I own 12 Axioms, all FO, with only difficult to find, if any, blemishes.
As for liking it loud, it isn't that the M22 plays louder, it also plays deeper, giving a "fuller" sound. The M2s are the only speaker I wouldn't buy again. They aren't "bad", by any stretch. They are very clear, very precise; much better than many other speakers I've been forced to listen to. It's just that they pale so much in comparison to the M22s, despite the fact that they have the same clarity and "sonic signature". If I couldn't swing the M22s then I would go for the M3s. They may have slightly different characteristics (some say less precise) but I like mine much more than my M2s ('though not as much as my M22s).
Doesn't the subwoofer in theory compensate for any lack of low-end on the M3s? Sorry if that is a naive question. I sense I am on a slippery slope here... M2->M3->M22.
I actually run my M3s without a sub, but I run my M22s (and ran my M2s) with a 10" Paradigm. Even though running the sub does fill in the low end I still found the M22+sub superior to the M2+sub. I suppose the M22s have a better midrange.
Also we don't really think of it as M2->M3->M22. It's more M2->M22 with M3 off to the side. The M3 uses a 6.5" driver versus the 5.25" on the others, giving it a slightly different sound.
Of course, it wouldn't surprise me to find out I'm full of crap and fail in a blind test.
