Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners What to buy, what to buy?

I did my tax filing today. The good news is that I'm getting a good refund. The bad news is that I don't know what to blow it on. I plan to save half of it, so with other saved funds I'll have about $700 to spend on something for my stereo/home theater.

I currently have:

Samsung DVD 611 player for movies and music
Brand spankin new Marantz SR4300 Receiver
Axiom M3 fronts
Jensen CSS1 center
Sony MB105 rears
Velodyne CHT10 sub

I will be moving in a couple months and will be able to properly set everything up. The room size is about 10'x11'.
Should I get new fronts and move the M3's to the back, a new center, or new rears? Now I hate deciding this stuff, I know I gained a few grey hairs researching a new receiver. What do you all think?

Daniel

Wow! The ultimate mixed-brand 5.1 system, isn't it? What is your assessment on the timbre matching between the current speakers? I guess your purchase decision should reflect that.

Cheers!

Well sushi, you just about nailed it. My budget had everything to do with my mixing and matching (less matching, more mixing). I performed some tests recently on the center and it seems to match well. The Jensen has a slightly more open midrange than the phantom center produced by the M3's which is warmer and more mellow.

The rears I got for $30 at Best Buy. They also have done well but they seem to get real compressed real fast (no suprises here). This may be my imagination but I notice that at lower volumes I hear more surround info than at higher volumes. This occured on both my older Technics receiver and my new Marantz receiver.

The sub I really like. It goes low enough for my taste of movies and is as musical as my budget could afford when I purchased it last summer.

If I buy a new center or new rears I can thow the old one/ones to the back for a 6.1 setup. I have a new TV stand that will fit my Jensen center but I'm not sure if it will fit the height of a VP100. My M3's are 13 3/8" tall, the specs here on the website say 13.5". If the VP100 is that much shorter than the 7.5" that is given here than it should fit in the stand. Can anyone give me an exact measurement(metric will work if it will increase precision)?

As for rears I want the QS8's but I'm still am having difficulty justifying the extra cost compared to the QS4's. I've scoured the message boards here for help to no avail.

Daniel

First, Daniel, since I do some tax and investment advice on another board, I just can't resist spanking you for thinking that having given the federal government an interest-free loan is good news. You might consider adding one more withholding allowance on your W-4.

Now, to get back on topic, I'd say that about $500 of that should go on a pair of M22s for mains and a M2 for the center. Then, yes, move the M3s to the back for surrounds.

Nice receiver. Have you had a chance to compare CSII with DPLII to see which you prefer? Does the "Tru-Bass" feature give a convincing boost if the M3s would be used without the sub?

In reply to:

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First, Daniel, since I do some tax and investment advice on another board, I just can't resist spanking you for thinking that having given the federal government an interest-free loan is good news. You might consider adding one more withholding allowance on your W-4.

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I'm glad you brought that up and I didn't. If you can plan correctly so as to wind up even at the end of the year or owing just a bit, you're best off. If the interest free loan isn't enough to bother you, think of it in terms of opportunity cost. That $700 invested at the beginning of the year could have made you a little more money. It's not a drastic difference when you're talking about $700 but I'm sure you'll be making more some day. Just something to consider.

In reply to:

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Now, to get back on topic, I'd say that about $500 of that should go on a pair of M22s for mains and a M2 for the center. Then, yes, move the M3s to the back for surrounds.

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This actually sounds like the best plan to me.

It's a spanking well deserved but I don't get too B**chy when it comes to taxes. The fact is that I'm getting back almost 3 times more than I expected and that makes me happy.

I have tried out the CSII and I tend to like the DPLII more. Both sound neat but with something like Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin, piano, and Sting Orchestra in D Minor, the overall presentation seems a bit more pleasing. With something jazzy they both were a bit more different in soundstage. Also, don't use the CCII cinema setting for music, very bad. As for the trubass, I was skeptical because the description sounds more like the boomy bass boost seen on bookshelf systems. I eventually tried it out out of curiosity and was not suprised. It sounds very muddy, and unnaturally colored. I didn't like the sound much at all. If it is used it should be done so sparingly!

I really would like to get a pair of M22's but if I decide to get new fronts I have my eye on some M60's. If I get the M22's I'll still want the M60's.

Well, the M60's certainly aren't bookshelfs which I thought you wanted... However, it would make a nice addition to your home theater.