Thanks very much for your post, NeverHappy, as I happened upon it at a critical time in my decision making process. I imagine many others brand new to the Axiom line have followed the same trajectory as me ... after reading tons of glowing reviews and narrowing down my choices to the M60s or M22s, I actually sought out the bad reviews as a hedge against buyer's remorse (to which I am particularly susceptible). Now I'm finding myself a little worried about the "too bright" tag that seems to be the only line of attack against them. I certainly don't want to re-open the semantic can of worms of "bright" vs. "detailed" but if the M50 mitigates the issue at LESS cost while still delivering outstanding quality, then I may have found the perfect solution. I'm also heartened by the idea that there isn't a huge difference between the VP100 and 150, as that would save me even more money. I'm assuming by the set up you retained, that the QS8s (which now seem, in my situation anyway, to be the one Axiom upgrade that is unquestionably worth the money) still blend well with the lower models of the center and mains?
FWIW, and to protect myself against the inevitable backlash, there are a whole host of reasons why even the remote possiblity of speakers sounding "too bright" or even "overly detailed" worries me. One is that the musician I listen to the most is a guitarist named Steve Kimock who is famous for a crystalline tone that often edges close (at least to my wife's ears) to piercing on its own merits. Any additional shade in that direction might make him off limits and I couldn't bear that.
Secondly, I also collect and listen to a lot of unofficial live recordings, many of which are recorded under ideal circumstances -- with the band's full support, very expensive rigs onstage, in an high as 24bit -- but some of which are not. The idea of spending money on merciless speakers that render unlistensable an already large and ever growing collection is similarly horrifying. I also plan to incorporate a (PC) digital media server into my setup, and though I'll be using a good soundcard, it certainly won't be true audiophile quality and once again I fear the revealing qualities of the M60 or M22 would be a double-edged sword.
I'll just stop now, as I've rambled on WAY too long already (if it's not obvious, I am currently obsessed with the question of which speakers to buy next). I'd love to hear feedback, though, to anything I've said.
