After a small research I just placed an order for
" M80 + VP150 + QS8 + EP500 " for a 5.1 speaker upgrade from my arcane Bose HT package.

Would a Marantz SR8500 Receiver be appropriate to power this system. My primary concern is around the 4 ohm rating for the M80 speakers and the advertised 8 ohm rating that accompanies the SR8500 receiver.

http://us.marantz.com/shop/_templates/Proddetail.asp?model=26 should have the specs for the receiver.

I am a newbie to the audiophile industry. Please advice.

Congrats on the purchase, and enjoy the Axioms (I think most of us here do)!

I don't know if your receiver will definitely work, but generally the trend I've noticed around here is that receivers rated at 6-8 ohms still do a good job pushing the M80s, unless - perhaps - you played them quite, quite loudly for extended periods of time. Of course, this begs the question of opting for the M60s instead, which are much easier to push (8 ohms) and are almost sonically identical to the M80s, except for not being as loud.

You'll have a chance to evaluate them, obviously. If (and that's a big if - you may be fine) your receiver goes into protect mode after playing for a while, it can't handle the M80s. You would then have a choice, presuming you liked the sound of your Axioms - (1) get a new receiver, (2) get a seperate amplifier to drive the M80s, or (3) switch the M80s for M60s.

My thoughts, not having interacted with your model Marantz.

Thanks Engine_Joe! I still haven't bought the Marantz yet, but that was one of the receivers I zeroed on given its DVI I/O points.

I am not sure I want to change my order from M80(s) to M60(s) and I am also hesitant to consider NAD receivers given it's support issues that I came across the NET.

Any other suggestions for a fitting receiver for M80, and I would rather the manufacturer of my receiver support such an option! Thanks in advance.

In general, Axiom recomends H/K and Denon. There are several memebers around here that run either of those brands with the M80s.
I run a Denon 2805 with M60s in a large room at VERY HIGH volumes, and cant imagine needing more speaker or amp.
Good luck with your decisions.

Ah, you still haven't bought the receiver. I had presumed that you owned it already. If you want to keep the M80s (and I by no means wish to dissuade you from that), I agree that going with Denon or H-K should serve you well. The Denon 3805 is particularly well thought of (audioholics rated it the A/V receiver of the year) and has a plethora of features/options. Several users on this board have that model, and they seem to be very happy with it.

Regardless, you really should be able to drive those 4 ohm speakers with a receiver rated for 6 ohms. If your heart is set on the Marantz, I would be surprised if you couldn't drive the M80s with it. If I remember correctly, someone recently queried if their Yammie (rated for 8 ohms) could drive M80s, and in the end, they were able to.

I'm sure others will have further thoughts on this... but suffice to say, I think you'll be alright no matter what route you go.

I have not heard the Marantz.

I have the Denon 3805 driving the M80. It drives them to insane volumes. I have not had it clip yet.

2 Cents: I recently picked up a Marantz 7500 to pair w/ my Axiom setup, including M60s. All I have to say is....Wow, what a great sound. Coming from my older Yamaha, this is a huge step up. My Yamaha always seemed a bit 'tinny' on the highs. The 7500 is just warm enough to avoid this, while still not being too warm, which I am not a fan of. I found the Denons to be a bit too warm and/or flat for my taste, which brought me to the Marantz. I did not go the H/K route, as they didn't seem to have all the features that I wanted in my pricerange. More importantly, I don't want silver components in my rack (yes...petty, but a requirement nonetheless).

In the end, I would suggest you audition the H/K if you don't have a prob w/ silver components. Definitely audition the Denons to see if their sound fits your taste. It may be harder to audition the Marantz, but I can defintately attest that it has a wonderful sound.

Good Luck

Hi Murali,

Based on Axiom's experience (and my own) as well as customer feedback with the 4-ohm M80s, I suggest you consider only Denon or H/K A/V receivers if you are set on getting the M80ti's. The power supplies in those two brands are sufficiently beefy that they do not shut down driving 4-ohm loads so long as you don't have a huge room.

If your room is larger than about 4,500 cu. ft. and you want really high playback levels (what I call "deafening"; the M80s will do that cleanly if you have 150 watts per channel or more of clean power from a separate power amp) then get a separate power amplifier for at least the M80ti's.

Regards,

Thanks Alan! And, thanks everyone for all your suggestions! With all the suggestions so far, I am more and more "forced" :-) to incline towards Denon 3805 or HK 7300. But please help me make that final leap ...; Would you be kind enough to rank the list below in your order of preference (apparently the first 4 natively support 4 ohm speakers while the rest below officially do not).

1. Rotel RSX-1067 (though the web site doesn't mention, the support guy at Rotel has confirmed that this supports 4 ohm speakers well and so is the back-panel of RSX-1067 I believe!)
2. B&K AVR-507
3. NAD T773 (concerns of quality bother me here)
4. Outlaw 7100 Amp + Outlaw 950 Preamp/Processor (any strong votes for replacing 7100 with 755 or 770?)
5. Denon 3805 (is Denon 4802R any good?)
6. HK AVR 7300 (is HK DPR-2005 any good?)
7. Onkyo TX-NR901 (officially claims 220W/Ch at 4 ohms)
8. Marantz SR 8500 (my original favourite for its features :-) )

My preference is to go for a good all-in-one receiver and consider the pre-amp/amp or receiver/amp solution the last. All these happen to be within my budget for a receiver. Thanks much to everyone in advance!

You said it best at the end "my original ....features". I thnk features should be driving your choice. You also mentioned receiver vs. separates, so that would eliminate 4

My order would be - 2,3,1,4,5,6 - and I would eliminate 7,8 due to the fact that you have way to many, and my lack of regard for Onkyo and Marantz products.

If I were in your position my rank would be: 2,3,1,4,6,5,8,7

What's with all the Onkyo haters around here?

Man....no love for Marantz, either. I'm feeling ganged up on by all the Denonites.

M,welcome. You should add the new HK635, with the new equalization system developed by Dr. Toole's group, to your list.

I would go for the Denon 3805.

I really cannot fault the receiver ..

I just have to comment that going from the Bose to an M80-based system is going to be one heck of a jump in sound ... like a Lada to a.... well... something WAYYY bigger and nicer