I just ordered m60's!!! - Axiom Message Boards

Well, after lurking around here for awhile (I've been a member of HTF and AVS Forum for quite awhile, those forums pointed me to Axiom) I took the plunge this morning and ordered a pair of m60's in Boston Cherry.

I will be replacing a pair of Cerwin Vega VS150's that I've had since my last year of college (6 years ago). I will always have a soft spot in my heart for those speakers, they have really served me well over the years. They weigh 90 pounds a piece and really pound out the bass (15 inch woofers and a sensitivity of 102!!). I probably would have been happy forever if I hadn't done some research on the internet a couple years back when I was headphone shopping. I ended up finding some great forums and bought myself a pair of Grado sr80's. Suddenly my Cerwins didn't sound very good for music anymore (I have no complaints for moview) and I began thinking about replacing them.

Going on advice from here and on HTF plus reading post after post about how great these speakers are I am finally ready to experience them for myself.

I have a couple of questions for you guys. Do you think I will notice much of an improvement for movies? (I'm sure I will for music).

Also, when do you think I will receive the speakers? I ordered them at 7:30 this morning (fri).

thanks guys

One thing to be aware of is that the M80's bass is going to be TIGHT and CLEAN. If you're used to hearing 15" woofers, it may sound weak at first because you're used to bloated, fat bass.

If you placed the order Friday morning, don't be surprised if they show up on Monday or Tuesday. (Assuming you're in the US.)

Yeah, I think I will be ok with the bass because I have my mains set to small (for music) and my sub is an svs 20-39 pci. You are right about me being used to the muddy bass though, I really thought I had great bass until I bought the headphones. Some time later I bought an svs and turned the bass way down on my mains and then it sounded sooo much smoother.

Sounds like you're all set for audio bliss. Let us know what you think when they arrive. I've got some Boston Cherry M60's myself and love them.

Had to reset the MCACC on my Pioneer Elite 45TX a few days ago after we had a blackout and all of the settings were lost. In doing so, I forgot to set my M60s to SMALL. I was amazed at the quality of the bass these boys put out. That combined with their crystal clear highs make for a superior listening experience - movies and music. Let us know what you think.

Mark

I had always read that the M60s, M80s and M50s should all be set to large in your reciever. I thought they went down low enough. Am I wrong?

It depends on what you call low. I like mine set to large and others on this forum will set them to small. It's all in your personal preference. Have fun with them.

Andy, regardless of how low the main speakers can go, they should be set small and the crossover probably at 80hz if they're being used with a good sub. The sub should be allowed to handle the 20-80hz frequencies which it does best and relieve the mains(and the amp driving them)of part of the load so they can operate a little better in their higher frequencies.

My speakers were delivered yesterday, and I had a chance to set them up and get a first impression. First of all, I was very happy with the color of the boston cherry because I have some wood paneling on some of the walls in my basement and the speakers are a near perfect match.

Calibration was a breeze because the m60’s sensitivity ended up being exactly 10db less than my old cerwin vegas. I had my cerwin vega mains set on –10db on the receiver to allow the rears and center to play loud enough so all I had to do was change the setting on the receiver back to normal and everything was calibrated correctly(according to the meter).

The first cd I listened to was Queensryche’s Empire on dvd audio because I had already thought that this disk was a little bright on my cerwins. I figured that since some people think that axioms are bright that this would be a good test for that. Well, the first thing I noticed was how C L E A R the sound was. I could easily follow the separate instruments and Tate’s voice has never sounded better. However, I could hear just a little bit of “ssss” at high volumes from his voice (not with the instruments). After listening to “Is there anybody Listenening”, I decided to try another disk. I was more excited than worried since the good things I was hearing were far outweighing the bad, and like I said, I think this recording is pretty “bright” anyway.

Next, I played Images and Words by Dream Theater which I think is the best cd I have as far as sound quality goes. Now I was truly floored! The mid bass from the drums on pull me under sounded so much quicker and smoother than what I was used to on my old speakers. I’m not sure if the overall huge improvement in bass quality was the bass coming from my m60’s, or if it was the bass coming from my svs 20-39pci that had formerly been covered up by my Cerwins, but in the end I guess it doesn’t really matter.

