Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Help Picking out some rear channel speakers for my

Well First of all I'd like to say hi to everyone, i've been admiring and looking at all Axioms speakers, researching on this forum also viewing Axioms store and I must say they look pretty nice and appear to be priced very fair.I haven't heard them yet but what from what I've read im hearing good things and it might work with my current setup and blend well . Well here's my question along with my current setup. Im running a Pioneer VSX 94txh receiver, Paradigms studio v4 60's fronts , center v4 cc690, Velodyne dps sub and rears some boses cubes and some bose 301's i've been going back and fourth But dont really like any of the Bose personally. Anyway im very happy with my Paradigms but im looking for new rear channels . Im currently bi-amping or actually passive -bi-amping So im not running 7.1 but might switch back from 5.1. So what do you think would blend well and sound the best with my current setup for rear surround channels. Im thinking QS8's, M2v2's or the M22's OR should I just get some Paradigms to match/blend.I mostly will only using them when playing blu-ray movies ect. because I pretty much enjoy pure direct with only fronts running when listening to music so that wont be a factor . Eventually I might build Another HT Setup so IF I end up liking the Axioms rears I Could start matching them with maybe a system for just music and just keep my Paradigms for one or the other . Sorry if im bouncing around a little but its been a long day lol . Anyway thanks in advance for the help and hope i've made a little sense with my Questions

Oh, definitely get the QS8s. And before the other pedants jump in, what you're talking about is side surrounds, not rear surrounds (those are 7.1). Unless of course, your #4 and #5 speakers are behind you. In which case, well... still get QS8s.

Thanks for your input : ) and actually wright now they'll be used for my rear surrounds in 5.1 not running 7.1 currently because im passive bi-amping and using my SRB channels for my fronts but might switch back to 7.1 so would like something that would work well in either application . Here some pics of my current setup except I was running 7.1 then. The speakers will probably be in the same place as the pics until I get some stands .

The QS8s are one of the best surround speakers available, unfortunatley you would need to wall/ceiling mount them or purchase/make some stands to accomodate the bottom driver, they come with a 'T' mounting bracket so the wall mount is easily done. I would mount one on either side of the entry way you have blocked off with the couch.

The QS speakers also work incredibly well for multichannel music. You get a much more immersive sound from the QS's than from direct radiating speakers.

I would also look into purchasing from the Factory Outlet which gives you 10% off. These are the same speakers with very minor, if any, cosmetic imperfections. I have yet to find anything wrong with my FO purchased speakers.

Welcome to the forum TheFactor

For surround duties I would go with the QS4's or the QS8's. Looking at your room either would work. The difference between the 4's and 8's is the 4's have dual 4" drivers while 8's have dual 5.25" drivers (they both use the same tweeter, dual 1" tweeters). The 8's have a slightly better frequency response and can handle more power to fill a bigger room while the 4's are designed for small to medium sized rooms. Like Jakewash pointed out the quadpolar design allows the listener to hear and feel more immersed in the sound as opposed to directional sound that you would get with a using a pair of bookshelf speakers.

Good luck,

Thanks everyone for the input, I really prefer not to mount them on the wall if possible so what would be a good second choice ? Would some M2 or M22's work well ?

Oh yes, the M2s or M22s would work very well, just not as a diffuse sound. The lower extension of the M22's would be of some benefit but not required as your sub would be picking up the extra little bit of low end the M2s lack in comparison to the M22s.

You can get some stands to go along with either the QS4 or QS8 speakers and use them in the same application that you are doing now with your current surrounds. If you would purchase them at the factory outlet you would receive 10% off.

Cheers,

For surround applications you want Q's, yes bookshelf speakers will work, but won't envelope you in the sound like the Q's will, that is the true experience you want as the recording engineers intended.

Axiom does make a mount especially for the Q's, if you budget allows.

I strongly second this. I just moved from direct radiating 5.1 surrounds to QS8's and the change is dramatic. With your setup you will want the QS8s to expand your rear image, as your seating position is against a wall. I was very surprised by how much the QS8 design opened up the rear soundstage. Direct radiating just can't do it, especially in the close quarters you are planning. Give them a shot, you won't return them. High on the walls would be best if you can swing it, but even on stands near ear level, try them out. I'm not a groupie as these are the only Axioms I own, but I bought without hearing and have not questioned it once since turning them on about a month about - and I use them every day. Also, I have not had a problem with them integrating with my PSB 5t towers. The sound is defuse enough that it is not like comparing the LCR.

I got the feeling he doesn't want to buy new stands, nor does he want to wall/ceiling mount, so he is left with bookshelf speakers.

Thats correct I prefer not to get new stands or mount them on the wall and I just noticed there 6ohm speakers can I even run them on my current setup with 8ohm fronts and center and 6ohm for the rears threw my Pioneer elite 94 ?

