I feel your pain.
R6 will cost you $199 list price in the U.S. I would say that the upgrades are no longer free because Cisco's upgrades are not free and if they can charge then why can't Avaya? I too wish they were still offered at no cost but then again I remember the days when I could pull up to the gas station and put air in my tires without putting $1 in quarters into the machine.
The size and placement of the speaker is different in the 7960 vs. the 5620. There really isn't much you can to do improve the sound quality of the speaker in the 5600 series phone via software. Just like the engine in a Ford and Chevy pickup sound different and changing the gas isn't going to make them sound more alike. These are two dissimilar products that, although they serve the same basic function, are not identical and cannot be treated as such.
Kyle Holladay
ACSS SME Communications
ACE Implement: IP Office
MCP/MCTS Exchange 2007
Adtran ATSA, Aruba ACMA
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is the probable reason why so few engage in it." - Henry Ford