Rcr, if you used the VSM without the BAM then you never really heard the speaker. In my opinion, the BAM is a make or break unit with the speaker. I would not have owned my pair for several years without it. It makes that big a difference. You mentioned "deeper and tighter bass". That is exactly what the BAM addresses. It makes the speaker play lower, and just as importantly, enables the speaker to play more accurately throughout its range because of the filtering of sub bass. Because the woofer is not trying to play a 20hz signal it is able to be that much more accurate within the range it is being asked to play - bass, midrange, etc.
Kmmorgan, I have not heard the MX yet but from opinions I am reading it is a pretty dramatic step up from the "M". I'm not sure there are more than a few pairs in the field given how recent the change is. When you are talking about speakers of the quality of Kharma and Merlin you really have to listen for yourself. An investment like that is worth a trip.
Good luck.
Kmmorgan, I have not heard the MX yet but from opinions I am reading it is a pretty dramatic step up from the "M". I'm not sure there are more than a few pairs in the field given how recent the change is. When you are talking about speakers of the quality of Kharma and Merlin you really have to listen for yourself. An investment like that is worth a trip.
Good luck.