Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Need help selecting the right size speaker.

Hello rambilt, welcome. They are probably going to drum me out of the forum for this, but I have to wonder whether changing to the Axiom line is *necessarily* going to be an upgrade for you.

I've owned Polk speakers and like them quite a bit. I have an older sub/sat system like this one; I bought Axioms because I had an itch for "different", and wanted floorstanding speakers. I am VERY happy with the M60's.

But my take on the RT55i, based on Polk marketing and my personal experience with a very dissimilar model, suggests that it is a very capable speaker. Unlike my situation, you're NOT going to be spending a lot more money on your new speakers than you did on your existing ones.

I don't see you mention a sub. If you are trying to get reference-level volume from bookshelf speakers without a sub, you will likely always be disappointed; it is a physics problem. Likewise, while the Axiom tower speakers would probably give you a much "bigger" sonic image in every respect than the Polks, even a big-box speaker is not going to thump you in the chest like a dedicated subwoofer and those extra few hundred watts.

So, more info please!

But to answer your question directly, I have M60's in a 13x28 room with cathedral ceilings that adjoins a 12x14x18 foyer. I drive them with a very modest Denon 1804. I do not lust for either the M80 or for more watts. I think the M60 would be fine in your room, and you might very much like the *sound* of the Axioms better than the Polks. The M60 and M80 have similar sonic signatures.

But I really think that a sub is your answer if you don't already have one.

I've got to echo TT here. The M60s should be the answer and a sub must be added. The bigger the better.

I too will agree with Tom.Even having the M80's I sill run dual Hsu subs.Nothing will give you that feeling with you music like a good sub or TWO.

Hey WhatFurer, thanks a lot for the offer. I might take you on your offer one of these days. I just have to figure out which speakers are best for me.

I just got my M80's last weekend. I'm driving them with an also new, HK 7200 (100 W X 7). I have them in my great room which is 32' X 26'. Ain't no way in hell I can be in this room with them cranked all the way. I don't even know how loud that is to tell you the truth, because I start to get embarrassed that my neighbors will start bitching. I'm still moving them and my furniture around, but right now I'm sitting about 10' feet away and they are 8' apart. They sound simply amazing, providing I play a good CD. I have a ten year old Zeppelin CD that I can here the audible hisssssss whenever a track plays, but if I ignore it, stairway to heaven sounds soooo much different now, and I'm not a big Zeppelin fan. Dark Side of the Moon sounds way cool cranked. The sounds envelope me, and again, I'm not a Floyd fan either. I just got the enhanced CD to see how these speakers reproduce sound. But all that aside, if your only sitting 8' away, I think the 80's will cause you to incur a serious threshold shift in short order because they sound so terrific at high volumes. When they're at low volume, they sound just fine, but I just can't stand it.......I have to crank them.

You wouldn't here their sound, but if you call me, I could crank them up and you could here the background volume through the phone, possibly?? It might give you an idea of how loud they really are. I don't think folks really understand this until they actually sit in front of them.

I understand completely.When I said they will play LOUD and clean I REALLY mean LOUD.I use a Rotel RB1080 thats rated at 300 watts into 4 ohm so there's enough juice there to really get them humming.Besides how loud they can get how do you like their sound?

Hey tomtuttle, I thank you very much for your input. It's very knid of you. I do have a subwoofer. It's a SVS PCI 20-39. It surely did give the RTI-55 the bottom end its missing, especially in movies. but still don't like the way it sounds especially when I crank the volume up. The high is so ear piercing and the bass is kind of muddy. This upgradeitis is killing me.

In reply to:

---

This upgradeitis is killing me.

---

And, the bad news is: IT'S AN INCURABLE DISEASE.

Ajax you are so right.

rambilt, thank you. And (to blatantly emulate the genteel manner in which TonyM addresses correspondents), I hope you are well.

Obviously, you have the sub situation more than covered

Since you have high quality components and a great subwoofer, it looks to me like the only other possible sources of your discontent are the source material and the speakers.

I really enjoy my Axioms, and you might find that a similar setup would really float your boat. However, they do tend to (as those old CD disclaimers used to profess) reveal the limitations of the source material. That is, bad recordings will be accurately and painfully reproduced as bad, just as good recordings will be sublimely rendered. The only real way to find out is to try, in your room, with your music and your ears.

My personal experience is that I very much favor the full, rich soundstage that I perceive as being more easily attained by floorstanding speakers. Perhaps a different form factor and a different tweeter (like the Axioms) might enhance your listening pleasure, too.

At any rate, given the dimensions of your room and other experiences logged on these forums, I doubt that you would be appreciably more satsified with the M80 than with the M60. However, I strongly encourage you to call Axiom and speak directly with them about your particular situation.