Just got my M22s and SS16 stands today. 7 days goes by real slow when you're waiting for speakers!
I'm hooked on the sound. Wasn't impressed at first, but I had forgotten to turn off my crummy 6" sub that was probably crossing over at about 200 Hz. Oops. Anyways, nothing new here, loved the highs, clear, clean, etc.
SS16 stands are a bit curious, however. A little rough around the edges (hole in the platform could have been drilled more cleanly). Only got 6 anti-slip pads, which is OK because the M22s came with 8 of their own (actually the M22's rubber "feet"), so I used those instead. What I find unusual is that when the M22s are on the stands, they lean slightly. There's a 15 - 20 mm difference between the distance from the top of the M22 to the wall and the distance from the bottom of the M22 to the wall, so it looks like it's leaning forward slightly. If I move the top platform 180 degrees, the speakers lean slightly back, etc. Is this by design? If so, are they meant to lean forwards or backwards?
The stands also seem lighter and tippier than I'm comfortable with (needs to be toddler resistant), especially with the weight of the M22s. Another smallish aesthetic issue with the M22s on the SS16s, is that the stand top is square, while the M22 cabinet is wedge shaped. This results in some of the platform not being covered completely by the speaker. Just looks kinda funny, that's all.
If the SS16 had a weighted base (like a microphone stand), and a wedge shaped top platform that was perfectly level, I'd be tempted to keep it. Would also be nice if the M22 had metal screw terminals (like those found on the bottom of the SS16 base for the spikes) so it could be fixed to the stand without having to put nasty wood screws into the cabinet.
So my main question is not "Do I keep the SS16" (no), but "Do I keep the M22." I either need to get a more expensive stand that is much more stable, or make one myself (guaranteed ugly). Either way I'm going to have to put wood screws into the cabinets so they're not knocked off their stands when they're bumped into. I do, however, like being able to control the level of bass in a sub / bookshelf system, being in a duplex. (Up during the day, down at night).
Of course by the time I get more expensive stands, and a sub, I'm pretty much at the price of M60s. Big heavy towers, good bass response (music only), and the clarity of the M22 sounds appealing.
So I have 2 choices - sonic overkill with the M60s (we play music at pretty moderate volume), or wanking around with the M22s to make them stable. If anybody has suggestions, I'd be pleased to hear them.
Oh, yeah, and fantastic sounding speakers! Thought I should end with that.
