I personally like the 8th gen lights, and find them better than those in my 6th gen. If I felt the need to project more light, perhaps I would mount a set of PIAA LED driving lights, directly to the bottom fork stanchions.
I think I would like to hook up with someone with a 4th, 5th or 6th gen bike here and do some tests with a camera and a light meter compared to my 8th gen.
I have no issues with the throw but I join many people who are not satisfied with the pattern, which would probably be OK for most cars but not so much for a bike.
Good news is, auxiliary lamps are as good for visibility to BDCs as they are for lighting up curvy country roads.