Hi Ford,
Cool post. Thank you for sharing all of that.
I've never heard the M22's. I own M60's. I love them.
Getting them eliminated any "what if" sentiments I might have had. My room is a different configuration than yours, but about the same size. I do not feel like I sit too close to get good imaging or that the speakers need more room to "breathe"; quite the opposite. I find the soundstage to be huge in every dimension.
Perhaps more importantly, you are coming from a frame of reference where the 901's probably sound "big". For all their other shortcomings, they do tend to bounce a lot of sound around. I think you will be rendered practically incontinent by the difference the Axioms make, but I also think that the M60's will more closely replicate the size of the sound image that you are used to.
Did you consider using the 901's as surrounds? That could be a fun experiment.
As to the cats, I'd say if your sofa and drapes are relatively unscathed, your grills should be okay too.
Let us know how you make out!
