Hey, Canman.
I've had the pleasure of auditioning all of the Axiom towers and the M22 (in various combinations of head-to-head). You should also consider adding the M80 to your list of potential buys.
The M40 is full, warm, and laid back. The level of detail will surprise you, and I'm still surprised how unforgiving the speaker can be of cheap electronics or lousy recordings. The midrange is quite laid back, meaning opera and jazz vocals can sometimes sound distant, though with pop and hot-miked rock recordings, this is a bonus. If you like to have music on in the background, the M40 will not give you any listening fatigue.
The M22 is the opposite of the M40, in that its strength is midrange clarity and openness. It is smooth and very pleasing to the ear, particularly with classical and jazz music. You will need a sub for full-range music. Be warned, the M22's midrange "magic" is almost wasted on hot recordings, but overall it's one of the best bookshelf speakers you can get.
The M50 is similar to the M40, but the bass is tighter, making it a better speaker for rock music and instrumental jazz. To my ears, vocals were even more laid-back than with the M40, but this is probably due to the added bass output.
With the M60, clarity increases substantially, and the midrange driver brings vocals and details out that are sparkling. Like the M22, the M60 does not mesh well with bad pop recordings, but it is a FANTASTIC speaker overall.
The M80 is all it is advertised to be. The openness, clarity and transparency is obvious within 10 seconds of listening, even relative to the M60. You will not find its level of quality within 500-600 bucks of the price.
I've never been one to pay too much attention to imaging, but I have a pair of M40s, and they certainly place instruments properly left-to-right. I admit I don't have experienced ears to tease out 3-dimensional imaging.
If you're using a VP150 as center channel, dialogue will sound superb in a HT setup. In terms of "seamlessness" and "timbre matching", I always find this a bit silly when reading about it in reviews. Yes, you may hear minor shifts in tone as a car moves across the front soundstage, but does it in any way diminish the experience? ANY Axiom tower, VP150 and QS8 setup will give you an engaging HT experience that will have you bathing in Diana Krall's piano on Live in Paris and ducking bullets in The Matrix.
Hope this helps, and happy shopping!
