HI Judasmac,
Nah, it isn't speaker placement. You are obviously a careful listener: "slightly recessed midrange" exactly nails the M3ti's tonal balance. When I'm being polite, I call it "laid-back" or "somewhat recessed."
And for heaven's sake, ignore 2X6spd and his eccentric theories of modifying the crossovers with his oil-filled caps and the like. I suspect you'd love the M22ti's or M2ti's, although the M2i's really require a subwoofer.
By the way, I haven't heard anyone mention Tangent speakers for 20 years. In their time, they were quite good speakers.
Regards,
