Okay, so....the reason I asked what I did was...
There really isn't that much of a difference between "studio montiors" and bookshelf hi-fi speakers. To a degree, small studio monitors are made to be listened to when you're physically nearer the speakers, but that isn't necessarily false for bookshelf speakers.
Most speaker manufacturers claim that their speakers are accurate. There's no difference between hi-fi accuracy and studio accuracy. They're accurate or they're not....and when they're not is when preference comes into play (unless you're using accurate speakers with an "incorrect" but preferable target curve).
This whole idea that hifi speakers are made to be more pleasing is BS.....how will one specific EQ curve be pleasing on everything to all listeners? That doesn't really make any sense unless their target curve just happens to match what you want to hear. But, that's not even an "accurate" vs "inaccurate" thing. Those small yamahas are just bumpy and weird, even taking Yamaha's assumed target curve into account (and don't get me started on how much I hate NS-10s).
So, you don't like yamahas or a7x, and both are too bright for you. I'd also stay away from Klipsch, B&W, and ATC. Genelecs, despite how incredibly well they measure, have always given me a bit of that bright/fatiguing thing too....but I've only ever really listened to the small ones years ago. I did not enjoy them at all....but I didn't set up that room and it was one pile of problems on top of another, especially now that I know more about what matters.
I'm pretty sure you're going to have to demo a few. I certainly did, and I did not wind up with the speakers I thought I would.....the ones I kept, I bought on a whim with the intention to return them just to say I tried. After correction, they're incredible for the money.
One thing to try before you go down the speaker rabbit hole....is the bass really uneven? If it is, it's worth playing with just speaker positioning. It's possible that you just happen to be sitting in a bit of a bass null, which is going to make everything sound overly bright. If any of your room dimensions are around 10-18 feet, that's somewhat likely and going to be especially problematic for guitars. You can do a good bit by moving speakers around if you can....but the easiest way to fix that is shoving a pair of subwoofers in opposite room corners and doing the things you need to do to integrate them.
If you just want to try speakers and can take the time to demo them....try KRK, maybe Dynaudio, JBL, or Revel. I never liked working on KRKs, but a LOT of people like their generally scooped and bassy sound. Dynaudios generally roll off a little early. They, JBL, and Revel tend to be pretty to very accurate, but they tend to follow a more tilted target curve that most people (including me) prefer. I have really enjoyed every Neumann I've ever heard, but it seems like I like a slightly brighter sound than you do.
If you do want to try Sonarworks, you probably want to try the B&K 1974 target curve as a starting point, though it still might be a little bright for you. It's fine software, though the measurement process takes about half an hour and is a bit of a pain. Dirac Live, Acourate, and Trinnov are all better for various reasons. Acourate and Trinnov are the cream of the crop, but Dirac Live isn't far behind. Sonarworks is pretty far behind all of them. Acourate is the hardest to use, by far. Trinnov is the easiest to use (which is why it's so expensive), but Dirac Live with a MiniDSP box isn't that hard (and will probably be my next step)....and either MiniDSP or Trinnov will also take care of the subwoofer integration. They all require a measurement mic, and all of them other than Sonarworks suggest using a mic stand. The Trinnov measurment mic is absolutely amazing....but it alone is like $800, and no, you can't substitute anything else for it. It's the only one that works the way it does.
