Thanks all for the helpful suggestions and thoughts. I've since my original post decided that I simply can't live with the Dalis. I also took on loan a Bryston B-60 integrated to verify that the Dali are too fatiguing. They sounded great and in many instances were exceptionally rewarding, but my tinnitus acted up after every session, and that's not good.
I then borrowed some PMC TB2i speakers and tried them with both the Bryston and my Luxman/Sherwood combo. With the Bryston these speakers were quite enjoyable and displayed an excellent soundstage, and a balanced frequency response. I really liked them in all areas except the bass performance, and unfortunately it did not seem as if my Sunfire TSJ was up to the task of mating with the PMC speakers very well. I tried but it seemed as if the PMC was just too flat to really match with anything more than a 30hz crossover. So I was stuck with small, yet tight and well defined, bass. I like lots of bass, and I liked the bass of the Dali more, though its bass was achieved at the expense of midrange clarity. I liked the midrange (and treble and presentation etc etc) of the PMC much more however, so I was tempted to keep these speakers. But then I started to do some more research...
I then matched the PMC, which I've determined to be somewhat neutral and honest, with my Luxman and Sherwood. I was amazed at what happened. The bass became much more full, and the music became darker, richer, and almost palpably SLOWER. Massive Attacks 'Angel' literally seemed to have lost 20bpm somehow in this shift of equipment. And I loved it. So my 'vintage' equipment is certainly powerful and I think also capable of nice sound, but the tweeter on the Dali took the power a bit too far, I think, and the PMCs just didn't have enough bottom to make me want to dance. Perhaps the 'right' subwoofer is the solution, and I'm open to that happening if my last effort doesn't work out...
I've returned the PMC and Bryston, and am now interested in auditioning a pair of Totem Mani-2 signatures. My 200wpc/8ohm (350wpc/4ohm) Sherwood will have no problem driving them, and I'm curious and also somewhat confident that the sound will be pleasant in light of my recent PMC experience. Eventually I could get something 'better' to drive the Totems but for now I think this might be a way to get the bass I want with a less aggressive treble and more appropriately defined & balanced mid-range. This is my hope at least, based on what I've read and done so far.
Any further thoughts will be appreciated!
