Speakers with imaging "Free of the box"

I think there is a very visual component to that as well. I am, let's say, mildly obsessed with detached soundscapes. The Tidal Contrivas seemed to fit that bill, even more so after having been equipped with Harmonix RF-999MT feet. Now, the Contrivas are large, surely they look elegant and are as slim as they can justifiably be (i.e. not a pencil-style speaker), but they are visually prominent.
So, as Tvad put it somewhere further upstream, was I getting the last 4%? After I gave up on surround some time ago, I had hooked up the TV in stereo mode, and there came my confirmation. The visual center was now, unavoidably, the screen. Sonically, things were happening in the entire room but even if I tried very hard, from where I was sitting I could not identify the large black sculptures that happened to be in the room as well as their source. For anyone with a large screen between the speakers, this may be the acid test.
Karel

I took delivery of a Supratek Cortese preamp yesterday, and the result is that my system snapped into place. The image is completely free of the box and fully three dimensional.

Speakers are Silverline Sonata III. Amplification is VAC Standard 160 monos or Belles 350A Reference (both are excellent). Speaker cabling is Silverline Audio Conductor. Power cords on the amps are Purist Audio Dominus Ferrox. Power cord on the Supratek Cortese is Volex 17604.

how about the old stax f81electrostatics? image champs no matter which decade.

Chadnliz: Being and owner of the Focus 20/20's, I held the same belief however the Focus HD's surprised me in that regard once I got them, burned them in and placed/cabled them properly. The Focus 20's and the HD's are in the same room and the difference is very noticeable...I'm sure that other speakers do this better however the HD's still pull it off which is a welcome surprise on top of all the things that they do well.

Delta Summits from Intuitive Design do this in spades....