Welcome to the forum, Nick20.
<sigh>... The old M80 vs Emotiva amp debate...
The debate is that M80's
may dip to very low impediences (~2.6 ohm) under certain conditions which cause
some of Emotiva's amps to go into a protect mode. I have heard of shutdown problems with the discontinued MPS-1 and the current XPS-2. I've not heard of problems with any other Emotiva amps, though I would be suspect of the MPS-2 because it's basically the same as the MPS-1.
Several people around here paid a lot of money for a higher end Emotiva amp only to have it not be able to power their M80's. A pretty big disappointment.
Emotiva points a finger at the M80's crossover design as the culprit, stating that they're not designed to keep their impedance from dipping below 3 ohms under certain conditions. And at this condition of very low impediance, caused by some combination of volume, frequency, and/or the alignment of the planets, their amps shut down to protect the M80's from pulling too much current. That, apparently, is a bad thing. So they say.
Axiom has not directly responded to Emotiva (that I am aware of), but there are many here who have readily pointed out independent testing data that show that M80's barely dip to 4-ohms. And there are many folks around here driving M80's with
far less expensive amplification that don't seem to have any problems. Common, mainstream Denon AVR's, for example. Hints on other forums of other 4-ohm speakers having problems with Emotiva amps also adds fuel to the fire.
There is some issue as to whether it's just a problem with M80Ti's (the previous version) or the newer M80V2. The crossover networks are different, and the data that I've seen on this low-impedance phenomenon were done on a Ti. Though I'm almost positive that Sirquack has M80v2's, and he had many problems with his MPS-1. And he (IIRC) even asked Emotiva to send him MPS modules with their current-limiting features removed. It didn't help. So
It's an impasse.
Some Emotiva zealots have turned to say that Axiom speakers are crap. And some Axiom zealots have turned to say that Emotiva amps are crap. Since there's really no way for a 'normal person' to measure their M80's impedance, then there's really no way for it to be proven who's at fault. Any evidence that comes from the abyss of the Internet will be looked upon with disdain by the un-favored party.
Perhaps some M80's drivers or crossover networks are slightly out of spec. Perhaps some Emotiva amps were defective. Perhaps both. Who knows.
The bottom line is that if you are looking at pairing M80v2's and specifically the MPS-1/2 or XPS-2, be aware that it is possible that you'll need to use the 30-day money-back guarantee by one (or both) companies. Both fully stand behind their returns. If/when you get the setup, run it through its paces. I have not heard of any problems with XPS-3's and M80 shutdown issues, but that's not to say they don't exist.
There are several happy Emotiva + M80v2 owners around here. I continue to be thrilled with my LPA-1 + M80v2 setup. Nary a peep of oddness from the LPA amp. Totally happy with it. If I had to do it all over again today I wouldn't hesitate to order another Emotiva amp, probably the XPS-5.
It's a shame that there's a tinge of bad blood there. Both companies make great products, have great prices, and have great customer service. You should feel comfortable ordering from either, because they will be there to support you.
Good luck! And if your go through with your M80 + XPS-3 plan, do be sure to let us know how it goes. I'm sure that many here would like to hear about your experience with the pair, positive or negative. Both here and over in the Emotiva Lounge.
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