Last night I listened to the Neverending Story opening credits again, and they still sounded a little strange, but not as bad as I remembered. I switched to the actual song via Spotify and it sounded significantly better. There is still something fishy going on with the AVR. I haven't tried the DAC route yet.
I also listened to some SNARKY Puppy (not SKINNY as I wrote before - yikes), and I get the sense that this is really where these are going to shine, even with their impressive vocal presentation.
Then I had a whole night of Beatles listening with Abbey Road, Let It Be Naked, and Sgt. Pepper. The new ultimate editions sounded like brand-new recordings (in a good way). I couldn't possibly pick which one sounded the best, but Let It Be Naked in all it's raw glory was a delight. And Abbey Road, which I've heard a thousand times, was offering details I've never consciously picked up on, even with these speakers in a less-than-ideal position. Maybe it was just me listening extra-hard, I may never know.
I still plan on driving these with the new amp (arrives today!). Excited to see if it will be an improvement. If that's the case I may have to accelerate my new amp schedule, whether my wife likes it or not.