Thanks for your feedback CV - it's good to know that the sound is noticeably more enveloping using the QS8's than bookshelves. I had a feeling this would be the case.

In terms of money at the moment - I'm more or less limited to the sub and 1 pair of speakers.

A third possibility would be to keep the m3's as fronts and purchase a pair of QS8's and the sub. Does anybody have a feel for whether the m3/qs8/svs combo is a better choice than an m22/m3/svs combo? Especially considering I mostly listen to music.

I do have my heart set on the flatter response from the m22's coupled with a good sub because I've heard fantastic things about this set-up.

Cheers