Hi,

The room is 24' long by 17' wide. the speakers will be on the end of the shorter side. there are three 4' wide open doorways to other rooms, and one 3' open doorway. ceiling is 10' high. Is M60 enough for this room, or do I need to go up to M80?

thanks,

Jason

Either would work very, very well. You'll want to be at least 10-12' back from the speakers for best performance though. Sounds like that shouldn't be a problem for you in a room that size though.

As spiffnme mentioned, either speaker will work wonderfully in your room. The two deciding factors for you should be

A) How loud you like your music
B) What kind of amp / receiver you have

The M80s play louder and cleaner than the M60s, but they sound the same when driven within their limits. Because the M80s are 4-Ohm speakers, you'll need equipment that can handle pushing a lot of current. This isn't really as big an issue as it used to be, though, since most modern receivers -- and even more separate amps -- can handle a 4-Ohm load.

Craig & Pete - Excellent and complete again.

Only one addition - the M60s are a tad less expensive. If you can afford the 80s, go for it. The additional $300 will buy you the peace of mind of eliminating the terrifying "what if......" conundrum. The itch that can't be scratched. The Upgradeitis that can't be cured. The... Oh, you know what I mean.

You have the M60's Ray...do you feel that way? Personally I don't (and I catch upgraditus VERY easily!).

Personally I'd go for a quality subwoofer, Axiom surrounds, and multichannel audio (SACD or DVD-A) playback before I'd opt for M80s.

However that depends on your listening intentions -- how much home theater vs music, how much legacy stereo vs multichannel music, and your average playback volume.

I could see how a stereo music oriented individual would prefer M80s over M60s, esp if no subwoofer was involved. OTOH if you're more HT and surround music oriented, I think M60s are plenty. Personally in my 20 x 16 room I can't imagine needing more than M60/VP150/QS8 and a sub.

But if you've got the money, get them all -- M80s, surrounds plus a good sub.

I like to play music pretty loud - I didn't realize this, until I was told so by audio store owners recently when I auditioned. actually one of them told me the level I played would damage my hearing

I'm thinking about getting the Yamaha RX-V1400. could this receiver handle 4 ohms speaker with ease?

price difference aside, if the yammy can't handle it, I may lean to the M60s. but the "what if" factor could bug me

I think once you heard the M60ti's the what if factor would diminish significantly.

Craig, I am extremely happy with the M60s and have not had, nor will have a second thought. The 80s were more speaker than I needed and I am not lusting for them. I pointed out the whole itch thing because it does afflict some folks and I didn't know where the decision cycle was right now.