the speaker. On sonar scope, the line on the graph would appear thicker and depending on the amount of timing difference (sounds bouncing off the ocean floor), you would often see a secondary line. This is what makes the center image seem less focused. Room treatments reduce the amplitude of the reflections to the point where your brain ignores them. This is one o the reasons why they are utilized in most recording studios and concert halls.