Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Calibration / Avia test disk

>>Yeah Robb, how 'bout them M22s (especially for solo classical piano)!>>

John, I am absolutly taken back, I have never owned a piece of Audiophile equipment (even though I have always wanted to). I would like to think that I have a producers mind and always hear things in tracks that other people can't hear simply because I am just looking to learn more about production. The M22s just blow anything I have heard out of the water for the price.

I sat my wife down in the sweet spot last night, and played some ambient beats from Craig Armstrong (keep in mind that right now the speakers are set up in a corner setup and the sweet spot isn't at the top of the triangle). Let me first say when I was listening in the sweet spot, I have never heard the album sound so good...back on topic...When the vocals kicked in in 2 channel, she instantly said "you just turned the centre channel on didn't you?". Thats when I knew that these speakers are THAT good.

Thanks for explaining the Sub Calibrating bit, even though I can't really hear 75db of LFE doesn't mean that it isn't outputting 75db for calibration.

As for the trim, I tried the full setting last night, it seemed to boost output a bit. I will mess around with it and figure out which is the best. The room right now that they are in is upstairs that opens to a big kitchen through a doorway...I think my sub is only at about 5 o'clock and -7db on the reciever and it still shakes the pictures on the wall.

>>The theory of matching all speakers like this is for proper X-over setting for each group of speakers. You may not have that option with your AVR. >>

I can't do individual crossovers for the different speakers. Part of the reason I chose the M3s over the M2s is because they have a similar response curve to the M22s. The M3 centre sounds awsome BTW with the 5.1 stuff (I have yet to hook my M3s up in parallel, waiting for the projector).

Thanks for all the help guys, I should be able to borrow an SPL metre tonite and calibrate my system properly.

Hey Robb, you should try a comparison between the M22's and the M3's in 2 channel and let us know your impressions.

I plan on doing that as soon as my basement is set up, right now, the speakers are not an even triangle and the listening test wouldn't be in an optimal setting. The left speaker is farther left than the right speaker is right if you know what I mean...

Not an equilateral triangle but an obtuse one or is it closer to an isosoles triangle. Any way I think I got it.

Quadrilateral. That's my favorite kind of triangle.

Robb, if you haven't read the Axiom newsletter which came out today, besides some CES observations by Alan, there's another published M22 review referenced. This is, of course, the Axiom flagship M22, although Larry(LT61)thinks that his M60s hold that position, and some others(e.g.,Ian)contend for the M80s.

Speaking of setup, I just read this in the EP500/600 manual...

Quote:

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Step 3:

CROSSOVER: if you are using the Bass Management crossover menu settings in your A/V receiver or processor, turn this control to “BYPASS” to eliminate the EP500 or EP600 internal crossover from the circuit.

If you are using the HIGH LEVEL (Speaker Level) binding-post inputs, set the crossover switch to 80 Hz for initial setup. If you have floor-standing speakers (M50, M60, or M80), try a 60 Hz crossover frequency, for the M80 try 40 Hz. If your main speakers are bookshelf models M3 or M22, try the 80 Hz setting, for the M2 try 100 Hz. Ultimately you want to use a crossover frequency that produces the smoothest blend of sound between the subwoofer and your main speakers.

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Axiom is suggesting a crossover of 40 Hz for the M80s? Wouldn't the HIGH LEVEL binding post inputs produce the same result as using the AVR's internal crossover settings?

If you look in the Outlaw ICBM manual it says to find the +/-3 point , with the M80s this would be 34Hz, then add 10 Hz to it. That would put it to 44Hz with the M80s. It would seem like the ideal crossover point, according to Outlaw, would be 50Hz but the ICBM does not allow for this setting. I ended up using the 60Hz setting for my system.

Rick, they don't do the same thing: the crossover in an HT receiver is a real crossover that rolls-off the sub above the selected frequency and also rolls-off the speakers below that frequency; the "crossover" control on the sub itself is simply a variable low-pass filter that affects only the sub. The speakers aren't affected at all by the control on the sub and continue to play whatever their full range is, and this is the case even when the main speakers are connected through speaker-level outputs on subs that have them.

So, the suggested settings for the EP500/600 "crossover" attempt to roll-off the sub above where the "natural" rolloff of the speakers begins. This might achieve a fairly good blend, but the bass management on the receiver does it more precisely and also takes some of the low bass load off of the speakers. When available, the receiver bass management should be used.