I was already in heaven, sitting there with a huge grin on my face when the vocals (James Labrie) came on for the first time. Wow. I have never heard the vocals sound soo separate from everything else. I just couldn’t stop smiling!! At the same time, I couldn’t believe that I have been depriving myself from this for so long.

Next, I listened to Fade to Black by Metallica. Once again the clarity and separation of the instruments made this great song a whole new experience. Cliff Burton’s bass has never sounded better, same for Kirk’s ending solo.

I forced my wife to listen to them hoping she could hear what I was hearing, but knowing she wouldn’t. She of course immediately said she didn’t hear the difference, but after awhile she asked if the center and surrounds were on too – she didn’t believe me when I said they weren’t until she checked.

So in summary, I think this upgrade is tied for the best choice I have made in my ht. The other would be my svs. I was as blown away by how good these speakers sound every bit as much as when I first watched a bass heavy dvd after buying my svs. Now all I need is the big axiom center channel, the Q8 surrounds, and another svs cylinder and I will be done (for awhile).

So glad you like them! I too love my M60's.

I just had a guy over on Monday night demoing my M60's. He had said that he had been hearing Dave Matthews on many of the other speakers he'd listened to, but thought perhaps that was a bad choice because it sounded quite "muddy". Having the Crash cd myself I knew that the cd was actually a very clean sounding treat. I through it in and he was quite amazed. Axiom's clarity is stunning. Then next thing he asked was if I had the full 7.1 system running. Nope...just the M60's and my Hsu.

I'm not sure he believed me because I saw him walk over to my QS8's and put his ear up to them. Hahahahaha...

Needless to say he was very impressed. He plans on hearing some Rockets this week as well. So far he says the M60's and some Paradigm's are in the running. I asked him to keep us posted on his decision. Hopefully he will.

In reply to:
but after awhile she asked if the center and surrounds were on too – she didn’t believe me when I said they weren’t until she checked.

Yup, Axiom's sonic transparency and sharp imaging rules!

One question: Did you set the M60s as "large" or "small" in the listening session you reported above? Have you compared both settings?

EDIT: yeah, let's "through" the same question to Craig as well... Large or small?

I always have my M60's set to small, usually crossed over at 60hz.

I have my mains set to small (I did the same with my Cerwins) so my svs can handle all the low stuff.

God I can't wait to get home...

Hey Spiff,
How does the specs of these speakers match up with M60's.
I'm not very savvy when knowing what to compare.
These came from my buddy who is looking at Wharfedale speakers. I told him I was looking at the Axiom line, even gave him the site. What do you think?

I honestly don't know much about specs. I just listen to a lot of speakers, and know what I like.

Unfortunately, I've never heard Wharfedales.

I have a question about toe in. Currently I have my new m60's toed in so that each speaker is pointed at a point that would be about 1 to 2 feet behind my head. I know I can experiment and see which sounds best, but I would also like to know what is supposed to sound best. By the way, it's hard to imagine that they could sound any better but I'm sure it won't hurt to try.

Cameron, most speakers give their best response directly on axis. This would lead to pointing the left tweeter at your left ear and the right tweeter at your right, crossing about a foot behind your head. These are very small adjustments, of course, and the difference isn't huge.

In reply to:
By the way, it's hard to imagine that they could sound any better but I'm sure it won't hurt to try.

You may well hear a surprisingly large degree of change in imaging and soundstaging by a relatively small change in the toe-in angle of the main L/R speakers, as well as their exact placement (especially the distance from back/side walls, and the relative position from the big-screen TV if you have one).

What John stated is correct with respect to the absolute treble frequency response of the direct sound from a speaker. However, in reality, what you hear in your listening room is a complex mix of the direct speaker sound plus its reflections from the walls, floor, and ceiling. In particular, the early reflections from the side walls often have a significant impact in imaging and soundstaging -- it can be positive or negative depending on the exact situation. The actual try-and-error is the only way to determine the best toe-in angle and L/R placement for YOU in YOUR listening room. Also, toeing-in the L/R speakers right toward your listening position can sometimes make the "sweet spot" extremely narrow -- you might not want a setting in which the sonic quality and imaging dramatically changes whenever you move your head over a few inches, right?

So, do experiment!!! (just like I always tell my staff in my day-job... LOL) Rest assured that your current setting is already an excellent starting point, but it may well further improve after a tweak.