Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners M2i vs M22i

I'd like opinions from those who have experience with the M2 and M22, especially those who have had the opportunity to compare both. Speakers are very subjective, I know, but since these speakers are so closely related, I'm hoping someone out there can give me some insite to their sonic character.

I've made an initial selection to go with the M2i up front, and recently placed an order, so I will be listening to those soon. I've read everytning I can find about the Axiom bookshelves to help me with my selection, but haven't found a direct comparison between the M2 and M22.

I'm setting up a 5.1 home theater, and will listen to cable TV (digital) and movies most of the time, but I'd also like a speaker that can do justice to jazz/vocal/classical, and even a little punchy classical rock-- a lot to ask from any speaker, I know!

Currently, I have a Marantz SR 19 5.1 unit. This is the one that Marantz built a few years back to re-claim their former Hi-Fi fame... "mid-fi," really. At the time, it was said to be about as good as you can get, this side of separates, and compared favorably with the equivalent B&K model. With descrete circuits at 110wpc, it should have no trouble with even a difficult load. The Marantz unit has a warm signature with good detail, and a lot more volume than I will ever use... I've yet to turn it up into the positive db range. My listening room is small (16 x 18 x 8)with ceramic tile floors and windows... lots of tile and glass, so it's going to be a very reflective lisenting area, but I'll be adding rugs and wall treatments to help with this.

All that said, I chose to audition the M2, reading that it's mid range is slightly more clear than the M3 which offers a little more lift in the mid bass, with better bass extension. I have a front-firing, sealed, M&K subwoofer (fabulous!)to handle the low end, so I'm not too interested in low-end extension, especially if I have to sacrifice mid-range clarity. I read many reviews stating that the M2 slightly out-performed the M3 in the mids, sacrificing low end extension to do it. In fact, I've read that the M2, simply doesn't attempt the low end below about 70hz, so it seemed like a good match to run with a sub... any experience anyone has with this would be most helpful.

Excluding the M3, I'm wondering what the difference in sound is between the M2, and it's big brother the M22? Clearly , the M22 will reach the low end better, but that should be covered with my system. Is the M22 going to give me better clarity, detail/resolution than the M2? Beyond playing louder with (I assume) better power handling capabilities, can anyone describe the sonic difference between the two speakers?

Lastly, and I really didn't mean to write a novel here, any thoughts on using 5 of the same speaker all around vs, say the quad-poles in the rear (I hear the QS8 is very good). I'm considering using the M2 as a center also, or the M22 if I decide to upgrade. Frankly, I've never met a center channel that I liked, especially those with the woofer/tweeter/woofer arrangement, and this has made choosing main speakers difficult. Any opinions on, say, the VP150 vs a single M2 or M22 for the center? How is the off-axis response with the VP150.

Thanks for reading, and look forward to your opinions. One way or another, I'll be running my Cambridge Soundworks Towers over with my tractor soon-- yippeee!

Welcome to the forums!

I am assuming that you have read Doug Schneider's review of the M2i?

I think there are a few that have auditioned the M2 versus the M22. The M2 should be fine if you do not listen at exceptionally loud levels. Also, you will have to cross over the M2 at 100Hz to get up in volume but no lower than about 90Hz. The M22 can be crossed over at about 80Hz. Without auditioning the speakers yourself, it is difficult to say what would sound more clear.

I had a chance to audition the VP150 and I would say that it has an exceptional off-axis response.

Definitely love the Marantz and I think it is a great match for these speakers.

Thanks BruceH.

The cross-over is an interesting point... an 80hz cross is in line with the THX standard, but I shouldn't have any trouble crossing at 100 with my sub... I do that now with my current speakers so my sub kicks in and I don't have to rely on my rather muddy CSW's for bass.

I think the M2s will be a great combo, and lower my price-point a little, but I'm not too concerned with that as all the bookshelf models are very reasonably priced. I have a little concern that the M2 might sound a little lean or thin... you know, not as "fleshed-out" as the M22 might be on vocals. Still, I'll error on the side of "lean" vs "muddy" any day, though I wouldn't expect the M22 to sound muffled in any way.

Once I get the M2s wired up, I think I'll be able to tell if anything serious is lacking, and I can test them as a possibility for center channel use also.

Good to hear about the VP150s off-axis response... any other bits of wisdom about that center, or the general idea of using identical speakers for mains and center vs a speaker designed specifically as a center channel? By the way, all speakers will probably be mounted on a wall with a plasma, if that makes any difference. For HT, I've got to have CLEAR dialog at low levels, and I prefer too much detail to not enough... wanna hear those knives and forks hit the plate during dinner scenes, know what I mean?

Yes, the Marantz was a steal at the price I paid(as I expect the Axioms will be, from what I've read). The Marantz doesn't have a lot of techie toy features compared to some HT units, but it's got guts in that amp, and doesn't skimp on detail... my CSW Towers are rather bloated sounding regardless of what powers them, but you wouldn't believe the difference in those speakers when I hooked them up to the SR19 for the first time. I think the Axiom tweeters will sound fantastic powerd by the SR19.

TD, another welcome. It appears that you pretty much summarized the M2/M22 differences as being the lower bass extension for the M22s(which I have)and the ability to play louder in the upper bass/lower mid-range with low distortion. This is apparent from the NRC graphs in the SoundStage reviews if you've studied them. Above about 90Hz except at high sound levels they should be essentially identical.

As to a center speaker, my own views are similar to what you propose. Use a vertical M2 with either the M2 or M22 mains for a wider and smoother horizontal dispersion than most horizontal centers(I'm not familiar with the VP150).

For surrounds I'd suggest the QSs, for their wonderful dispersion qualities which are beneficial for both movies and for the ambience from two-channel music sources steered to them by DPLII.

JohnK

Thanks for the post. Good to hear that the M2 and M22 are so closely related. Sounds like the M2 will be a good choice for me since I'll be running a sub at all times... I'll know for sure when I get them.

A trio of M2s up front should give good dispersion (I definitley like the sound of using the same front three speakers, in most cases), but I wonder if there is much sound in a typical movie soundtrack's center channel that comes in below the M2s range. This is the only area where I think I might need to move up to the M22's. This is the question, I guess: if the typical soundtrack makes use of an HT unit with the center speaker set to "small," and the crossover point from that unit is set at 80hz (pretty sure my HT unit is this way), does that mean I need a center speaker that will get down to at least 80hz? If I need to cross the M2 over at 90 or 100... what might I lose from using it as a center channel?

Once I get the front three in place, I'm inclined to use the QS for surrounds... a little ambient music in the room helps drown out the neighbor's dog (then again, I could go with the M22, and give little Rover some metal for his barking enjoyment!), and I've yet to find a harsh word written about the QSs. Thanks again for your input.

As usual with speakers, although the M2 begins to roll off around 90Hz, there's still strong output around 80Hz and there shouldn't be a significant problem if your crossover is 80Hz.