Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Two new systems, $5,000 each (ballpark)

Tom, it isn't simply "my viewpoint". I'm only pointing out what audio engineering science teaches us: if an amplifier has audibly flat frequency response and inaudibly low noise and distortion it reproduces sound transparently within its power limits, neither subtracting anything nor adding any sound of its own. This doesn't depend on brand or price and claims to the contrary haven't stood up under controlled blind listening tests.

I only mention the NAD setup because I respect their products, much like Outlaw and others. I'm just trying to make sure I've explored all avenues for a great system before I blow $5,000 or $6,000.

I appreciate all the ideas so far, because I now have some options. Anybody in the Minneapolis area doing demos???

I guess I never looked at it that way and I agree with the transparent characteristics that you've explained. I'm definitely not an audio engineer and the only understanding I have is by what I've read on sites like this over the years. I simply don't understand the power piece of the equation. For example: I have a room that is 28*37 and 18 feet high that opens into other parts of the house. Granted the M80's are very efficient and should not require an enormous amount of power to drive them at normal listing levels. My question is this. Why does my receiver begin to sound harsh at say 80 db and my amp sounds (to me) less harsh at 80 db? Am I hearing what I want to hear or am I exploiting the limits of the receiver? Keep in mind I do not want a debate on receivers or amplifiers I’m just trying to help myself understand the differences and hopefully help others that may be reading this.

Again, thank you for your time and patience.

Sorry, I didn't mean to hi-jack this thread. I’m just trying to better understand all of the "hype".

I agree, you are doing the right thing by researching all of the pieces before pulling the trigger. You literally have hundreds of options to choose from.

I think the key words are,if used within their power limits.If say you are running your speaker at low to moderate levels then there will be no difference in the sound,at least there shouldn't be.Where it is good to have a seperate amp is when you start to push your AV reciever past what it abilities are.

Most recievers do not have the robust power supply that a typical seperate amp does.If a person is using say a pair of M80s at very high levels is where you would notice the differences.

Just for my edification, what kind of sound am I hoping to achieve? I know that may sound simplistic, but you here all the acroymns floating around, and maybe it's just what each listner prefers to hear on their own system.

Axioms, by their own postings, say their speakers are neutral and linear. Should I buy a amp or A/V receiver that's neutral too? And if you buy "bright" or "cool" speakers, is a "warm" amp the solution to bring you back to neutral?(or vise versa)

I know this is all subjective to each and everyones tastes, but I assume when professionals review components, they must have something in mind. What determines a good quality speaker or component as far as tone?

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I know this is all subjective to each and everyones tastes, but I assume when professionals review components, they must have something in mind.

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That in itself is the trick. When everyone reviews a product they can't help but have an idea of what something will sound like as they will inevitably compare X vs.Y. So you have to decide what sounds good to you through demos and go with what YOU like. Possibly based on what others have said, but remember what they hear/like will be different than what you hear/like.

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Should I buy a amp or A/V receiver that's neutral too? And if you buy "bright" or "cool" speakers, is a "warm" amp the solution to bring you back to neutral?(or vise versa)

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As JohnK noted amps and receivers should not add(warm nor bright) anything to the sound, however some people feel they do. Again that is for you to decide. I have tried some blind listening tests with my friends HK and my denon and a Yamaha through my M22's. all set up as equal direct modes etc. and none of us could tell a difference in sound.

The best you could hope for is to achieve a sound as close to having the artists in the room with you live, sounding just as they recorded the songs. Isn't this what most of us are hoping to achieve with as few dollars spent as possible? IMHO

If all these amps and receivers actually reproduced sound differently, wouldn't there be wildly disparate frequency response graphs to compare - just like the graphs for speakers? From the few amp charts I've seen they're all flat as a board.