Yes, I tried all the permutations of 11/9 combos. High only, wides only, highs+wides.

Wides actually have more impact than highs in my experiments. But in my room situation, wides, while noticeable, don't add as much 'value' so to speak as heights. I have my Tritons pretty wide due an entrance at the immediate right of the screen. The Tritons in combo with the SuperCenter XL do an incredible job at filling in a very wide soundstage, even when placed far apart (14' apart in my case, with my couch being 12' away, so to do a little trig, arctan (7/12) = 30.25 degrees, just over the edge of recommended R/L angle). I had the wides at approx 60 degrees, but because of my room configuration, the right side had the SS50 on a stand at a lousy spot visually and traffic-wise.

As for the highs, I have a 9' ceiling and have a project screen that descends from the top. I also have a TV above a fireplace on the same wall, so the visual field is elevated above the Tritons by around 3' (center of screen). The highs are subtle, but do pull the field up a bit.

My opinion and experience is that if you have the proper room setup, 11 channels are a marginal improvement over 7. But only marginal and not at all necessary, especially given the fantastic imaging of the GoldenEar offerings. If you have to choose between highs and wides for a 9 channel setup, wides have more value.

As for Audyssey, my Onkyo has MultEq 32. It works very well to correct for room acoustics. The difference with and without room correction is the difference between having 7/9/11 great speakers vs an blended, matched, enveloping sound bubble, where point sources exist only where desired in the audio tracks. I also have an Anthem MRX/700 that I was using prior to the Onkyo. The MRX has Anthem's Room Correction (ARC), which is similar in concept to MultEQ. ARC IMHO is superior to MultEQ32, but one has to run a Windows app with a PC/laptop connected to the receiver. MultEQ32 is built into the Onkyo, so its easier to run than ARC. I think the Onyko's video performance is a bit better than the Anthem, and has better UI features. The Anthem sonically, though, is a little better IMHO, but for day to day use, the Onkyo wins. Especially given that I'm only using the receiver as a pre/pro (highs not withstanding).

Hope this helps.

Bradorner,
Thanks a LOT for that! It does indeed help a lot.
You write very clearly, easy to understand. Appreciated.
I can see how in your setup the height speakers would make a good difference. I would like to put in wides, as per your suggestion, but I really don't have room for them. But thinking.
Your room is a lot bigger than mine so I think you would get more benefit, my setup, not so much.
Interesting your comments between ARC and MultiEq32.
I just have the most pedestrian Audyssey and more often than not, I find it degrades the sound. I will play with it more though.
Thanks for your feedback and keep us informed if you learn more.
And enjoy that great setup,
God Bless,
Wayne