Oh I get what you are saying Mojo, and am not trying to argue. When I read his initial question, I made the assumption that he already owned the M80's, and was asking if they were too big. I just don't see a compelling reason to not use them for a rationale that they won't work, or would not sound great. I know from my own experience they will work wonderfully. They may not be the "best" choice, but they'll do fine.
In my HT, I have the front sound stage on the 12' wall. I sit roughly 12' from the front wall. I've had several iterations of Axiom's in this room. Started with M22's, then M60's, and now M80's. I prefer the M80's over the rest by far. I also have a VP160 center, QS8's for heights / surrounds and backs. I have two EP500's as well. They are all V4's and I have two, 5x200 wpc amps driving everything. I enjoy the sound system so much, I have no desire to do anything with it. I did try adding width speakers, but the room simply is not wide enough. They were very distracting.
I did have a set of M80ti's in my great room that's 28x32. They rocked that room, so again.... I totally get your point. They like big areas.
I just wouldn't discount them from smaller areas without giving them a whirl. Especially when watching movies with intense swings and peaks.
With respect to my vette, no, I cannot hit top speed with any degree of safety. I can however beat the hell out of it and have a heck of a good time just getting after it or pushing it around some pretty scarry corners and over a mountain pass not too far away from home. It's not just about top speed, but having fun getting there, feeling the torque through all the spots in between a dead stop and what the road conditions and traffic will allow.
