Hi all,

I must admit its a pleasure to come back to this forum after years to see that the gentlemen are still here. So without much ado, let me prattle on.

My M3s have been faithfully reproducing music for 9 years and recently, my amp died a natural death. I was lucky to get an Onkyo 504 display piece 10 days ago and found this to be an overkill for my stereo listening. Too many features and all I use are the two RCA inputs on the rear and the Sub out.

I am a little confused about the speaker settings. Should I set the front speakers to small or large? And should I set the Subwoofer crossover to 100 Hz or 120 Hz? Any other settings I need to note?

Also, I wanted to wall mount the M3s but found that my M3 (v0 or v1) does not have a mounting bolt in the back like the more recent models. If anyone would have a suggestion, I’d be happy to know as I have no way to see the product. I’d have to buy the brackets blind and I do not want to drill into the speakers for mounting them.


Thank you all.

If you have a good sub, I would set the speakers to small with a crossover at 80Hz on your Onkyo. That would be a good starting point.

You should be able to use the Axiom Full Metal Brackets with your speakers for wall mounting. You will need a 3/4 inch wood screw to affix your m3's to the FMB.

I have a pair of M22ti's I bought used and I use the Axiom FMB and 2 screws to affix it. I forget the exact length the JC instructed me to use, but they were bang on. Dont waste your $$ on Omni Mount Ounts either. Axiom speaker mounts are the business.

Try the speakers/sub with various crossovers, higher or lower, and use the one that sounds the best to you, as was mentioned 80hz is a good starting point and the basis to start from.

Also try the speakers set to small and large as well, when set to large they will play "full range". Also when set to large you may have to enable a setting on the Onkyo that allows the sub to receive signals when the speakers are set to large, double bass or Main + LFE or something similar. Doing this allows the mains to add some bass to the room as well. Some people prefer this setting other's don not, so experiment.

As far as speaker mounting, unless you place the speakers on a shelf you will have to put a screw into them or at the very least use a strap to hold the speaker onto the mount if the mount has a platform to rest the bottom of the speaker on, kind of like an old CRT TV wall mount.

jakewash has covered the bases well - experiment with different crossover points and speaker settings to find what settings will sound best within the listening enviroment. Our FMB bracket can be used with the speakers, however it will require you to pre-drill the cabinets and using #8 3/4 inch wood screws you can secure the speaker portion of the bracket to the speaker cabinet.

Welcome back!

I don't know which "gentlemen" you are talking about.

I agree with the good advice already offered.

While I understand that you are somewhat reluctant to drill into the speakers, I think you will find that the Axiom brackets and the wood screws as JC specified will give you a VERY elegant installation.

If you don't trust the screws, you can always drill all the way through and nut/bolt the speaker to the mount, just remove the 6 1/2" driver to access the inside to put the nut on.

I used 100Hz as the x-over point for my M3s. Worked for me in the various rooms the M3s have lived in.

I have noticed 100hz works well with the M3's. Especially if you can position the sub(s) close to the speakers. 80hz is the lowest and 100hz is the highest I go with the M3's.

Shankar, hello again. The Onkyo 504 is a fine unit and has good provisions for surround sound if you can get a couple small speakers to use as side surrounds(which I'd recommend, including for 2-channel source material, using the DPLII mode). Set the M3s "small" with an 80Hz crossover and leave "double bass" off. Your sub(do you still have the Wharfedale SW150 per our discussions about three years ago?)and the M3s should blend very well at 80Hz, although 100Hz wouldn't be a bad choice.

Thank you all for your suggestions. My fear of drilling into the speaker stems from knowing that if anything goes wrong, I'm not going to get another speaker anytime in the near future to India. I will do some research before deciding to buy the wall mounts. The reason for the wall mounts is because I'm planning to move the speakers into the bedroom and do not have enough space to keep them on floor stands as they are at present. This was on my mind but its more expensive that the FMBs but I trust Axiom’s manufacturing. http://www.amazon.com/Pinpoint-Clamping-Bookshelf-Speaker-Mounts/dp/B002UV03MW/ref=pd_cp_e_2_img

John, you have an elephantine memory! Yes I still have the Wharfedale SW150 and this combination is very sweet. I noticed on the forums about the M3v3 having a better soundstage and clarity. Can the M3 really be any better? I’ll try out the settings as you all have mentioned and see what suits me. And the additional two surrounds is on my list. Its just that my speaker placement is pathetic right now (2 corners of a concrete room – totally reflective).

No upgraditis for me just yet. Music is lovely on the M3s. Be it Mark Knopfler’s gruffy voice or the Scorpion’s steely throat or the cello in Norah Jones’ music, they’re all rendered so well on these little bookshelves.

I’ll pester you gentlemen with more queries later. Much appreciate the support.

I can't tell if that clamping mount you linked to will accommodate the non-parallel sides of the M3. I would be concerned about that.

I'd worry, too. From these photos on Crutchfield.com, it appears that the angle of the clamps isn't adjustable.

I've always set me crossover at 100hz from my M3/EP350 combo.