Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo M80'S HARSH EDGY SOUND

Hello, I have received my new Axiom M80 speakers and I am
having a problem. They seem to have a harsh,edgy sound with
no bass/clarity. My system consist of...
Outlaw 1050 65w pc recvr.
M80s as the fronts
M22s as the rears
c350 as the center
and a KLH 120w pwrd. sub
Sony 301 disc dvd/cd
Surround/bass seems to be good when watching movies,
But when listening to sterio they have little bass
and are very harsh,edgy.
I tried to trim(thru recvr.)+ or - and large or small to the fronts and sub etc...I even turned off the sub.
still no change. I was advised that the sub was probaly the
problem. Should I buy an Axiom sub? Or could it be the M80s?
The M80s were the factory outlets (discounted)for finish only flaws. My M22ti's sounded better when I was using them
for my main speakers.
Thanks for any advice, Eric T.

I don't know about the M80s, but I do know my M3s sounded harsh and edgy too when I first set them up. Have you fully broken in your speakers, or do they still sound as bad after about 100 hours?

Thanks for the reply.
No, They are not broke in...Only about 5-6 hours
too harsh to listen to.
Maybe I will leave on for a coulple days.

A couple of other suggestions:

You should make sure that the impedance switch on the Outlaw is set to 4 ohms. Secondly, try using a direct analog connection, which completely bypasses the processing circuitry of the 1050. Finally, a GoodSound review of the 1050 described a similar problem with a rolled-off signal...you might check out how he solved the problem.

Eric

the idea to switch it to 4 ohms is very important.. The M80's also needs lots of watts to give a real good bass sound. On your Outlaw, can you switch the M80's to large or small? Make sure it is set to large. Also, I don't think you need 100 hours of break in.. Anything past a few hours seems to be more you getting used to the sound rather than the speakers actually sounding better.

good luck! if you fix it, less us know now!

Thanks frequent flier,
I never thought of the ohms switch.
And I have played with the large/small setting for the fronts...Do I keep it on large for surround also?
It says to set at small for my LFE sub.
I will experment. Thanks for all the advice.

Thanks Veteran, I am new to all this....But I have been reading....can never learn too much.
Sometimes its just not a giving....With different set ups
and equipment and cables...changes the sound when you don't
think it should.
Thanks again All

Hi Eric,

A few comments: the M80's are very detailed and linear through the midrange and highs. They won't be kind or flattering to bright, aggressively recorded pop/rock CDs that have boosted (EQ'd) mids and sibilant vocals emphasized for playback on FM and over inferior portable gear.

In other words, be sure the source you are listening to is a nice, smooth, balanced recording. Like any great loudspeaker, the M80 will ruthlessly reveal problems in the source material, but with fine recordings, it sounds wonderful.

Cables shouldn't make any difference (as long as they're thick enough), and a couple of hours break-in are sufficient. The tonal balance of the M80 and M22 is very similar on good recordings. The M80 may sound a trifle more forward on some vocals but it has deep, profound, and well-balanced bass output, especially compared to the M22.

Ravi is correct: try running the M80s in stereo bypassing the digital processing section (if you can) of the Outlaw before you assess the M80's sound quality.

Regards,

I disagree that the M80s need lots of power, I have a Denon 1800 (75wpc) and it kicks out the music plenty loud, now if the Outlaw is a weakling then.....

Also, check the placement of your speakers, perhaps they need to be moved around to get the "right" bass output.

As for break in time, I don't believe 100 hours is necessary but try leaving your system running while at work at a moderate volume for a couple of days if you don't want to listen to the harshness.

I have an OUTLAW 1050. I highly recommend that for stereo listening, you hook up your 2-channel sources via the "direct" inputs, thus bypassing all digital circuitry of the OUTLAW. This means, of course, that you won't have bass management capabilities while in direct mode, but your M80s should certainly be sufficient to carry the bass-load on all but the rarest recording (cannons in the 1812 overture, organ music, and the like).

That said, I can only imagine that you're either somehow sending the M80s a substantially rolled-off signal and somehow NOT sending your sub the difference, or maybe your sub just can't handle it (I'm not familiar with the model). But again, I HIGHLY recommend you run your M80s in direct mode for stereo sources, but if you insist upon incorporating the sub, then make sure the sub can handle it.

(And don't forget to unplug your OUTLAW before switching the impedance to 4 ohms!!!!!)

Hi,
Rmalloy is correct as is KevinS--the M80s are quite sensitive and, in stereo, in my 17 x 13 x10 ft living room, even at very loud peaks of 90 to 94 dB SPL at the back of the room, the M80s were not drawing more than 35 watts per channel on my calibrated peak-reading meters.

By contrast, the the M22ti's (no sub) drew as much as 65 watts per channel to hit the same SPL peaks, at the same distance. If, for example, you were running M22ti in stereo with the Outlaw, at those levels the amp would be approaching clipping of the output signal.

I would concur with Rmalloy that somehow you're sending the M80s a high-pass filtered signal (no low bass) and the sub isn't receiving the low-passed signals.

Even 3 feet out from my walls, the M80 has excellent bass extension and output.

Regards,

The M80s should not have those characteristics. Have you checked to be absolutely sure that the M80s are wired both in phase (positive from amp to positive on the M80s). A harsh top end and weak bass will be the result if one of the speakers is wired out of phase. If everything is wired properly I would suggest getting a hold of Joe Vassallo at joe@axiomaudio.com or at our toll free number 866-294-6688. I will let him know about what you are finding and we can replace your M80s for you and investigate yours at our lab.

Hello Eric
I have an outlaw 1050 with m80's along with a Axiom sub. I emailed Outlaw witht he specs from Axiom and ask them to tell me what the 1050 should be set up too. This is a great place to start and then tweek to your liking. They told some very interesting things about setup and it worked great. I suggest you also try it.
Peace

Hello Ian and others,
I am greatly pleased with all the feedback and suggestions.
I did switch the receiver to 4 ohms and it did in prove slightly. I will try some of the other suggestions this weekend (been very busy). Being new to the audiophile world
I see there is alot more to it than just pluging it in.
I don't want to send back if it is my problem (is likely).
And word for AXIOM, Is when purchasing the peices, peice by peice when I could ...They were always very helpfull and took the time to spell things out. And now I see thier comittment to service is second to no one.
Now if Axiom could only train some of the other businesses that I've dealt with here in south Florida.
I will let you know soon... Thanks for everything, Eric