Matt - Thanks for a great question ...
In listening tests so far, the M50's have been really impressive for a small tower selling for $998 per pair. The M-100's are a more revealing, and powerful speaker in every sense. There is a family resemblance to the sound of both speakers - they are neutral, have great dynamics ... etc ...
The M-100's are a "big brother" to the M-50's, which is not a surprise.
Adding a subwoofer to the M50's, and taking away having to produce bass below 80 Hz will likely "clean up" the sounds in the mids. To what I "think" is your point: I would like to explore how good a pair of M-50's and an EP-350 is. At under $2000 for a 2.1 system, and in an easy to drive speaker, it could be a real bargain system that gets you to 22 Hz.
The 5 channel system I would like to explore would be the M-50's, the EP-350, a VP-100 and a pair of M-3's.
This is a $2531 system in the outlet store.
That is exactly my question. I have a set of LFR1100's so it's rather a redundant question for myself. I know the sound that I get with the LFR and the bass is just about right for the music that I listen to. As some point I will try getting a nice tight sub to get my down to that mystical 17hz, but for the most part I don't know if I really need it.
However in reading the posts from people saying how they'd get a set of M80 but the M100 are just too large, and then in the same breath talk about a sub woofer that have.
I know from my experience, the sound of a smaller speaker with a sub is different than a large capable speaker without. Not saying one is better than the other, just different. I know that I am not musically trained and couldn't tell you if my hearing is shot for all these nuances that get reported in a demo review. I just know what I like and what I don't.
I just thought it would be great to get an honest review of that mid sized M50 both with and without the added sub and compare it to the big brother M100 so you can make a more informed decision when out purchasing.
