I'm trying to decide between the M40's and M50's. I listen to mainly acoustical music and lighter alternative. I like to hear clear crisp highs and tight bass, I don't need booming bass. I have a NAD preamp and two power amps at 240 per side, and from what I've read on the Axiom site and others is that too little power hurts speakers, not too much. So I'm also asking if 240W okay for the 40's and 50's?

go with 60's or 22's. they produce the sounds you're craving.
dan

Axioms provide very acurate bass - none of them can be described as "boomy". As far as the crisp, clear highs - have to agree with twodan on this one. Get the 22's or 60's. I'm powering a set of M80's with only 70w/ch - plenty of power. With 240/side, you'll be in heaven.

yep...The M22's with a good sub (Hsu) or the M60's are what you want. They'll provide clarity like you've never heard before. The M60's benefit from a good sub as well for the deepest depths, but are perfectly fine without one for music. They produce a surprising amount of clean, tight bass on their own.

I will second that. I can barely tell the difference between sub/no sub when I listen to music on my M60's. The sub makes a world of difference on movies, though.

Mark