@alkemomo I think your focus on Height and Wide speakers is severely misplaced. Rather than building towards wider acceptance, developers have been moving away from these as best I can tell.
Perhaps as an upmixer, DTS-X: Pro will bring these back, but I wouldn't count on it. Most of the things I've seen show further movement away.
For my money, high quality source material and good wide dispersion speakers are way better of an investment. It doesn't seem that your focus is on Home Theater so much, if at all. SACD and Blu-Ray music recordings are likely the best options, as well as any Hi-Res recordings downloaded direct from specific Orchestras.
Beyond that, again, I go back to speakers. I was fortunate to be turned on to Philharmonic Audio before Dennis retired from active Speaker Production. His work still lives on through Salk Sound, as he is the primary designer for the Crossover and voicing work.
Dennis is a strong proponent of wide dispersion because it makes acoustic performances sound more real. Dennis is a professional Violist, and as a trained performing musician myself, I am in absolute agreement. Moreover, I feel that all music I have listened to in the time I have owned his speakers has been elevated to levels I would not have expected.
Properly set up for simple stereo listening, I find a wide and immersive soundstage. Acoustic performances, especially, are brought back to life for me in a way that makes me feel like I am among the musicians again. (Yes, this is a trite concept, but the point remains... properly setting up your speakers is one of the most important aspects! I don't close my eyes and see Wayne Shorter or Keith Jarret in front of me, rather I feel like I am present at the recording of the event. I hope you understand and appreciate that distinction.)
Along with Wide Dispersion, the other trademark is a flat and accurate Frequency Response. Compared to speakers with elevated bass or treble, or a depressed mid-range response, good speakers should not color the reproduction of the sound they are meant to reproduce.
This has been my little piece of audio bliss. I have the utmost respect for some of the designers that are making their speakers this way. Obviously, Jim Salk is first on my list. Another is Ascend Acoustics: Dave F is a very well respected and talented speaker designer whose gear seems to win almost universal praise. I have also been fortunate to meet Rick Craig from Selah Audio and hear one of his designs (to say I was impressed would be an understatement).
At the end of the day, one can find good speakers in many places, and at many costs. Some are available on the open retail market from Manufacturers like Monitor Audio or KEF... just to name two, or from private boutique Internet Direct companies like the three I mentioned earlier.
It is not my intention to talk you into spending Tens of Thousands of dollars on new gear. Quite the opposite. Certainly, custom made speakers with stunningly dyed rare wood veneer are always a nice fantasy, but no matter the quality of the speaker, an improper set up will render it completely impotent to do what it is capable of doing. Conversely, even mediocre speakers can be enhanced through proper care in setting up ones room.
Yes there is a point where even a mediocre speaker will fail to deliver, but it is in the acoustic interaction between speaker and room that most of the magic resides.
Chasing electronics as a fix is akin to chasing the dragon... no matter the dosage, you will never have that same effect again!
I can only speak for myself when I say that these new AVRs and Processors are very intriguing. Yes, I want something that will meet my specific interests in setting up the speaker arrangement that will work best in my room. Yes, I want something that will allow me to pick and choose which Amps are utilized without an all or nothing switch. Moreover, as a gamer, I want something that will work well over the next generation of console to deliver a top quality AV experience.
But until the right one comes along that meets those needs, I know my Marantz SR6012 is a very good machine. I am quite happy with it's performance, even where it might be limited by some marginal facet that is likely inaudible anyway!
I suspect the same to be true with your SR8012, too!
Best,
R
