Hi Jeff,
Wow, nice system! I guess higher education really does pay off :) !!
From the pictures, it's a bit hard for me to tell how close are your speakers to the back wall - do you experience any bass with your floor standers in a relatively tight space? If so, how much do the panels help compensate for this?
Is that an extra speaker driver (on top of the CD player)? A precaution for some over the top post exam partying??? If so, I like a guy that thinks ahead :P
Merry Christmas - now go back and hit the books !!!!!
Cheers,
Garry