Hi HiRez,
No time better to stumble upon the
RM40's as now. Even though they were exceptional performers back in
2002, (when they won Best of Show HIGH END at CES) they are now far better with more options to make them what you want. There have been numerous improvements and upgrades since their inception back then.
Now temper all my comments with the disclosure that I am a
VMPS Dealer.
I have had and placed more
RM40s than I can count, and they all sounded spectacular. However, set up, room, system and options can make then "fit" your situation to the best performance.
Your systems looks up to the task. The Pass is a great part of that since the
RM40s LUV power and current.
It appears you sit around 7ft from the speakers, and that is how i have my BCSE Pair of
RM40's set up. This is rather nearfield, but the drivers integrate perfectly for such a large speaker. This has to do with the wide band response of the neopanel drivers, and the way Brian integrates the woofers and tweeters at each end.
I might mention that even though you seem to like high SPL's, you may find you will achieve "sonic satisfation" at a lower number with
VMPS. This is because they render all the clarity, resolution, and impact without the need to
BLAST like many other brands.
Quite often, a speaker doesn't sound complete unless it is real loud.
VMPS can be listened to late at night still having a fullness and complete sound.
Regarding the need for a sub. The
RM40 can reach down to the
low 20's so for most musical needs you will not need a sub. I have 4 LARGER SUBS and
NEVER turn them on except for HT use. If you are using this for a music system only, then a sub will likely not be required (especially if you use that PASS on the woofs)
Also the speaker can be "tuned". That is with the
OXO or
D-OXO you can adjust the driver participation to best fit your room.
There is also an additional adjustment you can try, and that is tuning the damping of the woofers. Now they come "pre-tuned" from the factory, but you may wish to make small adjustments from time to time to accomodate your system, and or the further break in of the woofer system.
I currently have two pair of
RM40's in my personal 2 channel and HT systems and the only speaker I can think of that I would trade them for would be the
RM50 Dual Line Array Bipole.Interestingly enough, before being a
VMPS dealer, I was a Legacy Dealer and my 2 channel system was equipped with the Signature III's which are an excellent speaker. I well remember the day that my first pair of
RM40's arrived and I was able to A/B them within the same room and system.
The end result was that I became a
VMPS dealer.
Obviously, I liked the sound. You will hear things in recordings that you didn't know where there. To that end, the
RM40 is a BRUTALLY honest speaker in that it is not forgiving, and it will not "clean up" a recordings faults.
But when you put the Remastered "
Stairway to Heaven" on the system, you will NOT
be able to move from the sweet spot.
RM40's ROCK!!!(again please temper my comments with the disclosure that I am likely the biggest
VMPS cheerleader 
)
