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

I realize it's liable to get ugly quickly even asking, but wondering if anyone had tried out the Strata Mini's and M80's and had thoughts? I'm shopping for 2 channel speakers for the living room and stumbled across the Mini's. The idea of diversifying my gear is appealing for whatever reason. Eggs in once basket and all that. I welcome any other speakers you'd recommend considering in the 1-2k range.

The speakers will be paired with some sort of stereo receiver. I'm thinking either the Outlaw RR2150 (pseudo-retro) or a truly retro stereo receiver and a USB DAC to get audio from my macbook into analog. Vinyl will probably be added later.

I have M60's in my HT setup in the basement so I'm familiar with their sound. They're the first "expensive" speakers I've ever owned or really listened extensively to so of course I think they sound fantastic. Ignorance is bliss and all that. I assume the M80's would sound even better (and reduce the need for a sub woofer)?

-Nick

check out the measurements at soundstage.com The minis have a pronounced midrange and quite a bit more distortion than the M80. The enhanced midrange will give a warmer sound from what I have read. The distortion will color the sound as well. I would imagine that increased distortion would also have a negative effect on the level of detail the speaker will deliver, but don't know for sure.

In all, I would expect the M80 to deliver a better sound at a lower price, but if you are looking for something different...

I always wanted to hear some comparisons between the M80's and the Rocket RS850's.... but have yet to come across any

Maybe I'm oversimplifying, but it seems like "distortion" would always be a bad word in the world of audio.

There's no point in wanting 'lossless', well recorded albums if the gear I'm going to use makes is sound differently than intended.

Thanks for mentioning the measurements, I missed them on there.

Very true. If accuracy is your thing then you definitely do not want distortion. Accuracy can also be measured, so it's easier to compared speakers for this feature.

However, good sound is subjective for some people. Some will prefer an enhanced mid range or really dig an exaggerate bass. Also, certain changes to the sound can sometimes compensate for poorer quality recordings. If all someone's music is going to play from their iPod, maybe super accurate speakers are not the best choice.

So yes, I agree with you but in the end, people have different tastes and preferences. Like those crazy tube amp guys! Just kidding, of course!!!!

Only a little, though.

I agree with you murph. However, what I find is that most people seem to first pick a sound they like, and then define it as neutral and clean. I have also told that warm sound means neutral/flat.

Turbo. I have seen one review of the Rocket 750 (older speaker) with measurements and it does not measure particularly flat either. I have run across one 850 owner that did a direct comparison of the M60 and the 850. He felt the M60 was slightly better for music, but chose the 850 system for movies because he liked the bigfoot center better.

In the end, if you want something different, give them a listen and if you like what you hear, what does it matter how they measure or what other people like.

I agree with Fred, order up a set of each do a comparison, let us know your thoughts, with some pics of course, and keep the ones you like the best.

I think someone around here got a pair awhile back. Try searching for it (using the search thread in the Water Cooler).

And now that I've found it, I'd take it with a grain of salt. Any review that says the Axioms are metallic means the reviewer was listening with his eyes, not his ears.