I never weighed in, but I had my QS8s on stands (ear-height) for a long time, and I was always happy with the result. My side surrounds are currently raised higher, since they have EP800s under them, but my rear surrounds are still on stands.
I want to move to Atmos, but I'll wait until UHD Blu-ray has been out for a little while, and I'm curious what other offerings Axiom will have at that point. I'm hoping there will be something for people with lower ceilings, since this is the space I'm stuck with. I bought one set of M22s in anticipation, but, like you, I'll still try out the QS8s to see how they perform.
CV, thank you for your post, it's exactly the type of post i'm looking for. my move to ATMOS comes from me getting ready to change out my old failing 5507 pre-amp. i'm going with the marantz 7702 mkII and that should keep me going for years to come. i do not have high ceilings, mine are at 7' which is kinda standard and i expect the ceiling mounted speakers to work just fine.
i suspect it's going to be a nice sonic change for me when i do move the surrounds down to seated ear level. i plan on doing that before i get the pre-amp to get my brain use to having the surrounds at that level. the pre-amp is still a couple of months out, but will be in place by or before the end of the first quarter 2016. i'll probably burn my tax refund on that purchase.
again, CV, thanks for posting. i'm also glad you have enjoyed your QS8's at ear level.
