Here is what I have right now...

A six year old Yamaha RX-v795a (85w, 5.1 surround)

Axiom M22 for the front(roughly 3-4 yrs old)

Axiom VP 150 Center (same age)

SV 20-39 PC Plus Subwoofer

Infinity bookshelf for the rears. I forget their model #, though they have about a 5" driver. I find they suffice for their role...)

My room is about 14X23, with a high angled ceiling, 9' high on either end and about 14' in the middle of the room.

Here is what I am considering. Upgrade the front speakers to M60's. I was originally contemplating m80's, but my impression is that in order to drive them effectively would require a substantial investment in a new receiver which would be quite costly given the 4 ohm nature of the m80's. Furthermore, I have read several posts here and there that the m60's sound just about the same, the difference being the m80's can go considerably louder.

In your opinion, how much of an improvement would I notice by the simple upgrade to the m60's? I would subsequently move the m22's to the rear.

But wait! There's more!

I am also considering upgrading my receiver. I have read numerous positive reviews on the Denon AVR-2807. Obviously this would provide much more in the way of features, but also more power (110w) and 7.1 capability. This is probably a bit of a naive question, but do you feel that the new Denon would provide better audio quality than my current receiver, but not necessarily just because of the 6.1 or 7.1 capability. In other words, if I listened in simple stereo mode, do you think there would be a noticeable difference?

Any other receivers out there I might consider instead in the US$1000-ish price range?

I realize that these aren't easy answers to give due to the subjective nature of audio equipment, but I would appreciate any feedback you can give.

I do like the Axiom speakers that I have very much...but I have the urge to upgrade. I'm sure you can understand.

Thank you for your time and patience.

geneevans Welcome, I think you would be very pleased if you upgraded to the M60's or the M80's, the 60's and the 80's are very similar sounding.
The subject is arguable if you would notice any difference in sound quality by upgrading your receiver, I did when I upgraded mine, it may have been percieved but I was happy nonetheless. The 2807 is a great receiver, and if you went with the m80's you would have no poblem driving them.

I think you may be better off going with some QS8's instead. The towers may be able to fill your room better but 22's and a good sub are a hard combo to beat.

Your systems seems great, if you're looking to spend money maybe a new display, PS3 or HD-DVD player?

Another vote for the QS8's. I think they woulld make a more noticable improvement than any other upgrade you're considering. Some people seem to underestimate the role of surrounds, Q's really are in a class of their own.

I'd go with the new Denon and some QS8 surrounds. You could then move your old surrounds into the rear channel position and have 7.1. As others have said, your room isn't huge, and the M22ti's and a good sub will work well for you. If down the road you still want to move to towers you can get the M60ti's, move the M22ti's to the rear and retain the QS8's in their surround position - selling off the Infinity's to help defray the costs of another upgrade.

Welcome Gene, Nice to see some more Axiom owners joining the forums.

You have a good sized room. I really like my m60's and my room is bigger than yours. I think the 60's put out great bass. I've had a few auditions in my home from people that like to listen to music without a sub. So I turned it off and sent the full freq to my 60's. They kept saying "did you turn it off yet?" Now they won't replace a sub, but I tell you, sometimes it is hard to tell what is coming from the sub and what is coming from the 60's.

You say your using infinity's for the rears? Do you mean left/right surrounds? There is a difference, and you want your left/right speakers for 5.1 to be to the left/right of your position, not the back if you can help it...

The 22's are great speakers, and many use them for rears in 7.1 and use Axiom qs4's or qs8's for left/right surrounds. The Q's are unbelievable if you can fit them into your setup. I have 4 and would not go back to bookshelf design for left/right or rear left/right channels.

For normal listening, you most likely won't hear much difference between your receiver and a new one, unless you start to introduce DSP modes that alter the sound. Also, a newer receiver would obviously have some of the newer surround decoding yours does not include, like PLIIx which is great...