Isn't he sitting a bit close to them?
No. I think he could be closer actually. The Ones don't sound broken if you're close, or a little off axis relative to some of the drivers... Though other non-point source speakers I'm sure you'd have issues. 1-2 feet should be fine based on Genelec's chart on this page:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...udio-in-8-studio-monitor-review.10897/page-34