Just as in your situation, I bought the Elan 10s without auditing based on the company's excellent reputation. After setting up and a few days of critical listening, I was not disappointed. Very pleased with the improved detail and depth over my M5s. Bass extension was especially noticeable that the M5 couldn't quite reach.
The Elan 10 does sound initially aggressive, but as the instruction booklet indicates, this will disappear within 24-48 hours as they settle in. An excellent improvement over the previous M5 and M5i line, in my opinion, and worth the purchase.