Neighbors came back yesterday so I was too busy enjoying loud and full-subwoofer days of music and movies to come back with the change of center of my home theater until now.
First, answer to Mojo's question: Yes.
Reminder: I had created two calibration settings, one with center, one without (as I had done when I received the M100s and needed to decide if I kept using a center or not).
Other reminder: There are 4 variables that could each affect results or impressions of my 4-5 days of intense listening.
1. v3 to v4
2. HP version of the woofers
3. Inverted cabinet (important as my center is very low)
4. Psychological bias (I am a well-known psychic who can determine the location where the works were recorded just by reading the booklet).
To start, interesting phenomenon that I experienced the 3 times I tried it (2 days intervals). First starting without center. Sounds good. Doesn't appear to be a hole anywhere and yet... Turn center on. Suddenly the hole that wasn't there gets plugged and instead of having the great wall of sound provided my the M100s, there's just sound with everything just... there! The first time (after I got the M100), it was not always better with the center and even when it was better, it was not as... "disapearing".
So, in general, music with few instruments or solo voices sound much better now (more real, instaneous and with better dynamics). The only way I could express it in a coherent manner is it's like there is one less barrier between me and the interpretation. Even a concerto for a solo (or few instruments) have a more accurate spatial distancing. It's like if the orchestra is now more clearly behind the soloist. Not that suddenly the soloists sound "forward" or in front of the stage, just that the respective position of the players is more as it is on a real stage.
The M100s provided me with many "wow" moments (and so did the QS10), but now all 7 speakers + EP800 combine to provide me wow moments a few times an hour. Pretty happy with the results. Would they have been worth 1630$ for a new (but wood finish) VP180HPv4? Good question. I kept trying to decide myself one way or the other. As hindsight, it would have been worth it. But I'm glad there was exactly what I wanted in the refurb during that special which brought them to 650.
(Next year, if there is again a pair af LFT1100 active with 2xADA1500-5, I will definitely get it at 10000$ even if it's walnut espresso!).
Large-scale orchestral works don't show as much wow, except where there are solo instruments here and there. Anything with voice got better (more attack, improved dynamic). At some point I started to listen to Carmen just to hear voices with a richly colorful orchestra and ended voice so mesmerized by the "presence" of the performance that I listened to it in its entirety (spoiler: she dies in the end). Several lieds in Winterise got to me strongly. It was like the singer was reaching out and pulling me with him. The dynamics was also jaw dropping (with goosebumps).
Same for solo piano, violin sonatss or AWESOME cello or clarinette in chamber ensemble. So... "there" that it is hard to stop listening. Pipe organ also sound more... linear. My EP800's amp was repaired some time after I got the M100s (more likely replaced) and I could feel it's presence quite a bit, especially during movies or LFE intense TV shows like Star Trek Discovery, now that I could crank up the volume for a few days.
Well, on a side note (for the other rooms), I did replace the M2 by M22 in my "morning room" and used those M2s to add surround to my office. Quite nice!
Last day of vacation, so I will try to enjoy the rest of the day even if neighbors keep coming in and out.
