Well Randy, as I said when I suggested that you put the closet light on while listening, I continued to read this and ponder, but nothing sensible resulted(the closest was that the Emotiva brought evil spirits into the closet which were subdued by the friendly spirits activated by the lights).
I'll comment on some of your other points. It isn't unusual for there to be a very low mechanical hum from the transformer when you put your ear just above the top vents. The three receivers that I use do this, but it isn't audible a couple feet away. The alternating magnetic fields in the transformer can vibrate the laminations in tune with the 60Hz power. A toroidal transformer, such as those the Emotiva uses, is supposed to be less susceptible to hum because the core is more tightly wound. My stuff can't be heard beyond a few inches, so it's effectively noise-free, and I'd think that the same would apply to the Emotiva.
As to the electrical(as opposed to mechanical)hum or hiss at a very low level heard with your ear next to the speaker, again with my receivers turned up to maximum gain(with nothing playing, of course)a faint hiss from the tweeters and faint hum from the woofers is heard a few inches away, but there's nothing at the level settings that are commonly used. So, in effect the equipment is both mechanically and electrically noise-free and isn't a cause for concern.