Yes

Thanks Rick, so if you dont mind me asking how ? I thought you could only run 6 or 8ohm threw all the speakers and not run 8ohm to some and 6ohm to others with my pioneer .

It's the speakers that decide this not the receiver. Your Elite doesn't care what ohm the speakers are.If it has an ohm switch make sure to leave it set at 8 ohm and you'll be fine.

I seem to keep seeing this same line that an amp doesn't care what ohms the speakers are. The amp certainly does care and is the reason why some amps overheat and shut down. Yes. The amp does care what ohms the speakers are.

Yeah but it is a 6ohm load we are talking about here and any receiver will handle that. It should not present any problem with that Pioneer receiver.

I said his "Elite" doesn't care and it doesn't. It is a very capable receiver and could run M80s if he would choose to do so.

Bob, just to put your most inquisitive mind at ease to some degree, I run M80s on a receiver that's 75WPC, 7 channels driven. I've never had it shut down. I don't think the thing's fan has ever turned on.

Paradigm Studio 60's - Sweet!!!

Those are nice sounding speakers.

Ok I understand now , thankyou

You're most welcome.

No, Bob; it doesn't care what the impedance is. What it cares about is how much voltage and current it has to output. Some speakers rated at 4 ohms(e.g., the M80s)are more sensitive than some speakers rated at 8 ohms and require less power and current at a given sound level.

Thanks there the best my wallet good afford, that I've ever heard anyway : ) Im really enjoying them more and more everyday and I've had them for almost a year now .

Thanks Like I said im enjoying the hec out of them and they've opened up a whole new avenue or meaning to watching and listening to music.I really like the Axiom m80's to and heard good things about them. They might be my next Speaker when I build another system down the road but my digms are definitely keepers too.

Thanks Bob I appreciate your opinion and input .

btw I NEVER said any particular amp could or couldn't handle any particular situation. What I said is that a given amp does care what impedance it is seeing. If it didn't care than you would never had any problems with a mismatch. Some amps are more sensitive to this issue than others. Just like high end audio, the PA amps have the same problems with overheating and shutdowns with having a wrong load on them. These amp ratings are given for a reason. Just because an amp doesn't shut down doesn't necessarily mean that it is a proper match.

I am also convinced by so many that are actually doing this, that it seems to be working without any problems for some. I am not worried with my situation of a Denon2309 with the M80's for 2 reasons. So many here use Denons without a problem AND I spoke to Denon Tech Support 2 weeks ago that told me that it shouldn't be an issue. If anyone has any concerns it might be best to call the Tech Support of your amp to have a technical question answered. But giving a pat answer that an amp doens't care what it sees doesn't seem to be the responsible answer to give.

Dont tempt me : ) just what I need is to know I can lol

You now have been warned, stay around to long and all your money will be gone .

I have a feeling your wright because im finding my self browsing in the Axiom store more then on the Forum now ...yikes

Maybe you could alter/rig your current stands to work with the Q's for surround purposes, make a bottom plate the same size with a hole in it to accomodate the bottom driver.

Thats a great idea and actually was thinking something along those lines or making some new ones.

I would use a piece of aluminum or steel in an 'L' shape and mount the lower portion to the stand and then just drill a hole in the upper section to moun the QS to.

Has anyone ever done this before?

Well I decided to audition a pair of Def Tech pro cinemas 1000 series speakers and so far im pretty impressed , it really fills the room nice with crystal clear highs and mids . The QS8'S are not out of the picture yet by all means and im sure are a step above or so from the pro 1000's but like I said thus far im pretty impressed with there performance for such a little speaker.Heres a couple of pics and btw hopefully no ones offended by me posting another Brand speaker and im not trying to promote them im just sharing my experience and like I said im sure axioms QS8 in a league of its own but these Def techs were just very easy to audition and couldnt pass up the deal that was offered to me so figured I at least should give them a try.They also make stands for them but since im just auditioning them wright now I decided to wait until I decide. Again if anyone is offended by my post please have a moderator remove it and I will totally understand

Is there a lot of surroundsound going on during a boxing match? I have yet to experience a HT in my home.

It looks to be a UFC match.

I see the 690 under the TV there, man they are huge (and nice). That centre's over $1g isn't it?

Actually not much but much more than I expected , But there was a lot more when I put Transformer in my Sony 550 blu-ray player after the fights : ) And actually it was cage fighting not boxing but they did box for a little while lol

That is correct good call

Ya thats my baby and puts out some outrageous bass a long with greaat mids and highs , Yes retrail there close to 1300 but worth every penny imo .Here a pic without the grill cover

Sssshhhhwinggg!!

Ultimate Fighting Challenge


Nice set up!

Thanks : )

Good Gawd! How can you embarrass your L/R that way. Every time you play anything in stereo you know your center just laughs at those "crappy" speakers, with their insufficient two mid-bass drivers. To go the extra two miles on the center, what type of material do you prefer - lots of inaugurations addresses, damn that's a lot of center channel in an otherwise just very freaking nice setup. My little PSB with its twin mid-bass drivers has now lost all confidence in itself.

