My current setup consists of m80 fronts, vp150 center, and qs4 surrounds. I put this system together for watching movies and listening to music at loud volumes at college, but now that I have graduated, I am looking to put together a nice 2 channel office stereo system. I want a very well balanced, very clean setup to play classical piano, assorted other classical music, and some general rock. Another thing I'm looking for is a very good soundstage with engulfing sound, although this is a challenge since I will be seated at a desk placed up against a wall.
I plan to sell my current setup on audiogon, and roll the money into this office system. Originally, I was thinking about getting a pair of B&W 805's (I'm absolutely in love with the looks of these) and powering them with a high end stereo receiver (NAD, Rotel, etc) or maybe even going with seperates.
Today I called up Axiom to ask about a replacement midrange driver for one of my m80's, and I asked the guy what he thought of the architectural line. He said he loves the W22's, which I used to own before upgrading (loved them). This really got me thinking of just getting a pair of the W22's (matches with a musical sub), which would save me alot over the B&W (not to mentioned I wouldn't need stands).
Here are my questions:
1) Because I will be seated at my desk, would it be possible to angle the W22's towards me? I am not familiar with the mounting mechanism on the new line. I have some of the Axiom branded QS4 brackets, but it didn't look like they were compatible.
2) If mounting them angled towards me is possible, it would mean the speakers would be about 4 feet away. Is this too close to achieve a decent soundstage? I should also add that I'm not looking to install these in a wall, but rather I would mount them somehow on the wall itself...not sure if this is possible.
3) How do the W22's (or M22's) sound for classical music? When I owned the M22's I rarely listened to classcal music, so I can't remember what they sounded like. The person I talked with on the phone said he would definitely go with the W22 as opposed to the W3 or W2 for listening to classical.
4) I'm very intrigued by the new option for wood finishes. Has anyone tried this yet? My main complaint about Axiom's were the limited finishes, so this sounds great!
5) I used to own a HSU VTF-2, but for this setup I want a physically smaller sub that is very accurate (definitely not boomly in the slightest). Can anyone recommend a few subs to take a look at?
I really appreciate everyone's input...which is part of the reason I am so willing to buy from Axiom again.
