Alright, Im looking to upgrade my home theater. currently running a Pioneer VSX-1018AH-K with some cheap speakers(7.1). With the hours of research I have done, I am thinking:

-Replace towers with M60's
-Buy a better amp, 4 Ohm capable
-Replace center with VP180
-move to 5.1 with QS8's in the rear(not sure where I will mount them)
-mount two more speakers on the side to make 7.1(not sure what, do M22's or M3's make good surround speakers?)

All these steps will be a few months apart.


[img]http://img197.imageshack.us/i/scan0004mg.jpg/[/img]

here is my living room, pretty acurate scale wise. the small squares didnt show up on the scan, but the large squares are 4 feet x 4 feet. Any opinions you guys have to share will be considered!

Silas, welcome. Your first step, getting the M60s, certainly would be a substantial improvement.

Replacing the 1018 would seem to be more for the bottom of the list, if needed at all. Depending on the sensitivity of your present speakers, the Axioms, which are of average sensitivity, can work just as well with the 1018 to provide sufficient loudness levels.

Your diagram appears to indicate that you're proposing a somewhat diagonal arrangement. If so, this complicates the placing of the surrounds. Side surrounds, which should be QSs, are supposed to be directly to the side of the listening position(5.1 surrounds aren't "in the rear"), but an adjustment to this would be needed to keep an overall diagonal concept between the speakers.

I agree on the Pioneer that you *may* not need to upgrade to something else. Give things a try first before spending more money. The receiver you have, while not "top of the line" is still very popular.

I agree also that a diagonal placement will really mess with the audio. I used to have a room that things were far from idea with angled walls, and odd shapes (sort of like what you would have) and my sound quality suffered. I am building V4.0 of my home theater (should have walls framed up this week yet) and I am able to build it the way that I want.

The VP180 will serve you well. I can't wait to get mine. I am also added 2 more QS8s for my 7.1 setup. Should be real nice.

Silas, to add to what John and Nick have commented on, I believe you'll get the best ambiance using QS8's for both rears and sides due to their better(than direct firing) dispersion characteristics for surround duties. Direct firing speakers might be a consideration and possibly the better choice for rears if there is a seemingly large distance behind the prime listening area(10 ft+ ?). The M3's, btw, should not be used in combination with other Axiom speakers like the M2, M22, M60, M80 ect, as they are 'voiced' slightly differently than those. M3's are most commonly used by two channel listeners and sometimes chosen/preferred by tube amp owners. I suppose one could make a nice surround system using all M3's though

So will my sound quality suffer if my speakers do not run parallel with the walls? I guess I will be trying to achieve the set up the angles on this site (http://www.thx.com/consumer/home-entertainment/home-theater/surround-sound-speaker-set-up/) under the True HD. Also will my amp power the VP 180? I thought I read it requires a 4Ohm supply?

I power 2 M80s and 1 VP180 with my modest Denon 890 (not rated for 4 ohms) without problem. As others have suggested, give your pioneer a try first, then, if your amp shuts down or you hear distortion, you should consider a different amp. Unless you listen to very high levels for a long period of time, my guess is that you'll be fine.

I would also concord with QS8s for the sides.

As for the THX placement you linked, I would not have the back surround placed next to each other, that would defeat the purpose of stereo imaging that can happen in the back, I would spread them to each side of the couch.

The Pioneer unit is well built - one of our staff utilizes this unit and it drives the M80's to moderate levels without issue. It is unlikely that the VP180 will affect its' performance. Here is a HT layout for you,

http://www.axiomaudio.com/home_theater_layout.html

sounds like it will be QS8's all around, and i might have to upgrade to the M80's then. I didnt think that amp was capable.. Thanks!

Yeah, I wouldn't automatically assume that you will have a problem. Give it a test and see how it goes.

Silas, there's no such thing as a "4ohm supply". Very few receivers have an "official" power rating into 4 ohms because under the the FTC(Federal Trade Commission)amplifier power regulations it would have to operate at the full maximum power rating into 4 ohms for at least five continuous minutes. This is a severe laboratory test that would never be duplicated in home listening. Receivers which carry a power rating measured at 8 ohms nevertheless have a significant ability to drive speakers rated at 4 ohms and numerous listeners do this every day without a problem. It's highly unlikely that you'd have a problem either. Relax.