Scott,
What you're missing here is the realization that the small, limited field that showcases the stereo imaging is lost when you get 15 feet from the stage area. There are sound cancellations that occur all around the room from natural revrberations and you add to the mess with speakers that "throw" the sound in a conventional manner.

The tweaking needed to make the sample is specific to my head, my velocity settings and my rooms is just that: specific.
It's pointless to argue that stereo in itself is better than mono - it can;t be proven. An acoustic piano is a mono instrument and the natural reverberations of the room make it fuller and more spacious. The issusion that stereo creates is limited to the immediate seating/listening area. The reality that the Bose creates can fill a room the size of a football field where everyone hears the same, hi-fi sound in all areas of the room. No conventional stereo system does that without rear speakers and time delay devices.

You're kidding yourself if you think that stereo carry further than the dance floor. It's like flash photography. There is a finite limit to how far the image travels....and it's not that far.

The Bose adds a new, powerful dimension to the sound that is superior to the aspect of stereo when compared back to back.
I love stereo sound .... when I'm in the sweet spot. Unfortunately, I'm usually the only one in that sweet spot at work.

I wish you all the best in your quest for the sound that floats your boat. For me - it's called PAS.
P ositively
A wesome
S ound

Yeah.