Hello Axiom Forum,

I have seen many people on this forum, all with great advice. Would like to have as many people respond as possible with feed back.

Problem? I want the best Home Theater money can buy with out breaking the bank.

Goal. I want the best mid's and high's that I can get and have bass big enough to punch me in the stomach. Ok I am a Car Audio guy that loved his JL Audio system but doesnt have a system anymore because his wife made him get rid of it and now all I have is a small section of the basement that I can have my own HT room.

I want to have a $30,000 system and only spend $3500 on speakers.

I have seen the AXIOM's site many times over the past 4 years and always was waiting for the bigger systems to be rated. Now that they have had a review, there at my top list again.

3 Systems That I was picking
1. Definitive Tech. BP7002, BPX, CLR2500 7.1 system $$$$$
2. AXIOMS Epic 60-500 7.1 system $$$
3. JBL Studio L series L880, L820, LC2, L8400P $$

I was going to spend over $5000 on Def Tech BP7002's with the BPX rears and CRL 2500. But my problem is that $5000 is alot of money at this time. I was reading reviews and I seen with this system that 98% people still end up getting a seperate sub. ????? OK I am a little lost hear I thought that if you have built in subs that you wouldn't need a extra sub. !!!! TO ME...WASTE OF MONEY !!!! OK enough of that.

I just bought a receiver for only $950 retail $1299 plus tax. Its and Integra 7.8 130x7 at 8 ohms. I want the M80s but cant because of the Ohm's Law. Was going to get the M60's because there compared to the B&W 703's which come on who is going to spend over $2500 on one speaker besides the JONES. I have heard the BW's 703's a couple of years ago and they were great but was again out of my range. Thats why I think the AXIOMS Epic 60-500 7.1 system would be a good pick for me Or does everyone think I should take back the Integra and get a receiver that is able to handle the 4 ohms. If I do this it would increase my cost by at least $400 which I don't really want to do because I like the Integra and it got alot of great reviews.

Room size the HT is going in. Cost $2000.
W 15' D 19' H 7' this room is not done yet and I have a goal to get it done by the end of the year. I am doing 2x4 frame then a 1 inch space then a 2x4 frame to do a little sound proofing. Then do 2 layers of 5/8 inch drywall. Sound board I heard was a waste of money.

For now the system is going to be in a spare bedroom 12x14.

TV 65" DLP 1080p Mitsubishi
Blue ray DVD Pioneer on the way True HD.
Have plained to get a JVC projector thats $5500


It cost alot to have a nice HT but I want to have a great deal at the same time and the only reason that I haven't got the Def Techs is because the sales person is a good friend of mine, and the store has a sell every year that they take 20 % off in Nov. So while I was waiting, I wanted to make sure 100 % that I got the most bang for the buck that why the Axioms are starting to be the best pick.

THANKS TO THE AXIOM FORUM FOR LETTING ME POST

thanks again to all that respond

joel....

I think that receiver should handle the M80s just fine--certainly worth a shot. Onkyos don't tend to be very popular with the M80s, but that sounds like a pretty high end version, so you should be ok there.

Welcome to the forum Joel.

I would be very surprised if the Integra couldn't handle the 4ohm load of the M80s, since the top end Onkyo's appear to be able to handle them just fine.

Have you looked in the Hearing things forum to see if there is anyone near you so that you could audition the M60 or M80 without purchasing first.

Sounds like you have a very nice HT planned. I think we would all like to have a look once you are done so please post some pics of the build up and final product regardless of the speaker purchase.

Thanks for the Welcome jakewash.

The only thing I can listen to is the rears and the center channel. That's the only thing in Omaha that's close to the system I want.

It's worth listening to the M22s as well; they'll give you a taste of what the Axioms sound like. Sure, they're not towers, but they're substantially similar, only lacking the lower midrange feel of the towers.

I am sure you would be very happy witht the M60s but if you are like alot of us, you would always have that 'what if' in the back of your mind and then find yourself ordering the M80s anyway

Ok Her is another question can you hear the difference between the M80s and the M60's. I bet this has been asked before. LOL

Let me reiterate this, can you tell the difference between the M80's and the M60's at the same volume level.

I listen to my stuff loud but not to ear piercing loudness. The volume level I like is able to hear the actors voices at higher than normal levels of how we talk to each other on a daily basis.



thanks
joel

Depends on the person, room size, room characteristics, how loud you listen, type of music, etc.

