Thanks for the detailed write-up.
This may change in the future, but as it stands now, I might be a convert to always use vertical speakers for center even when it means ugly setups. Then again, I still need to compare back with dual VP-150s because that was very, very good as seemless soundstage and I never tried by "no sub" config while I was using 2 VP-150s.
Sounds like your impressions have been similar to mine. I will never go back to a horizontal center for quality music. Both the imaging and the lower frequencies if using 3 tower speakers are IMO noticeably better. OTOH I have also noticed that a horizontal array does create more of a “wall of sound” which for most movies I do find more appealing.
Looking forward to reading your further impressions.
