I would like to hear from anyone that has had M60s and a VP150 and upgraded to M80s and a VP180. Was it a big difference? My speakers are version 2, so would also be going up to the version 4s.My system also has the QS8 surrounds. Thank you for any input!!

I have my M60s, but I did go from a VP150 to a VP180 center channel. It was an amazing upgrade. I did that a couple of months before the VP160 came out. A number of people will argue that the woofer/mid/tweeter layout of the VP160 is superior to all of the other Axiom center channels, so don't discount it from the mix, even if you end up with M80 fronts.

Thanks for replying Nickbuol! You have got me thinking that my M60s may be enough for my room size and that what I need is to upgrade the center! I really do believe that if I upgraded the center speaker that I would be happy with my system. Now to decide between the VP160 or the VP180! Any thoughts from anyone? Thank you!

I have no experience whatsoever with the VP180, but will say that I experienced a substantial positive chance when I went up from a VP150 to a VP160 in my system (M60 mains).

Oftentimes, the decision between a 180 or a 160 might come down to how much room you have. I have room for the 180 in my setup, but am 100% glad I made the choice with the 160.

Thanks Mark! Sounds very positive for the 160!! How big is your listening room?

Back about a year ago I moved from a VP160 to VP180 for no other reason than the fact that I got a good trade in value for the 160 plus Axiom had a sale on custom finishes so I purchased a custom high gloss black finish 180. I also had a VP150 previously and I can say beyond any shadow of doubt the upgrade from the 150 to the 160 was much more significant than moving from the 160 to the 180. Both of the latter are large full-range speakers with slightly different speaker configurations. The VP160 has the vertical array of tweeter over mid-range which according to the "experts" gives this set-up slightly better wide angle dispersion than the VP180 and my SPL meter measurements would tend to confirm those thoughts, however, realistically, no matter what other speakers you have, you can't go wrong with either. It is just a matter of space, weight and personal preference.

You're going to make me say it, aren't you?

It's 13' X 13' square. Yes, it's an acoustical nightmare, and no one here lets me forget it!

Not only that, it is very unlucky - especially on Fridays...

TAM

My .02 for anyone that might be thinking about this, is, a VP160 goes very well with an M22 setup also.

Yup, I have the M22/VP160 setup as well...

TAM

So back to the original question...anyone with experience upgrading from M60 to M80 they'd like to share?

I started with M60/VP100 and was thinking about upgrading to better handle the REALLY FREAKIN' LOUD playback levels some of my friends seemed to like. Then the VP180 came out, I picked up one of them, and from that point upgrading has never crossed my mind.

The significant impact of the VP180 got me started doing some experimentation - walking up close to each speaker to see how much content came from the centre channel vs mains. My conclusion was that for typical modern HT content there's a lot to be said for having a center channel that's "a bit bigger" than the mains. Not all content needs it (some content doesn't use the center much at all) but IMO you should *definitely* look at upgrading the center channel.

I haven't heard a VP160 but did spend a lot of time bugging the nice Axiom folks to make something just like it, at least until the VP180 came out. AFAICS the "mids in the middle" driver arrangement on the VP180 takes care of practical comb filtering concerns, which I believe was the primary argument for VP160 layout being theoretically better than VP180, so I would still lean towards the 180 if you have room. It is pretty big

Thank you to all that have replied! From what I am hearing I think I will keep my M60s for now and upgrade my center! But now to decide between the 160 and 180!! You all have good points for both! May also upgrade my 350 sub to either the 500 or 600. Any thoughts there?

Grab the next pair of 500's that are traded in and trade in your 350 for the 160.

Warning; your cheeks might hurt (from smiling)for a few days

At first I thought you meant my butt cheaks would be hurting from the bass!!LOL