Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Building another system

Hi guys, I am back again, this time assembling a completely new system for the basement dedicated home theater. I got wonderful advice last time I assembled one and I hope I will get some again.

For reference, my previous system was
M22 fronts
VP150
QS8 surrounds
Hsu VTF-2 sub
Harman Kardon AVR525
Panasonic CP72 DVD player
Samsung HLN61W DLP TV
This setup has since moved up into the family room and the new setup is for the basement theater.

So far, I have decided on the following:

Optoma H77 DLP projector (ordered)
123" (diagonal) screen
Denon 3805 receiver
Denon 3910 DVD player
Axiom M80s for the fronts
QS8 for surround
??? VP150 or Paradigm studio CC for center
QS8/others for back surrounds
Axiom EP500 (or EP600???)

1. I have not been happy about VP150. I think that is a weak link in the axiom line. Any opinions?
2. Is 3805 the best receiver in its price range? Also, can it drive the 4 ohm speakers?
3. Are two subs placed diagonally eg. SVS better than one EP500?
4. Are QS8s good for back surrounds or less diffuse sounding speakers such as M2s better?
5. Finally any other alternative suggestions for the gear I selected? Only thing I cannot change is the projector.

By the way, the room is 20' by 14.5' with 8' ceiling. The actual room is 45' long but I am putting a thick curtain at the 20' distance from the screen when there is serious watching. Otherwise the curatin will be drawn.

Thanks.

Ravi

Whoa, that's gonna be nice !!

From what I remember, the people who didn't like the VP150 but did like the rest of the Axiom speakers tended to like the Paradigm CC-370. There is a CC-170 but imagine it would be a step down.

The 370 has 6-1/2" drivers and crosses over fairly low so the tone might be a bit different from the Axioms; haven't heard one so can't comment for sure.

Don't suppose you have room for a third tower as the center, do you ?

Hmmm...never thought of that. I should have room for another tower if I can place it horizontally. Can I place it horizontally?

For the center, check out the Polk Audio CSi5. It is an amazing speaker.

""""1. I have not been happy about VP150. I think that is a weak link in the axiom line. Any opinions?
2. Is 3805 the best receiver in its price range? Also, can it drive the 4 ohm speakers?
3. Are two subs placed diagonally eg. SVS better than one EP500?
4. Are QS8s good for back surrounds or less diffuse sounding speakers such as M2s better?
5. Finally any other alternative suggestions for the gear I selected? Only thing I cannot change is the projector""""


1. A GREAT center is the Rocket RSC 200. Amazing center. www.av123.com

2. The 3803 is a good option. I went with the 3803 as I felt it would be just as good and better on the wallet. Almost the same unit.

3. Don't have those subs. May be a question for Alan. I have always heard that two is better then one but it depends on the two you are looking at.

4. QS8's would work great for you.

5. The only comment I have about your setup is the screen size. That is a very large image size for that size room. May feel like you are sitting in the very front row at the movie theater. May be overkill, because if your screen is on the 20' secion that leaves you 14' from the back wall. To optimize your surround sound that means that you will have to sit about 8-10 feet from a 123 inch screen. Wow, that is close.

Thanks for the advice, I will check out the Rocket.

I did not understand the last comment. The room length is 20' and I am planning to sit at approx 17 ft from the screen. The PJ will be at about 19 ft from the screen on the ceiling. I will still have 3 ft behind me. How did you come up with 8-10 ft from the screen?

Sorry, I thought that you meant to put the screen on the 20 ft section, making your room 14 ft deep.

_________image_______20ft/40ft
-
14ft
-
-
------------------------

Now I know that you are the other way around. No worries about image size them. You may, but others may want to chim in on this, want to put in a rear center.

Also, you may want to look into the M60's. There have been a lot of discussions about the M80 vs he M60's and most come to the conclusion they are the same speaker just that the M80 can play louder. Trust me, I've played my M60's loud and I cannot imagine going any louder.

Ravi, as I've said in the past, projecting to a screen is the ideal setup for using a vertical center at the bottom of the screen. If enough room can be made available, all three front speakers should be identical; if not, an M22 center should blend in very well.

Ravi I gotta second Lomb7's opinion of the RSC200 Bigfoot center channel. It is truly the best I've ever heard. It's not inexpensive, but if it fits your budget, I think you'd like it.

If you call the guys there they may be able to dig up a B stock unit for a deal. Most of their B stock are in great shape.