Cat, the answer is 7), something else, and it's your listening room. As has already been said, there's no speaker that can give you the clarity when operating in a reflective room that you experience with a good set of headphones firing about an inch from your ear canals. You probably should separate your speakers almost as much as your distance from them, which will help, but the M2s have excellent clarity; it isn't their fault.


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Enjoy the music, not the equipment.