i remember this discussion on the old forum (and if i remember well, there even was a poll about it )
you quoted one of the main arguments for the lense in the center of the kit: it matches the ALT speaker perfectly. it has to be at the place where it is for that the viewer can have the best possible sound quality when he sits right in front of the tv. that is by the way why the tv is slightly tilted to the back. if the lense had been at the top, it would have been much mor difficult to integrate it into the whole design.
imho, bv9 is one of the best designs of the last years. the edges look very distinguished, the proportions are much better than on the bv5 with it's half speaker half monitor... put a pair of bl9 next to it and you have one of the best looking and best performing setups there is.
i like the look, but what is much more important the sound of the lense, but i can understand if you disagree about that.
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. - Berthold Auerbach