Yes the R645s are fine sounding speakers but they're butt ugly (low WAF). However I have the R645v1 that I've owned for 10 years now. You're basically arriving at the same conclusion I've come to and that's how I've been using these speakers all these years. I want a new processor to replace my old Rotel R972 receiver that I use only for home theater or surround music. The new processor must be equipped with with HDMI, good room correction is a must as my listening room is square and suffers from some really nasty room modes as a result and of course of the utmost importance is great SQ. That's why I'm waiting for the release of the 978, a new Marantz AV8006 or whatever else may come out along those lines.