Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater new HT

I was sent here from the avs forum.
I have been researching my first HT around a sony 34xbr910. I am leaning toward the axioms epic master (M3ti's) with a QS8 upgrade due to my room config. My space is 10x16 with 8' ceilings, but the room extends another 25' on the viewers left.

The HT is for me and my wife and occasional friends, but I also want to be able to fill the room with just party music. I also want speakers that are somewhat discreet, ie black, wall mounted.

I have searched sites by aperion, energy, paradigm, Ascend, Rocket by Onix and am open to a $1500-$2000. range. I don't care for the look of the ascends and rockets. I like the paradigm and axioms. I would expect good reviews from axiom owners, any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Jeff

Welcome, Jeff; they sent you to the right place. The first thing is that you don't necessarily have to use one of the set packages to get a discount. Speaking with Joe or another Axiom rep can often result in something being worked out.

Now, what I think is that the Axiom speakers with the 5.25" midwoofer(e.g. M2, M22)have a bit more mid-range clarity than the M3, which I prefer. If the size is acceptable, I'd suggest the M22s for mains,if not then the M2s(being back-ported, they should have about 3" of breathing space if wall mounted). I'd also suggest a vertical M2 center speaker as being better than the VP100. The surround looks good, but I wonder about mounting if you mean that you don't have a wall on the left.

Hi John,

Thanks for the quick reply. I was actually going to place the QS8 surrounds on the wall behind the viewing area, how bad is that? I have no wall on the left and a fireplace on the right and I don't want to put surrounds on stands.

So the M2 is better than the M3 in my case? Originally I thought the M22's were 27" but they are 20", not bad, so I am considering them. And an M2 for the center? can you elaborate on why you think that is better than the VP100 or 150?

again thanks fo rthe input.

jeff

Jeff, widely separated(almost to the side wall, or where it would be) QS8s on the back wall work well(sushi has that setup),although a side wall on the left would give more reflections for a "side" effect.

On the center, I simply don't like the horizontal MTM configuration in comparison with a vertical speaker identical to, or nearly identical to, the mains. The vertical will have better horizontal dispersion and a smoother transition from the mains than a horizontal MTM. There's been 2 or 3 posts here reporting on favorable results with a M2 center. The VP150 has a different TMMMT configuration which apparently is a significant improvement over MTM, but which I've never heard.

The M3 is a speaker that is better without a sub. It is preferred for stereo only listening. It has more bass than the M2 or M22, but the M2 and M22 have better midrange. Because you are getting a subwoofer, the extra bass provided by the M3 will be duplicated by the sub, but the extra midrange of the M2 will not be produced by the sub. The M2 and M22 sound almost identical, the M22 can just play louder. It is unlikely you will ever listen to the M2 loud enough to hear the difference.

I would also recommend looking at www.svsubwoofers.com or www.hsuresearch.com for subs. The only products these companies make are subs and they do it better than almost anyone. They outperform Axiom subs, although Axiom is looking into designing subs that will better compete with these other companies.

I am not saying the Axiom subs are bad, they are still excellent subs on par with subs from Paradigm or Energy. Just that SVS and HSU are unbelivably good products.

Hi snippy and JohnK,

Thanks for your feedback. I find it interesting that you suggest the M2 for a center since axiom does not list that as a center, but that would actually work better for me. My current plans, M22 fronts, M2 center, Qs8's surround and a VTF-2 sub, looking into a HK avr-525 receiver and then some sort of 12 step recovery program ;^)

I would still recommend the VP150 for the center. It matches perfectly with the M22's. It also looks better and fits better on top of a TV. It also has better dispersion so the sweet spot is almost the whole entire couch. I would highly recommend the VP150 Vs. a M2 for the center.