Twl, I can almost agree with you (on the issue of selective design for different purposes). But the fact is that the great majority of people simply do not have the space or budget for 2 separate audio systems. I believe more and more that the only solution is to investigate speaker designs that can adequately handle both music and home theater reproduction. There will always be a crowd that are into building complete home theaters, and for them the thx designs may be the right ticket.
H/T vrs Music speakers-Why the difference?
It seems as if most H/T speakers designed for use as the main fronts have a different driver configuration than speakers designed for 2 channel music. This difference is especially noticeable between the two types offered within the product lines of companies like Dynaudio, Silverline and Von Schweikert (3.5 I think) The H/T offerings by these companies have a Dunlavy type driver array (D'Appolito?) whereas their music speakers have a more conventional array. Anybody know why the difference? Whats the difference between a Dynaudio Contour T2.5 and a 1.8 Mk II? or a Silverline Sonatina II and a Corona II? They seem like VERY similar speakers with the drivers placed differently.