Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Upgrade to M80's?

Hi guys,

I haven't really posted here much but I've been an Axiom owner for the last 2yrs or so. I own a pair of M60's and was thinking of upgrading to a pair of M80's but not sure sure if I should.

My living/dining room is about 17x20 with my living room and dining room split by my couch. So in essence my living room is 17x10. My couch is approx 9ft away from my speakers.

My question is would I really hear much of a difference in sound quality with the M80's over my M60's? I don't listen to music extremely loud but a little loud, if that makes sense.

If I do upgrade, what would be a fair asking price for my High Gloss Cherry M60's since I would have to sell them? THey are in mint condition.

Since I'm asking, I currently own an HSU STF-3. How much difference in sound quality would an EP500 make in my size living room? Would it really make much of a difference? I'm not unhappy with my current sub but have always wanted the EP500.

Any help would be appreciated!

My thoughts on upgrading subs would be...If you are going to spend $1200 on a sub I would look at an hsu uls15 or something from rythmik audio. Unless you want everything to match then I'm sure the ep500 is one great sub too.
Oh and I have m80 v2 HGC and love them

My mistake, I have the HSU STF3 which I see is now discontinued.

Actually the sub I'd get in black so it doesn't stand out. I like the main speakers standing out but the sub is too much.

If you do a direct comparison of the M60 and M80 you can hear a difference. The top end is just more open giving a little more realism to music. If you ever listen to music in pure 2 channel mode, the M80 definately has more bass, but that difference dissapears with a sub.

Facing a $350 difference I thought the M80 was worth it. If I had to trade/sell the M60, I don't know... I would be tempted to add a second sub instead. Depends what you can get for the M60s.

Daniel, since you are in T.O, I'd be inclined to call Axiom up and ask them if you can come up and audition the M60s against the M80s. Comparing them directly is the best way to hear the differences between the speakers.

Unfortunately...or fortunately I don't have room for another sub. If I could get enough for the M60's I figure I could afford the M80's.

I second what Fred said

I'll add the M80s are a better low volume level speaker than the M60s, IMO. The M80s have great mid and upper frequency range that is noticeably more apparent when listening at lower volumes than the M60 or so I discovered with some A/B testing.

Does Axiom have a trade up/in option? I can't see them doing that but I figured I'd ask. Funny I've been away from this site for almost 2yrs and had no desire to upgrade. After spending just one week amidst the forums...I want to upgrade...

Yes they do, Daniel. I would send a pm(personal message) to Peter Bell at Axiom OR call them and tell them what you want to do. Somewhere on this site is a value calculator for your trade in.

What?? Really? LOL well I guess I'll be the owner of a pair of M80's soon enough...

I should double check, can the Yamaha 6080B handle the M80's? All this might be for nothing...

http://www.yamaha.ca/av/receivers/HTR6080B.jsp#specs

Edit: found this

No. you wouldn't hear much of a difference in casual listening with the possible exception of a bit more bass depending on how you run your present speaker setup.
The mindset is that the more expensive speaker, larger speaker must be an "upgrade" but this is a fallacy.

However based on your other comments it sounds like you may be sold on the idea to buy the most that Axiom offers so really there is no decision to be made as it sounds like you have already made it.

I am contemplating moving from the EP350 sub to the EP500 but for performance issues related to the EP350 that i've had for years.

Our job is done!

I am one of those that recently moved from M60s to M80s, however, as opposed to what one would perceive as an upgrade, to me it was more for vanity and aesthetic purposes since I always wanted a pair of M80s in the "high gloss" black finish anyway. However, as with any of the real wood finishes, the price can get up there. When I happened to look at the trade-up program and the dollar values involved, I received probably 90% of the original payout on my 2 year old M60s, so really, it was a "no brainer".

As far as making realistic comparisons between the two, although the M80 is the ultimate in the Axiom line, after a couple of months of listening to them, what this showed me, surprisingly, is that the M60 is one great speaker. I use my new M80s primarily in an HT application so whatever differences that might exist, to me, are more subtle. I would concur with "chesseroo's" observations in that other than slightly more highs and a little more bass, realistically, not that much difference especially working in conjunction with subs.

I would suspect that in a two-channel system with no subs, perhaps the differences might be more noticeable. I suppose the bottom line question is moving from M60s to M80s a "significant" audio upgrade? Candidly, I would say not really. Quite frankly, with either model, you can't go wrong.

Daniel, if you do get the M80s, be sure to leave the impedance setting on the Yamaha in the higher position. The lower 4ohm setting simply reduces the voltage output, and therefore the power output is also reduced, with lab tests showing that it's roughly cut in half. This is a required caution in the manual to satisfy UL requirements related to possible overheating, but because of the possible performance limitation it should never be actually put into effect.

"more for vanity and aesthetic purposes since I always wanted a pair of M80s". Errr I can go along with that I love the look. I listen to a good mix of HT and music. Lately I've been listening a bit more to music and I'm finding that I prefer music with the subs off.

Well I haven't made my choice just yet. I guess I'll wait till I hear back from Axiom on Tuesday and go from there.

What finish are you planning on going with? HG Cherry again? Also are you thinking of upgrading the VP150 to the VP180?

I think the M60 look a lot better with a custom finish from the front than the M80 since there's more cabinet than speakers.

If you do want to change your sub please send me a pm as I have a VTF-3 that would be interested in his cousin.

No, I'm not interested in the VP180. The 150 sounds great to me. Actually I have the STF 3, not the VTF.

Definitely would go with the HG Cherry since that's what the rest of my speakers are.

I was recently in the same boat as you, upgraditis. If you are happy with how loud your M60's play, don't replace them! I would recommend trading in your QS$'s and upgrading to QS8's instead as the drivers and crossover points better match your M60's. They sound awesome together!

Also upgraded my Velodyne to an SVS PC-12 which I haven't connected yet...

I went up to the Axiom facility in January with the main purpose of comparing the 2. Here is what I thought:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=287112&fpart=14
(sorry, couldn't find how to post a link)
Hope this helps.

Good review. Hmm maybe I'd be better off getting a better sub instead or larger TV...maybe a 50inch plasma...

Well I'm in no rush so we'll see. Strange every summer I get the urge to buy some electronics...