Nothing like a shaggy dog story to kill a thread...
OK guys, I have attained HT nirvana and it's not what you would expect...
VP100 showed up today with one corner bashed in, looks like the Purolator guy dropped it on the corner from great height (or with extreme prejudice). I'll ping Amie in the morning to find out what to do. I hooked it up anyways of course. M60s have been moved upstairs (note -- M60s are much more satisfying than M2s in a standalone stereo environment) and I'm running M2s + VP100 + cheapo tower surrounds + PSB sub downstairs.
Pretty darned nice, I have to say. Anyone wondering if the Epic Midi system will be decent for HT shouldn't worry, the M2s sound GREAT as HT mains once you pair them with a good center and even crappy surrounds.
I think part of the "magic" might be finding the right distance between the mains. I kicked back into 2-channel + sub and listened to the new 30th anniversary Dark Side of the Moon and I'm hearing that "$25,000 system" sound again for the first time in years. The M60s would probably sound even better but I'm gonna leave them upstairs for a while.
Don't feel up to any M2 vs. VP100 testing tonight but I will observe that the VP100 looks much better than a pair of vertical centers on my 27" TV.
Here's a picture of my "ultimate HT" setup. I'm REALLY happy with it, even without QS surrounds (next step).
It doesn't look like much but it sure does sound good.
