Thanks for the kind words. WAF is not a factor but I had to get my dog's OK before making the switch. After several heated discussions (woof woof), Dude (my dog) finally agreed to part with the Summits.
Not much to dislike about the 116's.
To respond to Todd's question, they have less energy up top and substantially more in the mid / deep bass. I would call it generally a "darker" sound with no hint of any loss of detail / information. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
Cleaner highs, more liquid mids, and a much more substantial low end. I've ordered a couple more bass traps to tame the new beast. The apparent size / clarity of the sound stage and three dimensionality thereof has increased substantially.
Then there's the omni tweeter and mid range pods. As some of you may know, I've never been a "gotta sit in the sweet spot" kinda guy. In fact, I do more listening in my recliner located slightly right of the right speaker than I do in the center spot. So for me, the 360 degree radiation pattern of these two drivers is a major plus. Off axis listening isn't really off axis anymore. No more frequency / imaging anomalies. A bit strange to get used to but once you do, you may enjoy it as much as I do.
To sum it all up, a more cohesive, balanced, enjoyable musical experience. More closely resembles the natural openness and acoustics that one hears in live music.
It's a shame I never had the chance to set the Summits up in a larger room and I've always felt that I never really heard their true measure.
Having said that, it's been a good twenty some years with various ML products and I am still convinced that, given the correct room, setup, and equipment, they represent a substantial (perhaps unbeatable) value from a price / point perspective.
GG
