One think I noticed in the case of M80 and V180 is that they are 4 ohm speakers compared to Paradigm Studio 100 and CC-690 which are 8 ohm speakers. Do I need an external amp to compensate on impedance? Currently I have Pioneer Elite SC-25 receiver and have a huge family room/game room/basement - 22'x26' with 10' ceiling. Not that I am trying to fill the whole area because only about 40-45% of that area will be used for HT, remaining area is for kids play as well as little pantry/kitchen/wet bar but it is all one open space.
Your Pioneer will be fine. There are many M80 owners using less powerful receivers than your SC25. Actually, I've read more claims about the Studio 100's requiring external amps (dipping to as low as 2ohm) than I have the M80's.
By the way, I am not finding customer/pro reviews on V180, when I auditioned Paradigm, the CC-690 center channel is one big center speaker and very important for my 60%+ usage for movies/HT, how is everyone experience with V180 as a center, at least from the dimensions it seems like a pretty big center channel as well, but I am interested to know how is the sound quality specifically listening to dialogues if you have two rows of seating which I don't have currently, I just have a very large sectional but want to invest in theater seating at some point.
The VP180 was just released this month, so you won't find many reviews. I have one and so far I can say that I'm very happy with it. Dialogue, music / soundtrack, sound effects all come out clear, clean, and detailed with lots of punch. I have two rows of seats and the VP180 sounds great from every listening position.
