for extreme fishing distance if it is criticle i doubt myself would a abu 5500 get a bait out further with say ,30 dia mono than say an Akios
which is probaly more suited to ,35 to ,40 dia mono.

It depends who is casting it John,think most modern reels at the middle to top end of the market will get a bait out a long way with low diameter line in the right hands,to be honest i have fished with lads this year who have been getting good fish out at medium distances while i have blanked whacking it out....to answer your question John,i  would love to try some of these new reels at the top end of the market,financially i could not justify spending hundreds on a reel,tend to play about with some of the reels i have......but when the opportunity arises i will be getting an akios,the reel is an abu,seen the internals its the same reel,with the bonus of having a mag knob on the side so you do not have to modify it yourself