I have owned M40s, M30.2 Anniversaries, and SHL5's I have used in a room 12.5 feet by 22 feet by nine feet high. The M40s, in their original version, were not suited to my room and overwhelmed with bass regardless of placement or even stuffing socks in the ports. I understand the 40.1 and 40.2 iterations of that speaker have tamed the bass somewhat for domestic settings; provided, however, the people I know who have been happiest with 40.1s and 40.2s listen to them in remarkably small rooms, not large room. Have others noticed this?
I have heard the 40.2s sound stunning in a large room at Deja Vu West in La Jolla, California, and that made me want them badly, though I have not gone that direction because of my cautionary experience with the earlier model. I have also been reluctant to buy a speaker as large as the 40.2 as it was very large, heavy (83.8 pounds) and difficult to move.
The M30.2 did not suit my taste despite their obvious excellence. I think I like something with a bit more extended bass and rounder sound. YMMV.
As for my SHL5s, I have owned them for many years and have always enjoyed them. I have never directly compared them to 40.1 or 40.2 models and when I had the M40s, the bass problems with the M40s prohibited me from thinking it would be a fair comparison. The SHL5s (not the "+" version) extend to 45 Hz on the bottom end versus 35 Hz with the 40.2s. If you do not feel comfortable owning and lugging the 40.2s around, the SHL5s or SHL5+s might deserve your consideration. At about 35 pounds, you need not become a gym rat to qualify as an owner.
I have heard the 40.2s sound stunning in a large room at Deja Vu West in La Jolla, California, and that made me want them badly, though I have not gone that direction because of my cautionary experience with the earlier model. I have also been reluctant to buy a speaker as large as the 40.2 as it was very large, heavy (83.8 pounds) and difficult to move.
The M30.2 did not suit my taste despite their obvious excellence. I think I like something with a bit more extended bass and rounder sound. YMMV.
As for my SHL5s, I have owned them for many years and have always enjoyed them. I have never directly compared them to 40.1 or 40.2 models and when I had the M40s, the bass problems with the M40s prohibited me from thinking it would be a fair comparison. The SHL5s (not the "+" version) extend to 45 Hz on the bottom end versus 35 Hz with the 40.2s. If you do not feel comfortable owning and lugging the 40.2s around, the SHL5s or SHL5+s might deserve your consideration. At about 35 pounds, you need not become a gym rat to qualify as an owner.