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Light doesn't just interact with a medium, the surface of the medium is also important.
Matte surfaces work by scattering reflected light so reflections aren't as strong. Both the 505 and 600 use matte surfaces to get softer reflections. But the catch here is that it also includes the light that passes through from the other side. You get scatter from the light going through the surface, and as it comes back out after reflecting off the eInk display itself.
So it is the mix of the matte surface, and the thicker non-glass medium of the touch panel that combines to make it worse than the 505. The adhesive on the protector fills the gaps on the matte surface and can actually change the amount of scatter (since you are no longer going from air->solid/liquid/whatever). The gloss surface lowers scatter as well.
Ideally, Sony would move to a capacitive touch screen at some point on the touch editions of their reader so they could use glass in the touch layer. It'd get them back to the clarity of the 505, but they'd have to figure out how to make a stylus work that isn't too bulky and easy to lose.
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