I will have to fiddle more and try the Mordaunt Short 914s again.
The Suzanne Vega bucket test is passed :)
I'm pretty happy with these and don't feel afraid that I'll grow to dislike them; they suit the room. I'm not blown away but then I don't think I can be with the rest of my setup.
My current leaning is to keep these unless I can find something better, and I do plan to keep looking.