I'm interested in a set of M60's and did a lot of reading on this board. I have a few concerns and I'm hoping for some answers / info!

1. My current setup is my fiance's HT system she picked up 3yrs ago. It's a Panasonic system consiting of small speakers. The reciever is rated at 100w a channel. Will this be a major weak link till I can afford something better?

2. The sub in this system is a passive unit that came with the kit. I'm assuming that since it's on for stereo listening and I don't know of a way to turn it off from the rec. it'll ruin the sound from the M60's. Again, upgrade eventually.

3. Last issue is placement, I'm wondering if the setup will be ok. Please see the pics below to see what I mean. The right speaker will be fairly trapped (replacing the current units on stands). The sub can move to the other side. I can provide mesurments if needed.


http://www.everythingsucks.ca/room/room.jpg
http://www.everythingsucks.ca/room/right.jpg
http://www.everythingsucks.ca/room/left.jpg

Thanks for any help, this seems like a great resource for owners and future owners!

Hi James, Welcome.

There's just no way to know a couple of key things here:
1. How any of this stuff will sound to you in your room; and
2. How you're going to manage to wipe that silly grin off your face when you replace those small speakers with your Axioms.

How big is the room? I see the front is not very wide (12-13'?) - how deep is it? I love my M60's and shamelessly recommend them to everyone, but if you don't have a very large room or prospects to move into one, you might be better off getting M2's or M22's plus either a sub or a new receiver. Either scenario will likely sound much improved to you.

I don't know enough about the receiver to really comment, but as long as you don't play it so loudly that it sounds bad, you'll be fine for a while. The rating is probably very optimistic.

You can try the new setup with or without the sub and decide for yourself. Especially if you get the M60's, I'd be surprised if that sub made anything sound "better".

Don't sweat the placement - just move stuff around until you find the magic balance between sonic bliss and acceptable aesthetics. But be aware that the M60's are surprisingly deep speakers, and do require a bit of room behind them as well. They WILL stick out a bit from that right corner.

Love the domain name where you have your pics.

Enjoy the journey

So the front is 12' and about 21' deep. The right wall is wide open into the kitchen where you see the tight cornor then again at the back where you can't see in the pics. It's a totally open area.

As for the domain, it's a site I started with some friends based around a message board. Didn't do too well but we still have the server and domain so I make use of it when I can!

I'm guessing that the picture was taken from the seating area?

If so, M60's may be overkill. It seems that you sit fairly close...I'd recommend the M22ti's, and a decent sub. (Hsu STF-2)

As Tom said, your panasonic reciever I'm sure will be just fine unless you intend to crank the sound up very loud.

Once you have Axiom mains, you're going to want to replace your center and surrounds at some point as well. The leap from what you have to Axioms is not a small one.

The AVR will work, just don't go to 100% on the volume control since the "not so high end" amp might clip more easily than a higher end model.

I doubt that the sub will help at all. Hurt? Maybe. Got wire clippers and an 8ohm resistor? M60s have nice bass.

I think you can squeeze them in there ok. The backs of my 60s are 17" from the wall, and the fronts are just a tad below 32" away from the wall. Side to side, I have the outside edges 21" away from the walls, and the insides are 30" from the walls. That would leave 7' between them for the rest of your stuff. Will something similar to that work? My room is 16'x16', so you'll probably need to adjust a few inches one way or another to adjust for yours...

I'm sure the M60's will fit there nicely, the question is does he need it. It sure looks like his sitting very close to where they would be.

Of course, getting the M60's, you could easily go without a sub, and wouldn't need stands either...so price wise, it's pretty even.

James,

Few of us have the perfect setup. My left speaker is squeezed behind a sofa arm, so i built some crappy stands to raise them to the point that all drivers are shooting over the arm. My center is under my HDTV. Could it sound better if I had the ideal situation and placement? Probably, but It all sounds great just as it is. Just do the best you can and don't worry about it. As far as using the M60s in your space goes, Spiff may be right that you don't NEED it. But, if you want it, go for it. I sit only about 8 feet from my front 3 speakers. It all works just fine. Do the best you can do and don't worry about it.

Jack, I see you've re-accessorized in there. Still looks nice.

Hi James

I'm not sure which Panasonic receiver you have there, but my experience with Pannies is that they are underrated overachievers. I picked up an SX940 while I awaited delivery of some nOhr monoblocks and although the Pannie ran a bit warm it sounded terrific. I was shocked. The Panasonic SX25/45 all digitally amped receivers are giant killers and sound terrific.

Which Panasonic do you have?

2x6spds, did you say nOrh monoblocks? I've always been intrigued by this company and a number of their products, in particular their Le Amp II.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on whatever it was you got.

Cheers, Jag

Thanks Peter. I think it looked better the way I had it when you came by. But, I had to change things a bit for reasons I'll be explaining sometime in the not too distant future (February? March? April?).

Actually I had to make room for the very small HOT TUB, I'll be putting in just to the left of the left M60.

Jim, with what you described relative to your unique room geography, I'd urge you to call the folks at Axiom. They can really help you dial in the choice and placement of your speakers. If you can fax them or post a drawing of the room, it would be helpful too. They are the real experts, we just play experts on TV.

Another thing you may want to consider is what the future holds. Are you planning to move to a place with a larger, smaller, different HT room in the next few years?

Jack - first pics of your newer set up. Looks much nicer than the original set up from the first pictures I saw. Very nice.

Ola, Jag. So was I. Unfortunately, I gave up on the Le Amps, they just took too long to ship, so I canceled my order and got a 5 wpc tube amp. I'm so glad they dawdled! The combination of the Antique Sound Labs MG S1 15DT integrated SET amp and the M3Tis was magic. I swapped the M3Tis for a pair of M22-like Michaura M55s, and then the M55s for a pair of Michaura M66s and have found true musical bliss.

Well, musical bliss is a GOOD thing! I'm glad you found it, hopefully I'll be experiencing this soon as well, as my Axiom's are on their way.

Indeed it seems WAITING for the Le Amp II's is more common than listening to them. Reading about that always prevented me from making the leap. Although, I still look at them form time to time and wonder...

Thanks, Jag