Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Speaker Configuration

I have two options. Which one is better you think?

1. Main:M22ti
Surrounds: QS4
Center:Polk RM6902 or KLH 525 II Platinum-II
Sub:HSU STF-1

2. Main: M22ti
Surruound: JBL E10
Center:Polk RM6902 or KLH 525 II Platinum-II
Sub:HSU STF-1

Em, welcome. I'm wondering if you already have those JBL, Polk and KLH speakers and would like to use at least some of them with your M22s. If so, I'd suggest using the QS4s for surrounds, for their wonderfully wide dispersion. If you don't have those other speakers now, why are they the only options? It's generally a good idea to have the speakers match as well as possible, and using speakers of the same make is usually the easiest way to do that.

Hi Em! The positive thing about John's suggestion is that should you find the Polk or KLH center fails to match up well with the Axioms, you could just eliminate the center and use the phantom center option (i.e., let the the mains create a center image). There are those here who prefer a phantom center.

Assuming, as John did, that you already have the JBL surrounds, an alternative to John's suggestion might be to get the 22s and an Axiom center, and use the JBLs for your surrounds. The logic behind doing so is that if you are using mismatched speakers, It is better to have the front 3 speakers matched and the surrounds be the different brand, rather than have the center different from the mains.

Also echoing John, if you don't already own the JBLs, Polks, and KLH speakers, it is recommended you get speakers which are all the same brand, whether they are Axioms, JBL, Polk, or KLH. The theory is they will tonally match up better.

Hi folks, thanks for your warm greetings.

No, I don't have JBL, Polk speakers right now. Most probably, until next week I will make my decision. Because of my budget limitation, I am looking for cheaper speaker configuration.

I am still reading forums. And following is my last configuration.

Main: M22ti
Surround:QS4
Center:VP100
Sub:Yamaha YST-SW215

Specifications of the sub are;
Amp output 100 Hz, 5 ohm, 10% THD, 120 watt.
My question is, if I connect the mains via the sub, is the sub output power enough to feed mains? Or there is no relationship between sub power and main speaker power specification.

Em, okay it's clearer now. With your budget I'd suggest M22s plus QS4s for excellent sound, but that a center speaker isn't an immediate necessity. The M22s can play the center material and form a "phantom" center which is okay except that the center image then shifts to the left or right for someone not in the center.

As to the sub, no, the sub amplifier powers only the sub itself. Even when a speaker is connected to the output terminals on the sub, that just sends the power from your receiver straight through the sub and on to the speaker, so the receiver is the relevant consideration. If you'd give us a sub budget we could suggest some inexpensive candidates.

I would cast another vote for "skip the center for now; get good surrounds; spend any leftover $$ on the sub". The Yamaha is nice but I think the STF-1 would be noticeably better.

As John says, the sub amp only powers the sub. All that happens when you run speaker wires to and from the sub is that the sub reduces the speaker signals down to "line level" (same as an RCA input), combines the two channels, and then feeds the result into the sub amp.

Most subs will also filter out low frequencies from the signal going to the "speaker out" connections. Note that the speaker-level connections are normally only useful if you are running with a stereo receiver (with no subwoofer out RCA jack).

I assume you have an AV receiver (if you don't then you might as well just get two speakers ) then you will probably get better results using the "subwoofer out" RCA jack on the back of the receiver and running an RCA cable to the corresponding jack on the subwoofer. The M22s would just be wired directly to the speaker terminals on the receiver.

Thanks for your recommendations. Because you are more experienced than me and If you are saying that a center is is not important for a while, I accept it. It means I can save some money.

Actually, I can spend about 150 dolar for a sub.

Are you going to be listening to mostly music or mostly movies ? I"m asking because in a "mostly movie" system you might even be happier spending more on a good sub and just picking up stereo mains for now.

The sub really does make a big difference...

Just a thought...

Em, two subs in the under $150 area that are considered to be good buys are the Dayton sub from Parts Express and the Velodyne VX10 .

Thanks JohnK. I will look over them.

bridgman, I am going to listening to mostly music. I will consider your warn.

How about a pair of the M40s (if there is any left), a pair of M3s for surrounds, one of those subs John recommended (or other cheap option - ebay, audiogon, etc...) and, if budget permits, a center of some sort?

Speaker size is really very important for me. Because of that, I can not choose bigger speaker.

I cehecked Dayton sub and Velodyne VX10, due to my space limitation, I can not choose these ones. I found Definitive ProSub60. This sub is really small one. It is a little bit pricy than Daytan and Velodyne. What is your opinion about this sub?

Em, I know very little about the ProSub 60, but it's very difficult(and expensive)to make a really small sub good. Note that the frequency limits on the 60 show no dB numbers, so it can be suspected that it's quite far down at the lower frequency. I'd be a lot more confident, if you're going up into the $300 area, to suggest the Hsu STF-1 which you and John Bridgman also mentioned. Note the excellent Sound&Vision and Sensible Sound Reviews linked on the Hsu site. If the width is the key factor it's about 10" wide compared to about 9 1/2" for the 60; it's about 7" taller, but if height rather than width is the problem, keep in mind that a sub can be placed on its side.

Finally, I have my speakers.

Main: M22ti
Surrounds:QS4
Center: B&W VM1
Sub: Definitive ProSub 60

I have not run my system yet. Because of my business trips, it will take several months. Once I run my system, I will inform you about my experience. I hope that I will find the set-up good enough.