Chesseroo:
"This isn't surprising. I cannot immediately recall having heard anyone say the M40/50/3 line were bright or harsh. This is more common when reading/hearing about the M22/60/80 lineup (different tweeter) and debated by just as many."
Actually, all the Axiom speakers use identical tweeters--the 1-inch titanium dome tweeter has been standard on the M3, M22, M50, M60, M80, and M2 for years.
It is the larger 6.5-inch woofer/midrange unit that the M3 and M50 share, and which account for their similar tonal balance, whereas the M2 and M22 use identical 5.25-inch woofer/midrange drivers. The smaller 5.25-inch woofer-midrange is more linear off-axis than the larger 6.5-inch driver of the M3 and M50, so the on- and off-axis output of the M2's and M22's 5.25-inch driver combine in typical rooms to produce a little more detail than the M3/M50.
Many enthusiasts confuse or attribute a speaker's tonal character to the particular tweeter when in fact it is the upper response of the woofer (if it's a 2-way system) or woofer/midrange driver that accounts for much of the apparent midrange tonal balance of a particular speaker.
