Hey Kenneth and Bridgman,
Ha, ha. But I luuuv my M22s and M80s! Actually, the M50ti has a very pleasing tonal balance (now are you happy??).
Besides, it's just a few dB in the midrange. The reason the M50's midrange isn't quite as linear is that the M50's drivers are a larger diameter (6.5 inches) than the M60's dedicated midrange driver (5.25 inches). Consequently, the off-axis dispersion of the M50's woofers isn't as linear as the M60s' midrange. In other words, the M50s' woofer/midrange rolls off more quickly at the top of its range (midrange) than do the M60s. And since our subjective impression of a speaker's tonal balance through the bass, midrange and highs is formed by not just the on-axis direct sound from the speaker but by the first reflections from the side walls in most rooms, which arrive a few milliseconds after the direct sound on-axis, the overall tonal content of the M60s has just a touch more midrange content.
If you did '"near-field" comparisons of the two models, sitting really close so that you only heard the first arrivals (the direct sound minus the lateral reflections), I suspect that minor tonal difference would disappear.
Regards,
