There was no foul on the play. Dr. Horse offered his suggestion of an alternative manufacturer (which he felt was a similarly good speaker) AFTER Wid mentioned he would also consider other manufacturers. I didn't see anything offensive in his recommendation personally.
Had House's post been the very first response in this thread before anyone had made recommendations for this speaker or that speaker then I may also have called into question his patronage. But in this case he was really only giving information that had been requested.
Also he didn't state that he felt the Ascends sounded 'better' than the M22's, only that tests show that they give an even flatter response than the Axioms. All in all I didn't feel he was discrediting the M22's or Axiom at all. Only giving his recommendation for a cheaper alternative.
