1 was 42 when I first heard belles. Couldn't afford them so bought lascalas a few months later. Now have an rc7,pair of cf1s, 2 sub12s, and an rw12d subwoofer. Had a pair of sf1s and sold them. I made myself a promise never to sell any Klipsch again. Love them all
The uverse box defaults to stereo output, I guess to make sure it works on simple setups or just when you are using tv and not an avr. Go into the setup and change it to surround sound or 5.1 whatever the better option is. I think this will make a tremendous difference in both audio and video quality
Check and see if the hum is being caused by your cable or satellite coax by leaving everything hooked up and disconnect it. If so rca ground loop isolator will help somewhat but you will lose bass output. You would need a ground loop isolator in line with the coax which does work with no degradation in sound.
My rc7 got damaged exactly the way you described even though it was very well packaged. Seller did an outstanding job but I guess the weight of the drivers is just too much to ship this way