Jerry
Just one further suggestion would be to focus your "trials" using the highest definition sources possible. My thoughts (even though others may disagree) would be that if you experiment (and hopefully get it right) with "HD" sources, then it will still sound at its best with regular CD and DVD
So, for what it's worth, I would experiment with the DVD-A that you know best (the Yes DVD-A, perhaps

) and a dynamic recent "blockbuster" movie with a 1.5Mbps DTS Soundtrack, digitally into your 861 (given no IA45 present)
Lastly, I would optimise the speaker positioning for my seating position, even if that meant denigrating the sound at the rear seating row and other seating positions. (My guess is that most of the time, you are watching Movies or listening to Music on your own. Again not meant as a personal affront, merely a reflection of the way most people listen to their systems. It's a lonely job, but somebody has to do it

)
Cheers
Ronnie