You're killing me Charles :D, I saw that centre at my local Paradigm dealer when I auditioned the Studio 100s. That centre is something like 36 in wide and near 80 lbs!! I'm beginning to understand why some guys use 3 centres for their fronts (almost the same $$ as a pair of Studio 100s and the 690), would also stop any sibling rivalry!!

HA HA My DIGMS 60'S are far from crappy speakers and would give alot others with twice as many speakers a run for there money lol ; ) Seriously they blend very well with my 60's whether its a movie or cd ect. But I actually prefer pure direct and just running my left and right channels for music But when its blu-ray time its on like donykong and if im running 7.1 or 5.1 I cant wipe the smile off my face Thanks for the compliment though and I know from looking at those 60's in comparison to my center they look weak but trust me they can hold there own, I've cranked them up a few times and never heard any distortion but its really not necessary to and if I need more base Depending on my mood my 10" Velodyne sub blends in well and adds some nice rich base. Its Funny that center does kick out some nice base, sometimes i'll forget to put my sub on and I have to look to see if its on lol.Except for the major explosions and such then i'll know my subs on : )

Ya my 690 is fricken heavy and I figured that out when I was putting it under my TV .

oh as far as types of music I like it deppends on my mood lol variety I guess would describe it best because if I come home from work and want to relax i'll throw on some jazz/blues and thens theres days I like hip hop, heavy metal or country .

Well picked up some stands today for my rears im auditioning and looks much better.......... before .....................and after

Picked 3 blurays on sale today, Serenity, National Treasure 2 and The Dark Knight , I plan on watching National Treasure 2 tonight. Anyone seen any of these hopefully they'll be good.

If you liked "Firefly" the TV show, you should like "Serenity."

"The Dark Knight" is one of my favorites. Should give your system a work out.

Cool thats what I was hoping : )

You are joking right? "Has anyone seen Dark Knight?" No, had not heard of that one... A Thread of Interest to You
Seriously, don't just dabble in the Dark Knight - you know, "let me drop in a see what this is about". Get the mood right (wine and...well mostly wine for me), get the speakers all ready for action, levitate the wires, fire up the crystals and enjoy what I think is the best visual and auditory demo material made to date – and not a bad story at all. It will use every available Hz and Watt your system has to offer. Then watch the bonus material and then re-watch the movie in a critical mood. I was more impressed once I was clued in to what to watch for. Great film - and I'm not a comic book fan.

Also, the stands look great, huge improvement. But you should try moving that left surround further from the listening position and adjust the delay on the AVR. With a tweeter so close to you, it is really hard for the sound wrap around the back of you. If you stick with those speakers, also try aiming them at the back wall so as to make the first reflection hit the listening position and the direct sound come off axis. I did this with my last surrounds and it helped a good bit with rear imaging in a similar setup with the rear wall just behind the listening position. But the more distance from tweeter to ear, the better in your set up - in my humble opinion, worth most of the two cents it sells for!

Great description of The DarkNight MAKES ME WANT TO THROW IT ON NOW LOL but think i'll save it for this weekend when I have more time and watch Serenity tonight. I watched Treasure 2 it was alright but nothing to write home about imo . Thanks for the advice with my rear speakers and i'll have to try angling them off the wall and see how it works. I use to do that with some Bose cubes I had and it worked good for them.

Enjoy.

Thanks im really enjoying my setup now, but its a tough decision for my rear speakers And im still undecided so I need to watch some more blurays : )

Given your setup, you should try QS8 or even QS4. The real soundstage will impress you now that you have reached a satisfaction level with the current set up.

Ya im kind of leaning towards the QS8 : )

Go for 'em!! The QS8s really are great little speakers. I ran typical bookshelf speakers as surrounds for years and finally picked up some QS8s about a year ago and am sorry I waited so long.

Yes and they look nice too

Well the def tech pro 1000's went back, they were great speakers but not exactly what I was looking for sooooooo I will be auditioning next a pair of Paradigms ADP 470 V3 surrounds . I should have them in about a week. If they dont work out but I have a feeling they will then I'll probably pick up some QS8's.Ok thought i'd give you guys a update....

Can't argue with that. Just make sure you try some multi-polar drives. I'm not an Axiom sales rep, so I don't care what you get, but I have to praise Axiom for a surround that I find a true value. Best of luck and let us know how the Para's turn out.

Thankyou for the advice and yes for sure i'll let you know how they work out .

Heres some pics of studio ADP 370 V3's on some pretty beefy stands I picked up. So far so good [IMG]

I do love that bullet nose cone, looks great.

Thanks they do look pretty cool and actualy there the ADP 470 Not 370 that I posted. I'VE been looking at so many im lucky I can remember my name lol