Hello Julian,
Re. a post of yours, you'll get goose-pimples from an Epic Grand Master 500, which JohnK recommended and which I use much of the time in my living-room (19 x 13 x 9.5) in my NY apartment. I also have M80 v2s on an A/B switching system and much of the time, switching between the two systems with the EP500 sub running, they are almost identical. I often forget whether the switch is on "A" (the M22s/500) or "B" (the M80s/500). In addition, in modest-size rooms, the M22s are easier to ideally place for a great soundstage than a big pair of floorstanders.
As a former editor of Canadian audio magazines for 13 years, in which role I was able to do controlled blind comparisons of Canadian brands (Axiom, Paradigm, PSB, Energy/Mirage) against British (KEF, Celestion, B&W etc) and American brands, and I can assure you that Axiom will give you greater musical accuracy and neutrality than Kef "Uni-Q" models, which I always found somewhat colored in the midrange. Moreover, the best Canadian designs often equalled or bettered the Brit and US competition for a lot less money.
As to bass output and neighbors, you can always adjust the subwoofer level or overall loudness level if you get complaints. I lived in a semi-detached house in Toronto for a decade and if I ran the subwoofers too loud, the lay order of nuns next door complained. So I'd turn it down; likewise, in a Toronto high-rise in a poorly insulated building sound-wise, I really had to be careful or the neighbor across the hall would pound on my door.
For your application, the M22s plus a sub will deliver loud, clean playback to the levels I've measured in Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan opera in very good seats (peaks of 98 to 100 dB SPL, which is very loud).
JohnK is incorrect in stating that the M80s offer no advantages over the M22s in delivering maximum clean loudness levels. The M80s have dual 5.25-inch midranges, dual 6.5-inch woofers and dual tweeters--six drivers per speaker vs. the M22's three--and when pushed, there are limits to smaller speakers. I recall writing notes in blind listening tests with Dr. Floyd Toole, Ian Masters, Sean Olive and others to the effect "sounds like a smallish 2-way speaker working hard at high volume" when we'd do comparisons at loud (but not deafening) levels.
In a practical sense, the M22s and a sub have excellent power handling and such comparisons as the above would only become audible in a very large room at very loud playback levels.
Regards,
Alan
