- Thread Starter
- #241
@Bugal1998 Great stuff sir, very helpful, thank you. The fact that you have actually auditioned so many on my short list certainly gives your opinion more weightI went on a similar journey some years ago, and landed (somewhat surprisingly) on the M2 as my choice. They've given me zero reasons to question that decison in the years since.
Won't argue the ugly/WAF factor of the M2 (though my spouse likes them in a dedicated room). I would disagree with the notion that they're harsh, though--at least with the Crown I-tech tunings--they're a tad bright out of the box.
I'm using brightness to refer to a tonal trait that can be eq'd, while I think of harshness as something caused by diffraction sources, driver breakup modes, and resonances; those latter issues may persist through any attempts to EQ. The M2 does not suffer from those issues and is very EQable.
The directivity behavior also suggest that EQing them to the desired in-room response will yield the expected sonic results; i.e. You should be able to easily dial in the exact tonality you desire, the same as the other top-tier speakers on your list.
I've heard the Salon 2's on multiple occasions (was planning to buy them), 228be's, 4367s (if I didn't have the M2 I would have the 4367), Genelec 1237A (I believe), B&O Beolab 90, and a wide range of Monitor Audio, Kef (various Reference series, but not the blades), Wilson, B&W, Martin Logan, Meridian, Lyngdorf, PSB, and similar speakers. To my ears, the M2 is superior to all of them (except perhaps the 4367). Definitely, don't take my word for it, but if you value accuracy, refinement, and uncompressed output from an end-game speaker, I wouldn't eliminate the M2 if there's anyway you could audition them.
I haven't heard the Kii's, D&Ds, or newer Genelecs, so I can't say if the M2 is in the same league or not, nor will I speculate. I will say the that the relative lack of instantaneous compression below 200hz is striking with the M2, and based on the compression sweeps we've seen for some of the other options above, I question if they could keep pace with the M2 in that critical range; given the amount and amplitude of musical information in those frequencies, I wouldn't be too dismissive of the potential for audible differences and a possible preference for the more dynamic speaker.
Annnnnd... that's my 2 cents on the topic.
Apologies if I missed it previously, in what region of the world are you located?
Note I have ruled out the D&D, at least one less to deal with. I expect the Kiis will also have to drop as I am certain I will need the BXT which pushes them out of my budget.
And thanks for the comments on the harshness I mentioned with the M2s,well understood