Excellent post and one that continually verifies the findings that I have experienced with different horizontal center channels over the years in comparison to a regular vertically oriented speaker in that position. It just seems no matter how you slice it, voices just seem more natural with the vertically oriented box. Regardless of any advertising claims, it didn't matter how much money one spent either. I have a $1000 Totem sitting in my basement because it just wouldn't cut it. It is still a small horizontally oriented box with all its limitations.
One thing I have found and Alan Loft has mentioned this in a previous article, is that horizontal centers, including Axioms, are also much more susceptible to timbre changes when the speaker is moved to a different position which can be a real pain when you are trying to get as close a match as possible tonally to your L/R speakers.
In the end, if one wants to still use a horizontal center, usually because of practical space issues, the only way one gets around this problem, is getting a large full-range piece like the VP180 or equivalent OR smaller vertical as described.
I am wondering, for power issues, has anyone tried or have in place TWO M2s for center channel use and how do they sound compared to just one?
