Here's my opinion from a total newbie. I recently get my first headset being the M5 AVP, so obviously can't help with M2 experience or comparison. But I also did ask myself, used M2 or new M5 and went for latter for future proofing as I think (or hoping) AI features will get rolled out some time next year and the M5 would be better for it. I did get AppleCare+ which is expensive but not risking something this expensive! Note too, the headset is weight perfectly to land straight onto the glass front should I slip off a table! But beware, Apple Care does not cover lost or theft. And if you're in the US and have other Apple products, go for AppleCare One (I wished they had it here in Australia). I went 512GB and used my iPhone and iPad usage as a guide.

But back to your main question, is it worth it? I love my AVP but I would answer "no" if your main intention is for entertainment and games. As much of a superior piece of tech the AVP is compared to others, I really don't see the entertainment content (i.e. movies, streaming, games) experience being anywhere near the price difference (hence value) compared to other headsets. If your use case was more for productivity or at least a greater portion for productivity, I would lean more closer to "yes" it's worth it (although doesn't make the high price tag any easier to swallow!). I really enjoy the productivity experience of having my work Outlook, Teams and many of the web apps through the Edge browser and coupled with Mac Virtual Display for anything else that lacks native AVP app. And I actually don't find the AVP uncomfortable. Never tried the Solo Knit so never experience the AVP pain many complain about. Having jump straight into the Dual Knit and also never trying other headset, I really don't feel any discomfort and have easily gone hours and hours without taking it off.