I can attest to the fact that bass response matters for surrounds. The QS10v4 have been a wonderful upgrade over the QS8v2 in that regard.
But bass response is not all that's important. There are gunshots, screeching get-away vehicles, panting as fugitives flee, and other such effects with intricate details that got missed in the QS8. I have zero, absolutely zero complaints, about the QS10 for a surround. The only complaint I have is that Ian won't give me more HP drivers. I want three in the QS10.
Now you're not going QS but it's important to understand you need preservation of detail. And if you're going to listen at reference level or anywhere close to, you need linearity. Guaranteed the M3 and M50 will not give you that. For sure you will say "Wow! I like it." but you will have no idea what you are missing. Like I again discovered when my mother visited me, letting her live in simple ignorance is more blissful than exposing her to the tortures of reality.
So you need either M5 or M60. With the M5, you need power if you want to play near reference. Sorry but your receiver won't cut it. I know because I measured and my mighty Onk was compressing. With the 1000 feeding my QS8s, I can listen at reference without distortion or fatigue. It is simply amazing and you can't know what it's like until you experience it. It is far better than any theatre I've ever been to!
