Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Images of Cherry Home Theater

All,
Here are a couple of pictures of my M60's, VP150 and M22's in the Custom Finish: Warm Cherrywood...They look and sound GREAT!





On the WAF side of things, Sarah likes the grills on as otherwise "they look naked"...her words.

But last night we watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and she noticed whispers of phrases that she (and I) had not heard before. Planning on watching "The Patriot" tonight...will report back afterwards.

So far, to quote a McDonald's ad: "I'm lovin' it...!"

WhatFurrer

Wow - loks great. Tell me - how does the warm cherry compare to the Boston Cherry. Which is redder, and which is browner, if you know?

Great looking set-up. How do the M60s sound in that room? Are they too big, or just right? (I bet you have an opinion about this).

About the WAF, how does she like having her own chair? I can't convince my wife that we need two separate barka-loungers like you've got. She all likes to cuddle and crap while me watch movies....yeah, yeah - my diamond shoes are too tight, right? Anyway, awesome set-up!

ps. - I see you...

Wow, that finish looks good, makes me (almost) regret going with plain old black. Looks like you have some placement issues though, calibration must have been interesting with that sofa (couch) sitting in front of the left front M60. My system will arrive this week (M60, VP150, QS8), I will try to also post some pictures when it is set up. Great to see someone going for custom finishes, I was tempted to go with one of the maple finishes but my wallet made me go with black oak.

Mr. Pickard & Expat,

The Boston Cherry was more red and darker...at least to my eyes. The Warm Cherrywood matched the Sanus stand and coordinated with the other furniture best. The calibration really did not suffer too much due to the couch on the left...what you really cannot see is that there is approximately 3 and a half feet between the left M60 and the arm of the couch...I am thinking about putting them on a set of old Rat Shack stands that tilt them back and raise them 7" to try to clear more of the midrange driver but as I have two rambunctious Golden Retrievers, that may not be such a great idea. The M60's sound great in the room but I know they would sound even better with some additional separation and position them away from the side walls...you deal with the hand you are dealt...

Also, that large shadow to the right of the A/V rack is an SVS 20-39 PC Plus...The thunder in "Open Range" is reproduced so life-like that it makes you feel like you are there in the thunderstorm and then Kevin Costner's shotgun blast in the saloon about made my wife jump almost completely off the couch...

Have not decided which I like better when it comes to my crossover setting...the Sony DB940 in the rack has 60/90/120/150/200 as selections for the crossover...I have been bouncing back and forth between 60 and 90 as to which sounds the best...

WhatFurrer

Cool, howd oes that SVS sub sound? I just ordered an Hsu VTF-3 Mk2, which is backordered until next month. I was tempted by the SVS cylinders, but couldn't convince my wife that the aesthetics were acceptable. I am expecting great things from my HSu.

They look beautiful! You need some more crosses on that back wall though. I think I saw some space in the bottom right corner you missed.

When the PC Plus was delivered (on my birthday ), I hooked it up and did a quick calibration on it...then threw in Jurassic Park III and went to the fight scene between the Spinosaurus and the T-Rex. My son and two of his friends were there and were shaking on the couch as it felt as if the fight was happening there in the room with us. Darla and the fishtank knocked a few items off the wall (before I got my Quakehold putty)...U-571 about demolishes the house...my son and I think it is the shiznit (what exactly does that mean?).

To put it mildly, the Thunder reigns supreme.

I have heard good things about the HSU subs as well...

WhatFurrer

Nice looking setup!

I know the speakers sound great, so I have another question for you.

How do you like the Sanus TV stand and audio rack? Good build quality? Did you order direct or buy from another store?

Also, does having that metal bar in the middle of the middle woofer on the VP150 have any negative effect? I would imagin it to be minimal as it has 2 identical drivers on either side of it.


Looking good man!

Excellent, homey and enviable. M22s as surrounds. 20-39+ in a room that size! Is there such a thing as too much really good audio? I think NOT. I'm guessing that your son will be showing everything off to his buds for quite some time, assuming of course that Mom relinquishes the room!

A suggestion, based on experience. I notice that there is quite a collection of remotes next to the leather chair. ( I LOVE my Dad sized leather chair!!). Go over to Remote Central and take a look at the reviews for the MX-500 and MX-700 remotes. They are fabulous and you would do yourself a major favor if you grab one. They can both be had as "open-box" items at SurfRemoteCentral or BlueDo. Open-box means they used one to set up a device or needed one as a demo for a customer; they always arrive pristine.

I traded up to the 700 from the 500 and it can be programmed on the PC. Incredibly powerful and flexible. The open-box price is about a 45% discount.

Whatever you decide, enjoy the setup, it looks great.

getoffb,

I purchased the Sanus video and audio stands a couple of years ago from a local B & M merchant here in Austin.

The video stand was the only one that I felt was wide enough to hold the 36XBR800 (weighing in at over 235 pounds). The build quality is very good and the shelves being available in cherry was pleasing to my wife, Sarah. Not to mention, the width of the video stand allowed for more storage (not to mention somewhere to put the center) as opposed to the Sony specific stand for that specific TV.

The additional bar in front helps to support the bulk of the Direct View TV (a massive amount of glass in the front of that set...) but does not seem to affect the dispersion of the VP150. I had my other center down there previously and it did not seem to adversely affect the sound it gave off as well...I may set the 150 on top of the set one night to see if there is a marked difference...Sarah likes it underneath...less obtrusive that way.

