Seeking more 3d imaging, deeper/wider soundstage

Room treatment is so hard to get right, and most of the time they are really ugly. But, I think I will try the GIK Acoustics suggestion just to hear what they have to say. Good idea.

enjoy

To everyone: thanks for the posts. And I'd like to note what I've taken from this thread:
room treatments and speaker positioning were mentioned up front, the positioning is something I've toyed with and will continue to toy with, and the room treatments aren't up yet but I'll report back when they are.
Don't discount the equipment suggestions, I've written that I want to try tubes and I cannot do that without some brand knowledge, I am well-researched in the world of solid state, but not tubes. I need manufacturer suggestions that have a record of great 3d sound and reliability.
All of the room treatments and speaker positioning will only get me so far, I know this, and I was able to fix some things with speaker adjustments of scant inches, which surprised me. But I still won't get to audio Nirvana with the Rotel, and maybe not the Halo P3 either. I've had the power amp for 4-5 years and I'm itching for an upgrade. I want to purchase something that will take the sound in the correct direction.
Sheesh this post is getting longer than I thought it would be.
Thanks to Atma Sphere for the phasing thing, I had the system hooked up wrong previously and now I know what was going on.
I'm STILL going to upgrade the amp or the pre or both! Maybe not soon, but it will happen...Thanks again everyone.

Minorl: I think I understand the context of your request for titles of 'reference' recordings but I'd like to offer a slightly different perspective, FWIW. After years in what I would call an 'audiophile bubble,' listening to records that sounded good on my system, I decided to spend time and money on the best pressings of music i liked and wanted to listen to, rather than stuff that 'played the system best.' Granted, not all of these are sonic spectaculars, but, once your system is sorted, room, power, etc. (and it appears you have a pretty good system), so much comes down to the source material. In some cases, it is remasters, but in many, many cases, I'm listening to old records, particularly those made in the 60's and 70's. And, while the results are uneven, because not all of the music I like was well recorded in the first place, I'm really enjoying music, rather than focusing on how the system sounds. I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't include a couple of things (having no idea how the digital releases of these compare), but on vinyl:
Shelby Lynne -Just a Little Lovin' -Chad's re-do, not the standard issue. A sonic confection, thank Phil Ramone.
Janis Ian- Between the Lines- standard issue Columbia from the mid-70's; don't bother with the 180gram reissue- it doesn't sound as good as the record you can find in a bin for 5 bucks;
Hoodoo Man Blues- Chad's 45 cut, particularly "In the Wee Hours." You'll probably smell the cigarette smoke from the club like setting of this classic blues record.
Little Feat, Waiting for Columbus- just find a TML pressing and listen to the side with Dixie Chicken.
I could go on, but you get the idea. None of these are obscure, or particularly expensive on vinyl.

Room acoustics are pretty ugly. Look into Vicoustic. It is the only product that I have found to have a decent sense of style to them. I use their absorption panels to treat the front wall behind my speakers. They have a lot of different products all of which look good to me.

The problem for me with the Vicoustics product is that foam does not work very well for bass trapping. It looks great, but great "sound" is more important to me. After much research based on price, quality, and effectiveness, I determined that GIK was best for my needs. I am very happy with my choice and recommend GIK highly. I, too, thought that it was difficult to get room treatment "right," particularly in a room with crappy dimensions of 10x10x8. It CAN be done with proper guidance. I have no affiliation with GIK, I am just a very satisfied customer, and am grateful that I did not have to spend mega bucks to achieve the wonderful sound I have currently. That being said, room treatment is not a panacea, and it may wind up that new equipment is in your future ... as someone who had a Rotel amp briefly, I can tell you that I found it grainy and unmusical. That's why I had it briefly. However, I think that room treatment is essential regardless of equipment ... Even the best, most expensive equipment, can sound like crap in a poorly treated or untreated room. Just go to a major audio show held in a bunch of hotel rooms and hear for yourself.