Honestly the 'room correction' systems may not be as important as you think. Have you got a sound system in your room already? How is the sound?
No system can truly correct for poor room acoustics. The best they can do is mask some of the worst symptoms using equalization. A better approach would be to fix the underlying issues using acoustic treatments. These need not be excessively expensive.
If you go with this approach you can save money by getting a good used receiver or preprocessor that lacks these features but can still produce excellent sound.
I agree with you on your assessment on the misnomer of "room correction". I am of the opinion that fixing placement and room related issues through loudspeaker equalization is a poor idea.
