Considering M80's to replace Infinity Kappa 8's

Hello all! My HT has been untouched for quite a few years and I recently got the 'bug' to upgrade. I'm considering starting off with m80/denon 3805 purchase. I'm hoping someone out there is familiar with the older Infinity Kappa series speakers and how they might compare with the M80's. I have the original Kappa 8's, a large 4-way speaker with 12" woofers, being driven (poorly) by an older Yamaha RV-1100 receiver. (Kappas are very power-hungry). Anyway I recently compared them to some Boston Acoustics VR3's I heard in a Best Buy Magnolia Theatre store, because of their crisp highs and 'forward' sound as compared to the Definitive Technologies 7002's that were in the same room, and that I was considering up to that point. Let me also add that I have a Def Tech PF15 subwoofer that I plan to keep.
First off, I don't consider myself an audiophile, and don't proport to know whether I'm hearing something that's 'warm' as opposed to 'sibilant', or other terms I've read that I frankly don't know how to apply. I am however a musician (part-time now), and obviously know what is pleasing to my ears.
I hooked up the VR3's to the B set of terminals on the Yamaha and started comparing minus the sub. The 1st thing I noticed, other than the obvious efficiency difference, was the crisp highs I heard at the store seemed poor when compared with the Kappas, which surprised me. I'd say that the imaging and the 'forward' sound were traits I liked about the VR3's, but the midrange (especially vocals) was MUCH too prominant and unnatural when compared to the Kappas. Although I bought the Kappas (almost 20yrs ago now) beacuse of their high definition and natural sound which they do great job of, I was never satisfied with the bass 'punchiness' of the speaker, perhaps partially due to the speakers' inefficiency. The sub helps, but I haven't been able to get quite the results I want.

Anyway, I'd love to hear from some Axiom owners with some suggestions as to what I might expect with the m80/3805 combo as an upgrade to what I have, even if it's just to say ...just try em!

Thx!

Have you checked to see if there was someone in your area that has Axioms for you to audition ? If not you can check here .

Thx for your link... it seems the closest M80 owner is in Tarpon Springs, FL... a good 4-5 hr drive.. (I'm in Hollywood)... unfortunately not feasable for me. Thanx tho!

Spoiler, if an hour and a half drive up to Vero is feasible, you are more than welcome to take a listen to my 80s. My PM box always has room to spare.

Thx for your offer Brotherbob, but after thinking about it, the only way I'll know how they compare is by doing a side by side comparison. I was hoping for a heads up on what to expect if anyone out there had experience with the old Kappa 8's. I got the 3805 today, so I'll soon find out how it handles my speakers. Don't have an SPL meter or mike, but can the room EQ feature really make alot of difference in the sound, especially 2-channel output?
Thx

The Auto setup on my 2805 does a good job at setting the delay(distance), levels of each speaker, and verifying polarity. I've learned not to use the Room EQ part, and keep it turned off. I think it made my m60's sound worse..

So are you ordering a set of M80s to do a side by side comparison?

Well, at this point I'm still setting up the Denon and awaiting the results of that...I'm wiring right now!

If the improvement is significant (whatever form that takes), I may hold off. Simple answer... dunno yet!

I have heard an older set of the Kappa’s; it is a friend of my brothers that has them. The Infinites have a more bloated bass, too much for my tastes. The mids and highs were not up to par with the Axioms either, in that they just didn't reproduce either as clear. The Infinities did play pretty loud but no where as clear at the same levels as the M80s are capable of. So I would think you would hear quite a difference between the two. Will you like the difference, I couldn't say. You hearing them yourself is the only way to see. If it were me I would take BrotherBob up on his offer and go check them out.

In reply to:
If it were me I would take BrotherBob up on his offer and go check them out.

If so, you need to do it within the next 3-4 days. All of my system is coming down and will be stored in another room for a couple or three weeks where it will then be set up in a different and dedicated room.