7:09pm - No way I have time to start from scratch with a new layout.
8:06pm - The new layout seems to be working OK
I basically rotated everything 90 degrees, so the speakers were along the end wall instead of a side wall. Didn't make much difference in where the bass buildup happened, but I figured if the bass was "over there" then moving the listening position in that direction couldn't hurt either. The change also fits with the general advice that you should orient the speaker-to-listener axis along the ridge of a cathedral ceiling, not across it, which I had rejected earlier because each of the placements I could imagine resulted in a dysfunctional furniture layout.
Downside is that I now have a totally dysfunctional furniture layout, where you have to sort of slide between sofas to get to the listening area, but I figure I can fix that some other day. At least the sound seems to be a bit better. Makes for better sound in the loft too, which is where the office will hopefully end up.
As a bonus, I no longer have to hang a duvet up near the ceiling to block a first reflection point, so I'm going to take another shot at declaring this exercise finished other than improving turntable isolation. The turntable is now pretty close to the left speaker, and there were already audible "bumps" when I walked around near the turntable. No skipping, not even close (knock on wood) but not silent either.
