Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Advice for the Noob

Jerry, welcome. In my view the term "3.1 HT system" is something of an oxymoron, since surround sound is essential to the home theater experience, including 2-channel music. Speaker positioning is often "problematic", but the problems can almost always be solved. If you'd give some details, we may be able to offer some helpful suggestions.

To match your excellent M22s, a third M22 used as a vertical center would be best, or an M2 would also work very well. This is another application where positioning problems can usually be overcome.

The 591 is a fine receiver. You should consider getting it or a similar model as a factory refurbished unit from a source such as Dakmart or eCost. These are likely to be at least as reliable as a brand-new unit, but with a significant price saving.

I'll second JohnK's suggestion.

I bought my Denon AVR-3805 and DVD-2905 from Dakmart. Very minor ding on the AVR-3805 but otherwise it's been great. The DVD-2905 had some player problems after a few months and Dakmart did a good job of fixing it under warranty. I'd be buying the AVR-4311 from them except I'm too impatient this time to wait for for Dakmart to start having some B-stock.

Their specs only indicate a 12" down firing. Is there a passive driver in the front?

JohnK, regarding rear speaker placement...a sofa is against the back wall. There is floor space on either side of the sofa. Wall mounting is not an option at this time for several reasons (not the least of which is spousal approval).

regarding your 3.1 HT comment: I agree and you have hit on the nub of my questions. Is a 3.1 set-up going to give me what I'm looking for (enhanced movie watching) or should I just back off the HT idea and concentrate on a stereo system for my music listening.

thanks, jerry

Re Denon Refurb from DakMart, a US Retailer and I am in Canada... I have a horror story. Short version:

My Refurb's Sub Pre-Out didn't work... there was an RCA pin broken off in the connector. I was lucky I was able to remove it and fix the connection myself because apparently...

Denon's Warranty is only valid in the Country of Purchase.

The Warranty, I don't like, but I can understand. My biggest beef is with the Refurb Process here. Did they not LOOK at the unit? The problem was OBVIOUS when I opened it up. Did they not TEST it?

WTF

snazzed

EDIT: I could have shipped the Reciever to Denon US for Warranty service but decided not to bother.

No, the LFM-1 "PLUS", "EX" and "Compact" are all strictly down firing subs. The only one of their product line that is front-firing is the ECS-10, Outlaws version(along the lines of the Supercube) of a more expensive compact, high power subwoofer.

Once again, if you read the reviews of these small subs(and the ECS-10 is no exception), the reviewer generally always states they sound good BUT they can't fill a room with real DEEP bass. In most cases, nothing can duplicate the bigger driver and box.

Having quality front speakers and a good sub will already enhance your movie experience. If you are not intending on having surround, I would stick with a 2.1. The center will make the dialog clearer but you can get similar results if you seat at the sweet spot. One day if you decide to go 5.1, you can always get the center then.

Jerry, no, you shouldn't back off on the HT idea, but simply adding a separate center speaker doesn't go very far in getting you there. A separate center speaker does have some advantages over just using the mains to form a "phantom" center; the dialog is anchored to the center for off-center listeners and the volume for the center channel can be raised independently to make low-level dialog easier to hear. However, in my view the order of priorities for an HT setup is mains, surrounds, sub and then a separate center.

If wall mounting is completely out for the surrounds, the speakers, preferably QSs, can be placed on stands in the back corners. There are even techniques such as putting the speakers on the floor in the back corners, and firing up toward the ceiling, which provide a reasonable if not ideal surround effect.

JohnK, the only location for surrounds would be floor/stand mounted on either side of the rear sofa (not a very good option?). There are no rear corners in the room, one side is a hallway and the other is a cased opening to the kitchen. It's sounding like my best option at this time is 2.1 and explore other possibilities (maybe rearrange the room, although I've pretty much exhausted my ideas there w/o a solution). My plan has always been to build this a piece at a time, so I have alot of time to think on it. Any thoughts?

thanks for your help, jerry

I would think that Qs4/8 mounted high up on the rear wall would be better than no surrounds at all. But I haven't listened to that either.