John, welcome(can always use another one and Rick says that also applies to another pilot). You can get the M60 or M80 if you want, because you can't have "too much sound" if you don't play them too loudly; you're at the controls. At those sound levels the M22 with a good sub will sound essentially as good.
As to a receiver, yes, the Yamahas will certainly work well with the Axioms, which have no unusual requirements. I'd suggest, however, that you consider instead either a Denon or Onkyo model with Audyssey MultEQ auto-calibration and room equalization in both the time and frequency domains. This is more advanced than the YPAO system used by Yamaha.
$400 isn't too low if you get a factory refurbished Denon or Onkyo unit at substantial savings. These are likely to be at least as reliable as a brand-new unit. Accessories4less offers good deals on Onkyo refurbs and eCost on Denon.
