I'm looking at replacing my Polk Audio RTi4 (used for rear surrounds in my 5.1) and am looking at getting the QS8 v2 speaker. As well, I'm considering upgrading my centre channel, Polk CSi3. Any comments on comparison between the two rears? Any user comments on the Axiom centre channels? (the vp150 v2 in particular). I realize the possible timbre matching issues with my mains, but would like to know what people think of axioms centers anyways)

I would say if your going to be using Polk for your left/right speakers, you want to get a Polk center. Like you said, you want the speakers to be voice matched, especially for the front stage. To answer your question though, there is nothing wrong with Axiom centers.

The Axiom Qs8's are quadpolar, meaning 4 drivers all firing in phase. This simulates multiple bookshelf speakers lined on walls of movie theaters. Not familiar with the polks, but if they are bookshelf speakers, bipolar, or dipolar, they are a different design and won't give you the same experience.

The Q's pretty much envelope or wrap you in the experience, a bookshelf can't do that.

I have never had an issue with Axiom's center channels and I have both. They present vocals very clearly, which is usually the reason people start to look for center channels, the ability to reproduce vocals efficiently. There are better centers, IMO but you pay way more for them.

I'm confused, first you were talking about speakers and now it's gone to envelopes and bookshelves?? Yeah, I was gone for a couple days and I'm back with my inane humor.

Just don't ask him to put the bookshelves IN the envelopes!

Seriously though, the QS8's are amazing. I will honestly say that I haven't heard the Polks that you mention, so I won't be like people on other sites that slam a brand that they have never heard, but if I was a gambling man, I'd put my bet on the Axioms. Plus you get quad-polar design which makes the surround channels do just that, surround you with sound.

The Polk Audio speakers that I currently use for surrounds are very similar to the M2 bookshelf speakers. How big a room do the QS8 speakers fill? I don't have the proper wiring for a 6 or 7 channel set up without running wires all over my living room, so I'm looking for 2 surrounds that will fill the rear sound effects on my HT with ease by themselves.

The Q's fill my 900 Sq Ft room just fine and can handle lots of power in either 5.1 or 7.1 mode. If you don't have the wireing setup for 7.1, then 5.1 would be fine. You still would place the Q's along the side walls slightly behind the seating area.

The QS series are simply amazing surround speakers. Their quadpolar design allows you to feel completely immersed in the sound. The QS8's will present a much more spatial sound than what a typical set of bookshelves will.

The QS8's are designed for large rooms and can handle a lot of power so they would work very well in your room/system.

I recently moved from direct radiating (Klipsch) 8" surrounds to the QS8s. The difference is pretty dramatic in terms of rear imaging. Since getting them, I am no longer thinking of moving to a 7.1 setup as the rear image is so good. Even the move from two 8" woofers to four 5 1/4 did not hurt the depth of the surround image. And in your case, you are actually doubling the woofer space going from 2 to 4 5.25" drivers.

I have not heard the Polks you have, but I can say with some confidence from prior experience with Polks and the reviews I found that the QS8s will exceed the quality you get from the Polks you have, both in terms of sound and construction. Those QS8s are dense little bastards! I'm still waiting for it to rip the t-bracket off the wall when I, I mean Private Ryan, hits the beach.

Just to prove I am not a fanboy, I will say that I was not 100% impressed with the fit and finish of all aspects of the speakers. But my issues were very minor (given the price range) and not visible once the grills are on. (The QS8 is mostly grill as all surfaces, save one, has a speaker on it.)

I've never had any issues with my VP150, and the QS8's are simply the best surround speaker I've ever experienced.

I bought a 2-channel amp and a pair of M2i's to make the leap from 5.1 to 7.1 a couple years back. After about a month, I took the M2i's down and now use them as computer speakers. Sold the amp. The QS8's do such a dang good job as surrounds there was really no point of adding two more speakers to the year.

A quick question on surrounds. My system will be in my living room where my couch and loveseat are against the walls debind them. I had already run wires years ago when I re-did the room. The wires stick out (barely noticeable) at the top of the wall near the ceiling. I intend to use the swivel mount bracket for the QS8. http://www.axiomaudio.com/fullmetalbracket.html

So basically the surrounds will be almost directly overhead at 2 seating positions. How will this work? It seems the Axiom are less directional than other brands which should help in this situation. Am I right?

I am glad to hear that. I can't really fit 2 more ch in my small room, but glad to hear I am not missing much with a 5.1 and QS8s.

While you may get many very accurate responses that your setup is not “ideal”, I can say that the QS8s will work better in your set up than any direct radiating speakers. My directs were almost directly overhead (in the ceiling) as my seat was on the back wall. I never had a good surround image, although the tweeters were aimed to bounce of side walls. In my new room the QS8s are about two feet behind my seat, and near the ceiling. So my current set up is better, but still not ideal, and similar to the first. But in terms of surround imagining, there is no comparison. The quad-polar design (if that is accurate) of the QS8s really does an impressive job of creating a surround image that is both accurate for tracking a moving object, but expansive for those non-pinpoint sounds that create the impression of depth.

Others can do more justice to the “why”, but I would not hesitate to suggest the QS8s even in your situation. In fact, I think this design is more important in the case of near-field listening position as you and I have. As a direct radiating speaker is moved further away, it is easier to create imaging; right over your head is not so easy. The Axioms will help dramatically, in my experience. Good luck.

Exactly, The dispersion of a direct radiating takes some space to achieve, so when sitting close the sound is pinpointed, the QS's appear to eliminate this space requirement.

Some day I need to post some pics of this room. It is probably one of the worst to set up that anyone had ever seen. But it's what I have to work with.
My new 52" LCD is in a corner under the satirs going upstairs. One M80 will be angled off the wall on the left and almost against the wall (but on a bit of an angle) The right M80 will be beyond where the TV sits against the side wall of the stairs and actually out in the open with the nearest wall about 10' behind it. I bet that looks pretty ugly in your mind.

Exactly why I have realized in my 2 weeks of research that there can't possibly be any other speaker for me in the surround department.

That is unacceptable. Box up your speakers and AVR and ship them to an address I will provide you.

I could just cancel the order. Wouldn't that be easier. Oh wait! I was just going to place the order. Maybe I'll just forget the whole thing.

Bob, my room is based of a corner loading as well, although not as hard to set up as yours with the stairwell in the picture.

Mains


Left surround


Right surround


Center rear


AV equipment

You probably have pretty good acoustics in there. No standing waves with the walls that way, right?

No, you see the address is going to be my address - not Axiom. So canceling the order does not acheive the same goal - I mean justice, it is all about fairness...and stuff.

Your sarcasm had a blowout on that one Charles!!!

Shhhh! Charles you're goin' to ruin a good thing!

I like to think it sounds pretty good, just wish I had a little more room, as I have really liked the sound achieved in more open spaces, the surrounds seem to work even better.

Just noticed those pics look fairly grainy, I need to update them after I re-paint this month.

I had direct surrounds (AE100) up until last week. I finally received approval from the CFO to purchase new speakers and promptly ordered the QS8's.

The room I have is 19' x 32' and the sound field created is amazing. Movies have never been better and I often use 6 channel stereo when playing music and I'm very impressed with these speakers. You won't be disappointed and you will definitely question the need to go to a 6/7 setup.