I was wondering if anyone has done a side by side comparison between the no longer available M40 and the current M22. I don't have the opportunity to A - B them in the same room with the same electronics hooked up prior to purchase. The M22 has the advantage of the additional driver, but the M40 has the advantage of a larger speaker cabnit.
Surround sound mostly movies and TV with little music. M40 or M22 would be the fronts of a 7.1 system with vp150, 2 qs8's, 2 qs4's, and a non-axiom subwoofer. My room size can be supported with a good bookshelf or a small tower.

Any opinions as to which would create a fuller sound and which creates a larger soundfield, or just any personal bias against one or the other if you have some reasoning behind the bias.

Thanks.

I am guessing you have the opportunity to purchase a set of used M40s.

The M22s will be a closer match sonically across the front with the VP150, which in my books is a better way to go for HT. Most people like to have the front 3 matching as pans across the front get to be annoying if the center doesn't match the mains.

It has been mentioned many times the M40 is like the M3 with a bigger cabinet, which allows for louder and deeper playback. Another option would be to go with the M40s and use an M3 as a center if you have the room.

Yea, I definitly want the front three as sonically matched as possible. That is the only reason I was going to consider M40s, because they were from the same company. However, I wasn't sure how the two speakers compared to each other and how technology or materials may or may not have changed since the M40. If the M40 doesn't match the vp150 as well, then I guess I won't pull the trigger, since your describing that it's actually going to be a downgrade in sound performance.
Thanks Jay.

Hi GRS0002,

The M40 was discontinued from the Axiom lineup quite a few years ago partly because its sound was rather dissimilar to the Axiom family of neutral, detailed sound.

To correct Jakewash a little, it is the M50 that is much like the bookshelf M3 but with a larger enclosure and two woofers.

The M40 compared to the M22, the M3 or the VP150, while it was pleasant, lacked the detailed midrange of the current Axioms. It was very "laid-back" which is really another way of saying that its midrange I found somewhat dull and muted.

Regards,

I have directly compared the M40 and M60s as well as briefly owned M22s in the past and I have to agree 100% with Alan.
the M40s are dull in detail in the mid range compared to the other two models. However if you are going to compare the more full sound or larger sound field, the M40s would accomplish this better than the M22s.