Hi troyd, thanks for coming back and setting things straight. I also find a timbre difference between the M80s and VP150 but not everyone does. I’ve come to the conclusion some people are just more sensitive to timbre differences than others. Also, it’s perfectly natural for identical speakers to sound very different in timbre based on location especially playing pink noise. If I play pink noise through my L/C/R M80s the center sounds very different from my L/R mains. This is due to differences in location and how reflections from nearby objects effect the timbre. However, I don’t notice the difference in the M80s with program material only pink noise.
Yes you can disconnect one tweeter and believe some people have tried that however it sounds to me like you would be better served by trying out some more forgiving speaker brands. IMO the biggest strength and weakness of Axioms at the same time is their accuracy. If there are harsh highs on the program material the Axioms will let you hear them. There are other brands that take into account that most recording people listen to are mastered poorly and design their speakers accordingly. Neither Paradigm nor Axiom do this.
What type of music aren’t the M80s giving you good enough bass on. I listen to lots of GOA Trance, EBM, etc… and get awesome bass. Now they don’t give the deep thump of a kettle drum the same way as my EP500 but for 95% or more of my music they go plenty deep enough.
I’m guessing you’ve had your Axioms for some time but I still have to ask this just in case if for no other reason than other people reading this may find themselves in a similar situation. As far as getting a little less top end and a little more bottom end from the M80s have you tried using the tone controls? Also, have you run Audyssey? AFAIK the standard Audyssey curve rolls off the top end since many people listening to poor recordings tend to prefer that. Also speaker positioning can have a huge impact on how they sound especially when in proximity to other objects.
