I didn't give the ^'s a real critical listening but I have considered the 8s - a couple of times. The 8s have alot more bass than the M60s. Smooth, clear top end that is a little more forgiving than the M60s - but which won't give quite the same detail, either. Midrange is pretty similar - both forward sounding. If you're dead-set on the MAs soundcity.com had an open-box pair of 8s for <$900.