Just to add to Randy's response, as it really does depend on all those variables, I did notice the difference in both instances I A/B'd the M80 and M60, and it was in 2 decidedly different rooms. I also felt the differences became minimal the louder you played the M60s, they sounded more like the M80s. At lower volume levels, say about 60-65db the M80s, IMO, reveal better detail and still have a better lower end.


Here is a link to a comparison I did with another forum member.

If you go to the water cooler forum stickied to the top is an excellent search engine for Axiom's forums.

Great NEWS..........

Contacted Integra ...Onkyo and the tech said I can run a 4ohm load.

which would make my amp go from 130x7 to 260 WATTS for the M80's



Joel.

Not likely. There's some power difference, but it's never doubled.

Also, you're probably not going to be coming anywhere near that max output; be concerned and buy a bigger amp (and some hearing protection) if you are. Most listening happens at 1 or 2 watts, with peaks to much higher wattage.

It will increase the current draw of the Integra but I doubt it will double as you suggest. I bet you might see somewhere around a fifty percent increase........ that would put it 195 @ 4ohm.

Do go with the M80s if given a chance.

I agree with the others, you won't double the output, I go from 140W into 8 Ohm with my Denon to 210W into 4 Ohms in 2 channel mode, not that it matters much, you will still get quite a bit more power with the 4 ohm load. The good part is you can most certainly go for the M80s.

To everyone that says it doesn't double the watts, that is true it will only increase may be by 50% is what my friend told me as well as the 4 ohms can be ran through the Integra. The TECH from ONKYO was a dum ___ fill in the blank and said that it doubles the Power.

Sorry for the mess up by the ONKYO TECH.

Joel, another welcome. As some of the replies have indicated, you don't have to make your decision between the M60s and M80s based on the capability of your 7.8. If Dr. Ohm was alive today he'd likely be a bit irritated at how his law was being misinterpreted when a 4 ohm rated speaker was in question. The Integra and similar Onkyo receivers are very powerful units, including their 4 ohm capacity. There doesn't appear to be a full lab test report of the 7.8 available online, but the essentially identical amplification section of the Onkyo 805 was fully tested by HomeTheater Magazine . You almost certainly have far more maximum power capacity than you'll ever need with either the M60s or M80s.

Any particular reason for the $5500 JVC? There are some really nice 1080ps for about half that out there (Epson, Panasonic). Haven't compared them or anything, just throwing it out there.




Oh, and go for M82s (M60||M22). Best of all worlds apparently.

oh here is the info about the integra in the manual.

DTR-7.8
THX Ultra2, 7.1-Channel 3-Zone Home Theater Receiver

Amplifier Section
Rated Output Power (FTC)
All channels
130 watts minimum continuous power per channel, 8 ohm loads, 2 channels driven from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with a maximum total harmonic distortion of 0.05% (FTC)
150 watts minimum continuous power per channel, 8 ohm loads, 2 channels driven at 1 kHz, with a maximum total harmonic distortion of 0.7% (FTC)
160 watts minimum continuous power per channel, 6 ohm loads, 2 channels driven at 1 kHz with a maximum total harmonic distortion of 0.1% (FTC)
Maximum Output Power (JEITA)
7 ch x 230 W at 6 ohms, 1 kHz, 1 ch driven
Dynamic Power
300 W (3 ohm, Front)
250 W (4 ohm, Front)
150 W (8 ohm, Front)
THD (Total Harmonic Distortion)
0.05% (Power Rated)
Damping Factor
60 (Front, 1 kHz, 8ohm)
Input Sensitivity and Impedance
200 mV/ 47 kohm (LINE)
2.5 mV/47 kohm (PHONO MM)
Output Level and Impedance
200 mV/ 470 ohm (REC OUT)
Phono Overload
70 mV (MM 1 kHz, 0.5%)
Frequency Response
5 Hz–100 kHz/ +1 dB-3 dB (Direct mode)
Tone Control
±10 dB, 20 Hz (BASS)
±10 dB, 20 kHz (TREBLE)
Signal to Noise Ratio
110 dB (LINE, IHF-A)
80 dB (PHONO, IHF-A)
Speaker Impedance
4ohm–16ohm


Oh and I ordered the EPIC-80-500 2 weeks left in the long wait.

Congratz! Let us know when they arrive.

Congrats on your order.

You will most likely get them before the 2 weeks is up.