I like the Sanus audio rack...the "seven high" I have it configured as currently is its height limit and I think I need to depopulate the rack and check the tightness of the assembly especially now that I have the SVS PC + sitting next to it...
I have another base and once we get into another house, may separate it into two short sets of four...or not...

WhatFurrer

"The Patriot"...

WOW.

Six pound cannon reports behind you...Ball shot and cannonballs whizzing past your head...Crickets and bugs in the swamp...the ring of knives and swords leaving their scabbards...whispered words of comfort between children...Thunder and rain surrounding you...the clarity of drum and fife corps...

Too good...

So was the movie...had not seen it until last night.

And at nowhere near reference.

I am at a loss for words.

WhatFurrer

I need to post a vote for the Harmony SST-659 remote. It comes with a usb cable so you can hook it up to a computer (which must have an internet connection). You go online, and answer questions about your equipment, then the software programs the remote.

Buttons such as "watch a movie" and "listen to music" automatically turn on all involved components, and make sure they are on the proper settings. If anything messes up, there is a help button that steps you through until the remote solves the issue. It also remembers whether your components are on or off, and what settings they are on. It can be had here for $119.

Mark

I would say the best places to get remotes are here and here. Both are cheaper than etroncis, just a heads up for those looking for a remote.

For computer connectivity, the HTM MX700 is also a very nice remote.

Umm...I'm not going to check all the remotes, but the first comparison I made was the Harmony SST-659, and it's $119 at Etronics, $189 at both Surf Remote Control, and Blue Do.

They must love customers like you

Also, my "chepaer" meant clicking on the special click here prices on both websites mentioned and incluced the free shipping offer on both.

At eTronics, the comparable shipping option is $21 bringing the total to $141, about $15-20 more exspensive.

OK...just to be sure...I looked up your recommended HTM-MX700.

Again, $179 at etronics, $350 at Surf. I'm not trying to be a pain, but you said those places were cheaper. They're not - not by a long shot.

This one isn;t as obvious. All "Open Box" items at src.com, are basically brand new. They say they are "open box" to maintain authorized dealer status with HTM. As usual eTronics isn't an Authorized Dealer, voiding any warranty that the remote had. Factor in the $25 at eTronics for the 1 year warranty which comes with src.com remote, plus another $35 for the free overnight shipping from src.com, and the remote comes out to $230, $25 more exspensive than src.com.

Am I going to argue with you over which place has a lower advertised price? NO. If you want pay the advertised price at either place, go for it. Thats your decision. I know that src.com offers the same kind of customer service that Axiom does, the owner frequents many message boards, and goes by the name MikeSRC. You can PM any stupid question that you will ever think of and he will happily respond back with an answer with 2 or 3 hours during the day. Can you get that at eTronics? PM smetime and ask him about the condition of "Open Box" remotes and he will tell you that they are either still brand new in the box, or used to help program a customers remote back to "default" settings.

Sorry for the hijack, again nice system What!!

OK..relax. I just found it odd that you'd post a message saying "here...this place is cheaper", when a quick look proves quite the opposite. I'm more than willing to jump through hoops to save a buck. But you should have mentioned that you indeed need to jump through a few hoops to get the real price.

Sorry bud. Didn't mean to irritate you. Just trying to help some people out, which I think I explained how to do in the following posts to the first one.

Sorry!

I purchased my Harmony through BlueDo since they were the cheapest - and one of the few who would ship to Canada. They were extremely quick and easy to order from. After brokerage and duty, I think I ended up saving about $30 compared to Future Shop. I had hoped to save a few more bucks for the hastle.

Since I'm responsible for this mayhem to an extent, let me offer some clarification.

1) For the MX-700, BlueDo and SurfRemoteCentral (SRC) are authorized dealers and you get a full warranty. Also, be prepared for Axiom-like customer service . Mike at SRC is truly a special guy. I don't recognize the other places mentioned.

2) The "open-box" pricies are where the cost savings are. The $350 for the MX-700 gets to $204. After extensive research, I got mine as an "open-box" from SRC and it arrived in pristine condition. Very similar to Axioms Factory Outlet. I spoke to both SRC and BlueDo and they both had the same discussion - these things are used briefly as a Customer demo or test remote and then repacked and made available. Frankly, I think they are taking advantage of a discounting opportunity.

3) I was wary of ebay or really low price discounting. I saved significant $$$ with SRC, but I also assured that I was getting a full warranty and great Customer Service. If your desire is to deep dive on price discounts and eschew the warranty/service - go for it.

4) $200 is STILL a lot of money for a remote. Howeve, this thing is a lot of remote for the money. It compares in price to the Harmony, which some also prefer. It also compares in price to an MX-500 / Irclone software package, which is not as powerful or as polished ( I upgraded ffom the 500 package to the 700).

The ability to work with and program the 700 is unbelieveably smooth, complete and easy. It allowed me to do alot of interesting things I might have otherwise passed on because of complexity. The software (MX-Editor) is excellently done. Very well thought-out combination of LCD screen and buttons.

The big kick here is the thousands of device files (including the Pronto .ccf files which can be copied!!!) that are available on Remote Central. Downloading, reviewing, copying - all extremely easy and effective.

I could go on, but you get the idea. This remote evokes the same regard from me for this type of device as the Axioms do from a speakers perspective.