From what I understand, The M80s and the M60s "sound" very much alike. The difference is that the M80s will play "louder," i.e. do a better job of filling a larger space.
Your room is considered a "small" room (144 sq. feet,1296 cubic feet). My room is 207 sq. feet, 1656 cubic feet), and I have the 22tis for mains. They do the job just fine for me, so I assume they would "fill" your room as well. That doesn't mean that the M60s or M80s would be too much for your room. The only argument on that side of the ledger seems to be that M60 and M80 owners feel you need a certain amount of distance from your seating area to the speakers to get the most out of them. Since I don't own either speaker (but am SERIOUSLY considering upgrading to the M60s for frequency response reasons, not volume), I'm unable to tell you what, exactly, that distance is. But, keep in mind that those speakers are 15" to 17" deep, and you'd want to keep them a Little distance from a wall so the ports can "breathe," so you're looking at the front of the speakers being, at least, a couple of feet from the wall. You won't be sitting with your head touching the back wall of the room so that means another foot or two off the distance. So, you're down to 8 or 9 feet distance between you and the speakers. Hopefully, some M60 and M80 owners will chime in here and let you know what they think, and if that distance will suffice.
You make a good point about "not living here forever." If you anticipate a larger space in the future, that is a valid argument for buying the larger speakers.
Yes! The QS8s are REALLY that awesome
. I love mine. That being said, in a room the size of yours, the QS4s would also be awesome.
Good luck. Let us know what you decide.
