Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Stereo Amps for M50's

>>But, Because the midrange driver is covering a relatively large and critical area of the sound spectrum, can it by it's size pack a punch for rock music. In the M50s, two sixes push that air. Of course, a 6" can't accelerate as fast as a 5" (all things being equal) that's why there is a loss of detail too.

This is one of those simple questions with complicated answers. Yes the 5" midrange on a 60 covers a fairly wide range (~200 to ~3000 hz IIRC) but it doesn't have to cover the bass where most of the air moving has to happen.

Strictly speaking the M60 is "better" in the sense that it is more accurate in the midrange and (probably) can sound a bit cleaner at high volumes because the midrange driver isn't waggling around playing bass notes at the same time, but on the other hand most rock albums seem to be mixed for speakers with a similar midrange dip so you could make a valid argument that 50s are more accurate for many modern rock recordings BECAUSE those recordings are mixed a little "hot" in the midrange.

In other words, technically speaking the 60 *is* a better rock speaker than the 50 but because it is also better than the speakers modern music is often mixed for you might find some recordings to be too bright on the 60s and better on the 50s. It's never simple.

The jazz and classical worlds seem to be a bit more refined and generally mix for good speakers all the time so the 50 vs. 60 comparison is easier -- the 60 is slightly better (flatter, more accurate, more clear, all of the above) in the midrange than the 50.

My understanding is that the difference from 50 to 60 is fairly small. I compared M2 to M3 and was really surprised how subtle the midrange differences were -- and the M50 to M60 difference is supposed to be even less.