Hi Paul,
Since much of my listening in recent decades has concentrated around classical, opera, some jazz and large choral works, I think you'd be very satisfied with the M3 v2's reproduction of strings, horns and solo violin.
The Energy models tend to be what I call a bit "zippy", too agressive on strings and violin. The latter is especially critical for me as I studied the instrument for 15 years. The only Energy speakers I have heard that have excellent balance on strings are the rather expensive Energy Veritas models--large floorstanding systems.
In the Axiom line, the M3v2 or M50v2 would be ideal for your musical preferences. They are never agressive on strings and have very pleasing musical balance. With no subwoofer, the M3 has more apparent bass output than the M2 or M22 bookshelf models.
Regards,
Alan
