Hi Jamie, i just received my new M60ti's yesterday. I'm currently powering them with a Denon DRA-435R which is about 10 years old but still working very well. I also did a lot of research on the Internet and finally settled on Axiom due to all of the positive reviews I've read and the posts on this message board.
Maybe it's my lack of audiophile understanding but I'm just a tad let down by the sound I'm hearing. It's not enveloping me the way I thought it would and I'm not getting the WOW factor I had hoped for. I've listened to Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Pearl Jam trying to get a good sense for how the speakers will handle the music I typically listen to. I noticed specifically with Led Zeppelin that Robert Plant's vocals were drowned out by Jimmy Page's guitar which I attributed to a very strong mid range sound. And there were times when specific drum sounds that have been burned into my memory for all eternity (due to heavy rotation in teenage years) just didn't come across the same way on these speakers. Almost like they were behind a wall of midrange sound. I also have a problem with the soundstage they are presenting, I just don't hear it. I close my eyes, put on Pink Floyd and don't get that airy sense I've experienced in the past with my Boston Accoustic bookshelves. If I had to summarize what is bothering me it would be that the sound is flat and midrange and it doesn't give me the grand experience I was hoping for. Maybe that will change as they break in, which is why I keep playing them for hours on end.
Perhaps this quote from a review I read on the M80s sheds some light on the issue "Don’t expect to just plunk the M80Tis down and sit back to enjoy stellar sound. You’ll need a large room with lots of space within which to maneuver these substantial towers and a good-quality amp in order to make the best of the M80Tis' bass. Placement especially is a make-or-break factor here, folks." Trouble is I can't build a house around a set of speakers trying to get them placed right.
Hoping things get better.
