Like their bookshelf counter-parts, these M5OWv4 are wonderful speakers. Full range for almost all music, well-balanced across all bands, highly dispersive with a holographic soundstage at all volume levels. Beautiful finish and very well-packed.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1gyUJk93f2iYezoLeXBc64X0_xyS7cAx2?usp=sharing

Compared to my M2OWv4, they are longer, wider and deeper as you can see in the photos above. They're also about twice as heavy. Hanging beside a bow window is still not a problem though. They produce deeper lows and more bass and mid-range detail (texture) and are more dispersive than the M2OW. Soundstage, like my M2OW, is the entire width of my front wall and the soundstage depth of the M2OW is preserved. The M5OW can hit 5dBC higher peaks before I start to object to the woofer distortion. At 12 feet away, that's about 105dBC. To summarize, the M5OW sound more like the real performance compared to the M2OW.

I just want to say a bit more about the dispersiveness. In the piece below, you ought to be able to hear a trumpet and trombone on the left. Now look at my room photo above. That trumpet and trombone appear at the far left wall where the light is. That's six feet away. My M2OW do this as well. But there's a big difference with the M5. When I turn my head and look in the direction of those images, the effect slightly collapses with the M2OW. Not so with the M5. The image is solid!

https://open.spotify.com/track/7a2Bn6l0huPgPxDAtm7iT1?si=sxUojzRpREG5Z66B2a9l4Q

There's a catch to all this. To achieve the above with various flavors of music and various volume levels in my living room, I had to cut the bass. I mean, I had to REALLY cut the bass. First, I tried stuffing the twin ports on the bottom. I've never liked how that sounds although I know others don't object. So I took the stuffing out and cut the bass as much as I could on my Chromecast Audio. That didn't work completely. So then I cut the bass on my Pioneer all the way (-10). That did it. I had to cut the bass on both devices all the way!

From that baseline, depending on the piece of music and the volume level, I had to adjust the bass. This is something I don't have to do with the M2OWv4. Frankly, it's a real pain. But, and this is a big but, the music that comes out is oodles more emotionally involving than M2OWv4 for that extra pain.

I will say, in my living room, with the speakers mounted on the long wall to give me that wide soundstage I so much love, if I could not or did not want to cut the bass, I would take the M2OW over the M5. Recognize however this is a room mode thing. With the M5 bookshelves in my living room, I had even bigger bass problems; I could not cut the bass enough. My FWB bought M5 bookshelves for her more spacious living room and they sound wonderful in there completely uncorrected.

They are emotionally involving with the bass cut and without a sub. But what about with subs? With the dual EP125v4, they are even more emotionally evolving. No big surprise there.

Do you need a sub with the M5OW? Even if your room is "good" or the EQ correction is good, a good sub adds emotion. If you can't buy a good sub, then don't bother. If your room is bad, a sub will give you bass management options - particularly if you have EQ software.

How about against M2OW/dual 125v4? With or without a sub backing the M5OW, this is a very difficult choice. Consider what I've said in the past. Friends and family are blind-folded while listening to M2OW. When the blinds come off, they look around the room to find the speakers and are shocked to discover only two diminutive M2OW. I get the same sense of wonder every time I listen to them. Then also consider what I've said about bass response in my room. If you can't or are worried about managing the bass, M2OW is the way to go. Then there's always the aesthetic aspect. I love equipment and I love Axiom speakers but it does look like the M5OW footprint may be too much of a good thing for my room. The M2OW fit in just right. Right now, I am very biased towards the M2OW/dual 125v4 system.

How about against M5 bookshelves? This is no contest in my room. The M5 bookshelves get in the way of themselves from a bass stand-point and also from a soundstage width perspective. No one in their right minds would choose anything but M2 or M5 on-walls in my set-up. Maybe they'd choose M3OW but I can't say because I've never heard them. I've already said I take the M2OW over the active LFR1100 in this living room. But if you have a place like my BFF, the M5 bookshelves will give you music that is more real.

How about against M3s? M5s all the way unless you like more mellow, less detailed sound with a less neutral presentation. Although I have not tried M3OW, I have compared my M3 bookshelves against M2v4, M5v4, M50v4, M80v2 and M100v4. I expect the M3OW will give you a very similar soundstage as M2OW.

What am I going to do? Am I going to keep the M5OW or go back to M2OW? I really don't know right now. I suppose that tells you how good they both are.

House of the Rising Sone
Out in the mid or far field
Dedicated mid-woofers are over-rated