cello,
I had the same experience with the 40.1s. I was at Audio Connection and John literally plopped them on to some nearby stands that weren't even the right ones. There was no measuring or fussing. He hooked them up to a system with a cd player that I forget, but it was nothing amazing or very expensive, and a pair of the very small Jeff Rowland monos, I think they were called 102s, really little things on the floor, and not expensive.
Well, that was one of the most shocking audio experiences of my life. They sounded so lifelike, and the bass had a feel and a dimension that I can't describe, but I haven't experienced since that day. The sound was so whole that I had no thoughts of woofers, tweeters or midranges. And this was with virtually no careful setup in a roomful of other speakers.
Based on what you wrote, I am curious to hear the 7es3.