I'd love to say that I've been lurking here for a long time, but the truth is, this is my first time here.
I've been taking steps to upgrade my HT and am doing some preliminary research on speakers. I currently have a pair of DCM TimeFrame 600's as my mains but I'm in a fairly small room and I know that they would do better in a larger room. (I once took them into another larger room and driving them with my old NAD 2200 amp at several hundred wpc, I remember them as being pretty impressive). The other day, I purchased a universal disc player and did some critical listening, and they just really seem to be “veiling” some of the detail that I was hearing on the new discs (as well as old ones). It’s almost as if I could tell that the DVD-A and SACD selection had more to offer then the speakers were letting through…especially in the highs. They're also physically "wide" speakers and, with only so much wall space, they are limiting my desire to move to a ~42"~46" LCD projection TV. A "narrower" monopole or the move to bookshelf speakers would free up some space physically. My system is also not matched… with a DCM from a different model line as the center and those old Realistic Linolium (!!! SP?) LX-7s (or whatever they are) in the surrounds.
Anyway, here are some of the particulars: Room size is 13' square for a total of 170 square feet. I would be driving the system with my new Denon 3805. For movies, I like dramas and action. For music, I like everything from Guns N' Roses and old hard rock bands like Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin through Carly Simon and John Mayer and Michael Hedges…. pretty wide-ranging. I’m looking to crank up some rock one day, and yet enjoy the delicacy of an acoustic guitar on DVD-Audio the next.
I’ve read some great posts in other forums regarding Axiom speakers… particularly the M22s and M60s. I’m really not too concerned about the price difference between them; I look at speaker purchasing as being long-term as opposed to the many other items that get upgraded constantly and the $400 difference isn’t one that I’m concerned with.
My thought is this based upon what I’ve read: The M60s will do better with that hard rock (pretty logically), but may not have the delicacy of the M22s on that acoustic guitar. My experience with my current speakers makes me hesitant to buy a speaker too large for my needs. Again, not because of the price, but because it might actually be detrimental to the sound. Usually, I regret “under buying” and have learned over the years to spend a little more on the better product/item. In this case, though, I’m afraid of “over buying”.
Here’s another kicker: I might end up in a much larger space in another couple of years, as my wife and I are discussing refinishing an attic that would result in a 25’ x 35’ “great room” with a high, peaked ceiling. Certainly, the M22s could not fill that space. This might mean that the M22s serve my needs well at the moment, but not down the road. If the M60s don’t do as well in a “smallish” room, though, they would only meet potential long-term needs but not do as well in the meantime.
To sum up lots of background and a way-too-long post:
Do the M60s need to “open up” in a big room, or do they handle the delicate stuff as well as the reviews say the M22 does?
The trend has been to make my posts shorter over the years, while still using the word "veiling" whenever possible, because it annoys a certain someone out there!
