Tang Band 2145 in action

You got me.  I'm jealous of your passion and never say die  attitude. Your belief that your 40 years of some kind of involvement in audio trumps the at least 500 years of combined experience of the forum members both hobbyist and professional gives me hope . So don't give up!  If you say it  with enough conviction and repeat it enough times it will become the truth.
I don't like the sound of your speakers yet but I didn't like asparagus either but after a while my weird smelling pee made it worthwhile.

The best wide-bander is still probably the Altec 755 8-inch. 55hz to 8khz. 90+ db sensitivity. You will still need to add a tweeter for the last two octaves using a first-order crossover. The late Art Dudley owned a pair and reviewed them for Stereophile. He mounted each 755 in a large sheet of plywood - open baffle style. Bass as expected rolled-off at 55hz. Art liked the clarity of the midrange and didn't miss having a tweeter! He remarked that the 755 has a cult following that has driven up the prices. I sold my pair in excellent condition for $650 - about what I paid for them! Now I wish I hadn't done that! 

Good news is that there is an eBay seller offering reproductions of the 755. He is coupling the cone/frame to a larger improved motor (magnet/voice coil/spider). They look real nice! About $600 a pair.

Put each 755 in a one-to-two cubic foot sealed cabinet and you'll have something real special! Add a tweeter + cap on top of the cabinet for the last two octaves.