A little help please


My room is 13' x 21' x 8.5' ceiling. Speakers are located along the short wall about 12-18" off the wall. They can't come out as they'll block an entrance way.  They are about 4' from the side walls. 

Currently I have a Prima Luna Classic Integrated with their standard tubes. Source is Rega Apollo R, MMF-5/Clear Audio Nano V2, or Proton DAC. Speakers are Totem Arro (no mass laoding).

I realize that my placement isn't ideal and my wife's need for decorating balance with furnishings,etc require some trade-offs but I just don't think these speakers are up for the job in some cases. Some songs, like acoustic blues, female vocals, even piano sound great but I'm sometimes finding other recordings seem to sound muddy and there's no real pop and umf on some drums; like I'm hearing music but not feeling it some times.

The totems are not mass loaded. I have heard that mass loading them will tighten up the bass. I could also try some different tubes, but overall I'm not sure either or both will make that big a difference. Which leads me to a discussion of a sub or some new speakers.

I lean towards new speakers.

Possibilities (depending on what I can get my wife to agree to in price and size) are:

PSB Imagine T2, Quad 25L, Revel F206 - As noted above there are decorating issues. A sofa is located about 2.5 feet in front of the right side. As it is now imaging is good, my concern with these is they all have some low driver positions that will be an issue unless I can relocate. Relocating to the long wall is an issue because I'd have to straddle a working fireplace as well as other considerations. 

A larger Totem Forest - leaves me wondering if I'll have similar issues with bass.

Audio Physic Tempo 25 (NOT the plus version) - demo from my local store.

Vandersteen 3A - Signature - also demo from my local store. These are likely too big for my wife's taste; and quite possibly my amp.

 
 One thing I didn't note so far was the possibility of a sub-woofer.  I'm not thrilled with the idea but I haven't given it an ear so I can't say.

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks for reading and taking the time to respond, Jetson.
jetson
vanderslipperyslope..one bite of the Apple...

Nice to hear you are happy..

BTW ( yes I know it is THE weak link) i am running 7 MK 2's with Type 6 shotgun biwires....


That's fantastic customer service by Audio Connection and very glad to hear you're happy with your new system! Until of course that nagging feeling sets in that things could be better if I just had, new speaker cables? A tube amp that has more power? Don't worry neurosis will set in soon enough! ;) Until then have fun and happy listening!
Yes, I have become very close friends with John since meeting him a few years ago.  He is just a good person in life and not just business.  It's WHO he is and those of us who have met him will say the same thing.  That''s so rare in audio as we know.  I know he reads these forums and I hope he sees what those of us feel about him.  It's so easy for me to send everyone I know his way because I know they will be pleased regardless of whether they purchase anything from him.  

I'm so glad you are happy with your system.
That started before I left the audition room. One of the first things John did was play something on them using a better amp and source so I could hear what the speakers were capable of.

Still, while I look forward to that next upgrade - I'm enjoying what I have quite a bit.
Awesome to hear.  Yes, we all love dealing with Johnny.  He's legit and always gets you in under budget.  He really does care and that's hard to find in most professions.  There are still a few great dealers around the country.