Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Strata Mini's -vs- M80's

Reviews like that are what happen when one does not have a perspective on what flat/neutral sounds like combined with a lack of vocabulary to describe what one is hearing.

I found (and didn't bookmark :rollie-eyes:) an article in which Dr. Tool discussed this. That famous "most people prefer flat with a rolled off high end" quote has when properly trained in front of it. I have yet to find a detailed description of what 'trained' means, but from what I gather it is a combination of prompting for what to listen for and a vocabulary to describe what one is hearing.

Anyway, it seems a fairly large segment of the 'untrained' audiophile population likes the richer/warmer sound of an enhanced mid range: which the do minis deliver.

I would have to say that I very much enjoyed several auditions of the Strata Minis. The sound is like sitting in the back of the room and hearing the music well in front of you.

My former 80's seemed to be very much in your face. Sometimes I felt more like being in the middle of the sound as opposed to in front of it.

Like most speakers - two very different sounds. I recommend auditioning both.

Thats a nice description of the differences. I suspect I would not like the minis because I like being elveloped by the music. I quite enjoy how PLII processing can put you even more in the middle of things.

In years of dealing with countless people on the issue of speaker preference, in the end, the choice is very subjective and IT IS just a personal choice. Some will, however, succumb to the temptation of making that choice by strictly reading reviews. I have mentioned this a number of times before in comments, that MOST of the major speaker companies in Canada have taken the engineering approach of producing speakers that are as neutral as possible in their sound, regardless of size. I would, however, say that the M80 is definitely a little more "in your face" compared to others, not only because of the size of the speaker cabinet and number of drivers but of particular note, the "dual" tweeter configuration. This is quite unique, hence, when you are watching a movie or listening to music, you will hear sounds and detail in the 5000-10000 hz range that might be less noticeable in another brand with a single tweeter. I personally like this more detailed, "crisper" sound. Others may not.

I think everyone is being very diplomatic...which is fine.

Let me say this - when I drive my M60's with my RX-V2700 in pure direct mode (bypassing as much circuitry as possible and the sub) -vs- incorporating my EP500 in 'straight' stereo mode (2.1), I like the M60's alone better.

I do miss the bass in pure direct, but somehow the 'thick' sound (presumably brought on by the lows and richer middles) seems to muddle the sound field so it's a catch-22. It's richer, stronger, warmer, whatever (all 'good' terms) - but the soundstage is more centered and less like a vivid, broad 'wall' of sound. These are all terms I'm making up, but perhaps you'll understand what I'm getting at.

I've been trying to tweak to find the middle ground in that setup, but in the case of the M80's (or whatever I go with), I'd expect it to be that ideal compromise.

I can't say I would have appreciated the the 'wall' of sound if I'd never known better - the warmth is intoxicating and what most shelf systems probably go for. But now that the curtain is pulled back on the wizard so to speak, I may be ruined.

-Nick

On a related subject, I'm weighing the Outlaw RR2150 (pseudo vintage) and something like the Samsui 9090 (truly vintage) to drive the speakers. Any thoughts?

My library will largely be PC based so I'm going to have to convert digital to analog somewhere. This will either be done by the 2150 via it's USB port or with an external USB DAC if I go the vintage route.

The other concern is that my living room (in it's current furniture layout) isn't that big. Am I going for overkill with 80's and a powerful receiver? I don't want to limit myself with bookshelf speakers in case I move or come up with a differnt seating/listening position. I assume that the M80's are so pleasant that even if I never gave them a workout I'd love them?

The 60's are brilliant and I could probably just buy two more of those. But as I mentioned above, I've heard the 'warmth' missing when I listen to the 60's without the EP500 so I know there's room to grow and presumably keep the detail.

-Nick

No, we are showing good maners and respect. On so many other sites its usually brand A rocks and brand B sucks which is neither informative, or respectful towards those who prefer brand B.

I expect that the harsh criticizms leveled against speakers a particular person dislikes are usually greatly exagerated. I'm note sure why people feel the need to do this.

This is a good site and people will tell you what they think without the sillyness.

Having compared the M60 to M80 I did find the M80 to have a greater/wider soundstage than the M60s, more of a wall of sound in front of you, albeit you are in the front row and not in the back. The sounds appear to come from much wider than the speaker positions. I would order up some M80s or at least try to get to an owners house for an audition and do the same for the mini's, by all accounts they are a very good set up as well but mellower sounding as has been stated.

As long as the amp can handle a 4 ohm load I don't see why not.

Is it possible for components in an amp/receiver to wear out over time?

Jake,

I probably didn't use the right words (I'm a bit out there right now), but I meant that 60's sounded pretty broad already (minus the EP500). It's only when I add the sub in that the wall seems to shrink. You just never forget where the two speakers converge if that makes any sense.

I know exactly what you're saying about the sound being broader than the speakers. I get the same effect with the 60's. If you're saying that the 80's will do an even more impressive job, that's a good thing.

-Nick