PSB M2 vs. Martin Logan Clarity - Which is better?


Hello all:

I'm new to Audiogon and new to the world of "serious" hi-fi equipment. At present, I'm trying to put together my first good system. I've already got an NAD c 352 amp, Rega Planar 3 turntable, Musical Fidelity X-LPS V3 Phono preamp and an old Denon DCD-1420 CD player. Now, however, I need a great pair of speakers. The closest serious hi-fi shop near me (Saturday Audio Exchange in Chicago) primarily deals in PSB, Spendor and Martin Logan. Yesterday afternoon, I auditioned the PSB M2 and Martin Logan Clarity against one another, as the salesman said these two speakers were the most neutral, true-to-life speakers I was likely to find in my price range (technically I'm only looking to spend $2K, but the Claritys are on demo sale for $2,300; whereas the M2s (with stands!) will run $1,500 on demo sale).

Anyway, I thought both were great speakers in the showroom, but I'm worried which ones will be better once I get them home. I live in an apartment with a main room of approx. 500 square feet. (I should also mention that the main room is twice as long as it is wide.) I tend to listen to everything from Hendrix to Coltrane, although I mostly go for guitar-based music (both acoustic and electric). Also, I tend to move around while I'm listening.

I hear Electrostatic speakers like the Claritys are very finicky - i.e. they sound great if you're positioned just right, but otherwise sound like crap. However, I also know they're supposed to be great on guitar-based music. Meanwhile, I thought the M2s sounded fantastic, but lacked that extra little bit of neutrality/clarity that the Logans provided.

Anyway, since I'm so new to all of this and want to make the right decision, I thought I would seek some advice here. Please help!

suicaine
Montytx - Thanks for the recommendation! How about Totem Rainmakers (as opposed to the PSB stuff) ?I've heard good things about them as well...
Montytx:

Again, I really appreciate your thoughts. Actually, I just came back from purchasing a pair of PSB T45s, which I gather are the floor-standing, slightly larger brother of the B-25. I almost got the B-25s, but, when I found out I could get the T45s on sale for only $85 more than the B-25s, I thought I would be a fool not to go for them! Hopefully I made the right choice...
I own the M2's and use them in a small room with a psb sub. They sound great, very neutral. They're very practical, don't require massive power, and are relative easy to place (easier then the ML's, I'm sure).

For $1500 you can buy a number of really good speakers. I doubt any will sound better then the M2's. I use a benchmark USB DAC and play everything through my PC via an Emotiva UMC1. The M2's sound great.

Thanks.