Charles,
You ask two great questions for which I have less than clear answers. First of all, I have not evaluated the M-60's driving the TE II's. Getting the SVIIs dialed in upstairs was a bit of a chore, and moving them in and out of the room is a considerable project. Similarly, optimal positioning of the TEII's upstairs would likely require a fairly significant investment of effort, without which, a valid comparison could not be drawn. Moving the M-60's downstairs is also not going to work. There is just not enough room for them in the area in which the downstairs system electronics resides to accommodate them. So that experiment is pretty involved and probably won't do more than satisfy curiosity. As for the essential differences between the two systems playing the same music, it is pretty much what you might expect. The TEII's are the best monitors I have heard (although I can't say I've auditioned scores of monitors), and they mate superbly with the Frankensteins. I do not perceive that the Franks struggle at all to drive the TEIIs, based on the absence of objectionable levels of distortion. While it must be stated that the source and preamp downstairs are not in the same class as the ModWright Sony HAPZ1 and Coincident Statement Line Stage present in the upstairs system, both source and pre are good enough to convey the essential strengths of a 300B DHT based system. That dash of euphonic 2nd order distortion, absent in the M60's, can make for mighty sweet listening. The TEIIs driven by the Frankensteins are going to be pretty hard to beat in my book for Schubert Lieder, violin sonatas, and the like. It is a really good "sooth the savage beast" system perfect for decompression after a day of frustration. As you might expect, the M-60/SVII pairing has a clear edge with larger scale works, especially when there are large swings in the dynamics. When it is time for Mahler or German Opera, it is time to move upstairs. Upstairs has the advantage of dedicated circuits, room treatments, and superior ancillary equipment, so this is not entirely due to differences in the two amps. As you know, I found the Franks to be not up to the task of driving the SVII's. No amount of effort on my part could make this work. So I've got two respectable systems that serve me well. Don't ask for a Sophie's Choice here. I love both systems, and won't give up either. I suspect that if you had both amps as options in your room and your system, you might feel the same, but might have an easier time sticking with the Franks if you had to choose one.