My issue is less with your taste in sound, an more with your generalization. You've generalized what bookshelves sound like, and what towers sound like and done it in a way that I don't find very accruate.
Yes. A tower with generally go lower at SPL than a given bookshelf of comparable build. That's why I've recommended dual subs.
With the sub set within a half-wavelength of the bookshelf, properly crossed, they act as a single speaker; but because the woofer is completely decoupled from the enlcosure of the mid and tweeter, you have reduced the resonance problems in upper frequencies. The subwoofer doesn't generate those frequencies, and the bookshelf is less resonant than the comparable tower because of a higher relative stiffness.
Of course anyone's personal preference for sound may vary: you may like to put on a tube amp and drive it to distortion; but what is very interesting to me is that you've already decided that one speaker you've never heard is better (to your ear) than any of another group of speakers you've never heard, and I cannot find the basis for that belief.
All that said: your advice "listen and decide what you like" is very true.
*edit* again, I'm not traying to disagree with your statement of what you like. I own several sets of towers myseld (Paradugm Studio 60s, at least until I sell them), a pair of infinities, and a pair of almost-complete custom re-builds. One nice thing is that the work of integrating HF and LF was already done for you by the manufacturer.
