Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo M22ti or M40ti? Limited budget left for sub... Help!!

Hello folks... I'm building a starter HT and I need your help! I have a budget of roughly $850 to build this HT for an apartment living room that is 12'x12'6". I found a good deal on a refurbished Denon 1603 for $180 at ecost.com, so that leaves me with $670 to spend on speakers.

This HT will be in this apartment for at least a year before I eventually buy a house, so I figured I can just get a pair of front speakers and a sub if needed, and add on when the situation and cash flow calls for it. It'll be used mostly for movies, but also see some music usage (jazz, gospel, and occasional R&B/Hip-Hop). I don't want to constatly shake the walls loose, but I want to have some kinda thump & rumble for my movies when the neighbors are away.

Right now I am considering a pair of Axiom M40ti's for the front speakers. However, I'm also looking at the M22ti's. From what I've read around here, the M22ti's are better for movies and will definitely need a sub to fill in the bottom, but I'm not sure if that's also the case for the 40's. Either setup would leave me with about $200-250 for a sub (gotta got stands if I get the 22's, right?)... given the area that this is for, I'd think that I could get a decent sub to cover it at that price range... like the Velodyne VX-10 for + $149.99 S&H at etronics.com, or the CHT-8 for $229.99

So now its question time:

Which pair should I go with for my front speakers? Will I need a sub either way, as I am suspecting? If so, what would be the best sub for that price range and room size?

Also, I need to know how stable are the 22's on the CSS2 or SS16, particularly on carpeted floors? If they're always going to have a lean or unbalance, I think I'd be best off with the 40's.

Thanks in advance for your help!

I wouldn't be as worried about 22 vs. 40 for movies, I'd be more worried about music. If you like the music sound of the speakers the movie part tends to work out well too. The M22 are detailed and the M40 are more laid back. It depends on what you like. If you want all the detail in some of those jazz recordings you might prefer the M22.

As far as stands, I suggest the 24" ones for the M22 (I'm using the SS24).

You will want a sub either way, I'd suggest the STF-2 from HSU, but that might be out of your price range. Someone else might be able to suggest a decent less expensive sub, if you are set on being one of the few people that actually stays within their HT budget

Side note...

WOW, I finally made it to Addict!

You're right, the STF-2 is out of my reach... however, I may be able to stretch my budget to afford the STF-1. However, is the STF-1 worth the extra $50 (including S&H) over the CHT-8?

I kinda have to stay very close to my budget... wedding plans are sucking up the rest of my loot.

go for bstock M22's and STF1!

Tempting... but I'm still concerned about the 22's stability on those stands. I'm leaning toward the 40's... and I'm willing to stretch my budget to get the STS-1 with it since the 40's would be a bit less that the 22's + stands.

These budget deals are tricky because you don't want to spend money on a lesser product now (like the STF-1) only to feel you have to turn around and buy the one you want (STF-2 or 3) later ... that's short-term economy leading to long-term envy and re-spending.

If you can suck it up and get the M22s as b-stock ($360 all inclusive) AND a HSU STF-2 at CompUSA ($349+tax), you're looking at about $735 total, or $65 more than budgeted. Make the stands yourself, for now, or push the budget an additional $50-60, and you're in business. More importantly, you'll have three speakers that will serve you well for years to come, as opposed to some speakers you are itching to upgrade when .... So IMHO spending a bit more now is the way to go.

Alternatively, if you really need to stay on budget now, you could go for M2is as fronts for the time being ($255 new, all inclusive) and the Hsu STF-2 ($349+tax), and then you're looking at about $630 total -- enough to get stands or wall-mounting brackets and meet your budget. Under this scenario, you'll get good HT (minus surrounds for now) and good music, and you'll be able to move the M2is to the rear as surrounds when you fill out the whole system. One or two M2is can also become a center channel, should you eventually opt for QS8s or other di-/quad-poles as surrounds -- in other words, spending less on the M2is now could be economical because this will give you a good listening experience now and a product you will always be able to use later on. If you go this route, consider wall-mounting the M2is instead of using stands, because you will probably want the wall-mounting brackets later when you move the M2is to the surround position.

I'd go with one of the options above depending mainly on what kind of HT room you anticipate in your future house: Get the M22s now if you think they'll be the right size as mains in the future, get the M2is now if you think you'll want a larger floorstander, ie M60s or M80s, in your future HT room.

By the way, if you had a larger HT room now, I'd also suggest considering M60s alone with no sub for the time being, but sounds like that's not an option. I have an STF-2 and M60s, but go with the M60s only on music. And I've watched plenty of movies without the sub (sometimes by accident). Not a problem, though the sub is always a great enhancement.

Whatever you do, don't limit yourself to mains and a sub. You can experience HT more or less for free on top of your new purchases -- just scout around and try to scrounge up some free speakers from friends and family who have extras. Or at the worst, go to some garage sales, you can always find a few items for close to nothing. You can use these temporary speakers as surrounds and a center (make the best one the center) to whet your appetite for your future all-Axiom set-up.

Birdman

Good advice- I think, unfortunately, that 'The Man' raised the STF-2's price at Compusa to $400.

He'd still save on shipping, but have to pay tax...

if you're concerned w/ the stands for the M22's you can take budget stand route. If the speakers are placed near a wall, you can use the Full Metal Bracekts from Axiom or build your own shelves to hold them w/ wood and brackets from Home Depot. In my case I used some DIY shelves from Ikea. I think the total cost is < $30.

Hopefully you can view my link (didn't work for some last time).

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