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I agree with that. I have M3ic in a few rooms and they lack low end. It’s the only Axiom speaker I found disappointing. In a small space they do better then in a large one.

Understood, thank you.

I’m also contemplating removing the elbow section of the bar which was also suggested. This would mean there’d be no counter top into the room which currently would interfere with the right surround placement. Might make things a little easier.

So if I’m going to go the M5 route it sounds like I’d need to do 6 x bookshelves for all ceilings and rear surrounds and 2 x on-walls for the side surrounds all mounted vertically as designed.

Perhaps M3ow’s for surrounds and tops

I’m mounting M3ow’s on the ceiling with FMBs for tops and M3 bookshelves on FMCB for heights.
Doing this requires Axiom to put in special inserts in both cases.

M3s would be easier to mount/angle for sure.

So I’ve got that the M2s will not be great. The M3s might work just fine and M5s would almost certainly give the best results for additional $$. That’s probably the hardest question to answer without trying out the different speaker types :|

Any thoughts on a mixed M5 surround layer and M3 ceilings or stick to the same 8 speakers?

With regards to on-walls on the FMB. I was under the impression that for best results you needed to mount the on-walls directly against the wall. Is that not the case or does it not apply to ceiling speakers?

Can your amp handle all the M5 load?

Let's say you go M3 up top and M5 for surrounds. Imagine a chopper taking off on your left, flying above you and landing on the right. It'll sound like this:

THWACK!THWACK! THWACK!THWACK!
phhtt, phhtt, phhtt, phhtt.
THWACK!THWACK! THWACK!THWACK!

The mid-woofer and HP woofer on the M5 THWACKS! while the M3 just phhtts.

Yes, mounting OW directly against the wall and ceiling improves bass and lower mid-range performance. You could use bookshelves but having bookshelves so close to a boundary makes KABOOMs! Possibly your receiver can correct that.

This is my amplifier . Does it look like it’ll work?

Except that’s only 7 channels :|

I’d need to use my Marantz 6012 to power 2 channels. If the Marantz is only powering two channels would this combination work?

Yup!

THWACK!THWACK! THWACK!THWACK!
phhtt, phhtt, phhtt, phhtt.
THWACK!THWACK! THWACK!THWACK!

Mojo likes to exaggerate. I’ve evaluated M3s and M5’s side by side … The M3 holds up very well especially if you have a sub in the Mix.
BTW, My HT setup is M5’s and M5ow’s for bed surrounds … and M3 and M3ow for heights and tops.

M2’s with sub, IMO, should be fine.

things to consider…

• in testing I’ve haven’t noticed any loss in fidelity going to the M3’s
• your AVR is sending anything a surround can’t produce to the subs
• directional content starts around 80Hz .. M2’s should not be a problem
• When engrossed watching a movie you’re not critical listening. Especially to surrounds!
• You can always trade up (M2->M3->M5) for no cost.

That said … I really like My QS10s in the family room. I should try swapping in QS8 (from the bedroom) and see if I notice a big difference.
The family room is 5.1 M2/VP150/EP500 with QS10 rears

M2 or M3 will be great. M5 will be greater.

The M2 is more clear than the M3 in the mid-range. And it doesn't try to play where it can't (bass). The M3 goes lower and that single bass driver also does mids but not as well as the M2. So the M2 is more linear throughout its designed range. But that also makes it sound thinner in larger, less treated rooms like yours. The M3 will certainly sound fuller and hence warmer.

The M5 eliminates the short-comings of the M2 and M3 with the HP driver and dedicated mid-woofer albeit at more expense and power demand. The M5 can also hit about 6dB higher than the M2 and M3 before audible distortion sets in.

Having said all that, I tried M2 (OW and bookshelf), M3 bookshelf, M5 (OW and bookshelf), M50, M80, M100, and ALFR in my 1920 cu.ft. living room. The M2OW won.