I have had the Lore for about two and a half years now. After about a year I swapped with a guy who had bought the Lore S for about a week because his wife didn't like the finish on his Lore S, and we both wanted to try the other type of Lore. We agreed if either of us wanted to trade back, we would honor it and swap back no matter what.
In that couple weeks trial, it was clear from the first moment that the Lore S has more detail, dimensionality, and hi fit character than the base Lore. However, the Lore has a more energetic sound, and a soundstage that fills the room much better. It has a more "live" sound. For all the improvements with the Lore S, I couldn't live without those essential qualities of the Lore. Others may feel differently, but that's what I determined for my system and tastes.
It sounds like you might have similar tastes. You might certainly consider trying the Lore. In addition, several months ago I went ahead and rebuilt the crossovers with high quality capacitors and resistors and upgraded the internal wire to solid core silver. That made a big difference in the imaging and other audiophile characteristics while retaining the raw energy of the eminence driver. It certainly didn't close the gap on those items between Lore and Lore S, but it was a big improvement for sure. You might consider upgraded crossover components If you need the eminence presence and energy, but want a bit more of the audiophile character as well. And I didn't even go with the high cost mundorf silver level of capacitors, either, but a step or two below that in cost.
In that couple weeks trial, it was clear from the first moment that the Lore S has more detail, dimensionality, and hi fit character than the base Lore. However, the Lore has a more energetic sound, and a soundstage that fills the room much better. It has a more "live" sound. For all the improvements with the Lore S, I couldn't live without those essential qualities of the Lore. Others may feel differently, but that's what I determined for my system and tastes.
It sounds like you might have similar tastes. You might certainly consider trying the Lore. In addition, several months ago I went ahead and rebuilt the crossovers with high quality capacitors and resistors and upgraded the internal wire to solid core silver. That made a big difference in the imaging and other audiophile characteristics while retaining the raw energy of the eminence driver. It certainly didn't close the gap on those items between Lore and Lore S, but it was a big improvement for sure. You might consider upgraded crossover components If you need the eminence presence and energy, but want a bit more of the audiophile character as well. And I didn't even go with the high cost mundorf silver level of capacitors, either, but a step or two below that in cost.