Hi Blue Grass Man,
There's a reason that the crossover design of the M80 was revised (which altered the tonal balance in the upper midrange) shortly after I joined Axiom in late 2002 and the change implemented in the summer of 2003, so don't consider reviews of the M80 in 2002 as indicative of the M80 v2's tonal balance.
Incidentally, I play 5-string banjo and guitar and I think you'll be thrilled with the accuracy of the M80s with well-recorded bluegrass music, especially the sound of 5-string banjo, mandolin, dobro, and guitar, not to mention the "high and lonesome" vocals.
Regards,
