I received my M2i along with the HK3480 on Thursday, didn't get to test it till Friday and Today, the M2i doesn't sound as 'forward' as I'd expected, maybe it's the HK3480 but so far it appears to be kinda laid back to me, and I like it alot. I suspect the M3ti might not suit my taste since it's often being describe as more laid back than the M2i.
I cannot associate 'bright' or 'harsh' with these little jewel even with the Treble cranked all the way up, the HK3480 receiver has a minimum volume level of -80dB to +10dB max. I set them up in my living room 22' x 12', put them 6' away from each other, and 2' away from the back wall, I sat about 7' away from the speakers, then played the Enigma CD, Album - Cross of Changes, track 2 - The Eyes of Truth. I'd cranked it all the way up to about -15dB and these little M2i are very LOUD!! Female vocal is very define and powerful, I'd tried to turn it up a little bit more but it was getting unbearable loud, but absolutely no audible distortion though, and no sign of stressed or strained on these M2i either.
I think M2i can really appreciate 120wpc from the HK3480, they probably will do just fine with as little as 50w from a decent quality receiver, but I suspect it will not sound as good or as loud. The mid bass is decent and get the job done well, but I'll definitely cross them out at 80 to 90hz when I get the Subwoofer. I believe these M2i will play much louder If I high pass them at 90~100hz and feed them more power.
The M2i perform extremely well in my living room, I'm already considering leaving them the way they are now and just get some cheap PC speakers for my small office....haha.
