My journey is very similar to that of @sns . I just haven't attained his level of sophistication... yet.
I started with box speakers but once I heard the Dahlquist DQ12s (the precursor to the Nola) I couldn't unhear the box. I've listened and the presentation of the box speaker is lacking air, realism, it is very constrained. The only way I can explain it is if you stand behind someone talking / singing and then put them in an enclosure that's what box speakers do. All that resonate information that is also audible from the front is absorbed and the lack of it is very noticeable.
Like SNS I too have moved to corner horns. For some reason they don't have that Box sound and don't take up any actual living space.
As and experiment I would suggest trying a pair of DQ12s. They can be purchased for about 4 to 5 hundred and can be sold for about the same. The DQ20i are a little more but have the same design with better components but are also a little harder to find probably because of their original selling price was a lot higher. They don't have the traditional open baffle look and can be still sound good closer to the wall. Be warned though they will change your perception of what audio sounds like.