Hey all you nice axiom folks...

I am about to order another axiom to serve as a surround back for 6.1. I Think I am going to go with the M2i. Question: Does the Axiom nameplate on the grill move? I would like to mount the M2i horizontally, so that it mirrored my 150 (though much smaller). I would prefer if I could spin the Axiom nameplate so that it is in line with the speaker. Any feedback?

Hmmm...

Normally mounting n-way speakers horizontally is bad because you lose the stereo imaging effect, but I guess for a 6.1 rear that might not be a bad thing.

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the nameplates are "riveted" onto the cloth (plastic pins poke through and are melted somehow) but I'm not sure. Only posting this in case it jogs someone else's memory.

Don't forget they look good nekkid...

The ones on my M2is dont move. They are held down onto the grill frame by two plastic pins. Mine are relatively old though, the newer ones may be different.

Nope. The nameplate is immovable. The most you can do is flip the grill upside-down, but you'll still be off by 90-degrees.

Why not just give Axiom a call. They just might put that name plate in the location you would like.

Worth a shot, but I doubt they could accomodate the request as they'd likely need to create a new grill frame mold just for that configuration.

Don't forget if you have a single direct reflecting speaker directly behind you the sound will appear to come from in front of you. For 6.1 I'd recommend a single QS series speaker.

... which already has the logo oriented correctly. How cool is that ?

It also seems to me that placing a speaker on it's side is not the best thing to do.

I'm sure someone can pop in with the reason why, I used to know but those memory cells seem to have floated away.

The problem with putting a speaker on its side is that you end up with a different horizontal location for different frequency ranges, which mucks up the imaging.

When the speaker is vertical all the drivers are in line.

The only reason centers don't have this problem is that they religiously use symmetrical driver layouts, eg. WTW or TWWWT. If you have two identical drivers side by side they act roughly the same as a single driver at the midpoint between them -- so if you look at any center speaker and replace symmetrical pairs with a single driver at the midpoint you end up with all the drivers at the midpoint.

Try that with a normal speaker on its side and it falls apart -- a woofer and a tweeter don't cover the same frequency ranges so you can't treat them as a single driver at the midpoint.

Thanks for all of the great responses. I am most interested in the debate between the QS series vs the direct radiating as a rear center. When I called Axiom regarding my original M2i vs. M3i choice, they pointed me to the M2i without hesitating. I mentioned it specifically as a dedicated rear center, and they did not mention the QS series at all. Truthfully, I didn't even consider the QS line, thinking DR would be the only way to go. Might the QS series do a better job acting as a rear center?

I am choosing they 6.1 over the 7.1 for aesthetic reasons. Is the gain from 2 rears worth the added space consumed? Thanks again for your help.--Andy

How about a VP100 back there

Well....dang it.....that is another idea I haven't even considered. Though y'all are getting more expensive with each recommendation. How 'bout I mount a pair of M80s to my back wall? Just kidding, does the vp100 really make sense here? Or am I still looking at reflections putting the sound in front of me?

Yeah, I'm wondering that for myself.

Currently running 5.1, but have a speaker cable in the back wall for 6.1 when/if I want to do it. My receiver is 6.1.

I was thinking of another QS8 for the back surround, but maybe a VP100/150 might be better (and cheaper).

Room is 24x36.
Listening couch is centered 14 feet from the short wall, which puts the back surround 22 feet behind the couch.

Hmmm...