Considering replacing old AR 38B

Hi, I have a pair of AR 38B speakers which I bought in 1984 and still use, now with a Yamaha AS2000 and Tidal. The AR speakers have been sounding dull on some types of music (mainly orchestral), and are getting in the way of enjoying the music. On other music they sound quite good. I was thinking of replacing them (was thinking of Wharfedale Linton), but realized that those and in fact many similar speakers won't fit on my bookshelf. I don't want to switch to floor standers (which would be a hard sell). The ARs fit great on my bookshelf, on their sides. The bookshelf has 12" height clearance and 10" depth. The ARs are about 22" tall, 8" deep and 12" wide. The room is about 25' x 20'.  Any advice? I'm thinking of either re-coning the AR's since they do have the right form factor, or trying to find a new pair of speakers, though there are not many that are 8'" deep like AR. Thanks for any thoughts.