Welcome to the group, Shane!
Yes, the problem of hearing Axiom speakers is an issue, especially since you live in Australia! I've never heard M3's or M2's, but I own M22's. As I've built up my Axiom system, I have done quite a bit of 'comparison listening' to other brands. While every speaker manufacturer is a little bit different, there are a a few that (IMHO) are fairly similar to the sound that Axiom strives for.
Do you have any Paradigm dealer's around? If so, that might be a good place to go to get a bit of the 'flavor' of what Axiom speakers sound like. In my opinion, Paradigm is the 'mainstream' brand that sounds the most like Axiom. They're just more expensive. IMHO, Paradigm Reference Studio 40's sound a lot like M22's, and Reference Studio 100's sound a lot like M80's. I can't say for sure about M2's and M3's, but I'd guess that Studio 20's would be somewhat like M2's.
Energy is another brand you could check out. I haven't heard any of their speakers in a while, but the last time I did hear a set of Veritas's, there was that same neutral, clean sound that Axiom prides itself on.
Moving slightly further away from Axiom's sound but still generally similar would be B&W 7-series speakers. The bookshelf 705's have a similar sound as M22's. 703's sound quite a bit like M80's.
Yet another brand that might give you a taste is Vienna Acoustics. Again, a similar type of neutrality, clarity, and tone as Axiom's - just more expensive.
Good luck!
