Hi guys...

I'm new to this forum and Axiom audio in general. Right now I have a 32" Sony WEGA TV for video and a RCA (don't laugh) home theater kit which I got for free a few years ago. It does 5'1, but the sound is very, very poor.

I am considering getting either the Epic Grand Master or the Epic 50. I would need a new receiver and I'm wondering how much I have to spend in order to justify the 2000$ investment in the speakers.

Are there any budget receivers <600$ CND which could power the speakers mentioned above?

Thanks.

You'll be so happy. And I don't think you have to spend a huge amount of money on a receiver, either. My philosophy is firmly in the camp of speakers make the most difference in your sonic enjoyment, and get good quality source components that have the features you value. Get the Axioms and get a $500US (or less) receiver that does what you want it to do.

In particular, I just got a Denon 1804 from 6ave.com. They were out of the 1803 and upgraded me to the new model for the same price, which was $299 plus 0.06 shipping. It sounds very good and has the feature set I wanted. I also strongly considered budget priced receivers from Yamaha, Marantz, Onkyo and HK. They all had strengths and weaknesses at my price point.

IMO, it takes time, very critical listening and inordinate money to actually hear a difference between mid-priced receivers and high-priced ones.

I'm sure others will be along to convince you that a bigger investment now is money well spent. And they might be right. But I'm really happy because I get to enjoy good quality 5.1, on-screen display, S-Video switching, etc. right now, with a built in upgrade path to 7.1 (and/or zone 2) when I want it.

I've always had good luck with my Onkyo receivers...but as Tom suggested, anything from Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha...would work well.

You're in for a shock at how much better the Axiom setup is going to sound over what you've gotten used to.

Enjoy!

I am very happy with my Outlaw Audio 1050 receiver. I faced the same question last December. Aotlaw is an internet sales only company like axiom with great customer service. Many considered the $500us 1050 to be equal or better than anything under $1000. The 1050 does not have all the latest features of some newre models but I don't think I'd miss them. www.outlawaudio.com b stock units go for $439us.

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to check out Outlaw and some mid range Yamaha/HK receivers. It is mainly going to be used for HT applications.

I was in Futureshop today and I saw the Sony STRDE695S receiver. It claims to have 100 watts output and also does svideo and component switching. The URL to the product is here: http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/servlet/ProductDetailDisplay?storeId=10001&langId=-1&catalogId=10001&productId=167766&navigationPath=32100n32104


Is this Sony just a waste of money, or for 399$ CND would this be ok to power the Axioms? Would I really notice a difference in sound quality between this and say a HK or Yahama receiver?

If you are interested in the Yamaha receivers, and can stretch the budget a little, then the new RX-V1400 with the YPAO auto-calibration/EQ feature is definitely a strong contender right now.

Crash, I'd suggest going with the Epic Grand Master, but since I believe that a vertical center speaker is better I'd also suggest substituting an M2 for the VP100.

There are many good receivers in your price range(I agree if you could spend more that the Yamaha 1400 would be excellent) that will be just fine and there'll be no difference in basic sound quality with any of them. The recordings, speakers and listening room determine the sound quality, not the receiver. Base your decision on features. In addition to the ones already mentioned consider the JVC 8030 and the Pioneer 912.

What are the advantages of a vertical center channel? Where is this center channel normally placed? My current center is on top of my TV...

Crash, the ideal is to have a center speaker identical to, or at least as similar as possible to, the main speakers. An M2 is essentially the upper 2/3rds of the M22 and several users have reported here very good results using it as a center. A vertical center in general(the unique configuration of the VP150 apparently is a significant improvement) has better horizontal dispersion than a horizontal center. It of course can also be placed right on top of the TV.

You can find many decent 5.1 amps at local audio equipment retailers. You could spend $500.00 and get a nad or denon or somehting else like that, or you could spend $200.00 and get something like a panasonic or kenwood that does the exact same thing.

I have a kenwood VR-405, 5.1 surround reciever, 80watts per channel I believe. I got it for 200 canadian at futureshop. I use it with my M22's and it sounds perfect. Would I ever need more than the 80watts? not for the volume that I listen at (which is reasonably loud).
If you want more adjustability, something like the Panasonic SA-HE 75K. You can adjust individual crossovers and other various settings with it, 100watts per channel, for 280 canadian.

Many people claim that ss amplifiers don't change the characteristics of the audio, so why not go for something cheaper if it has all the functions you need?