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H/K Receiver and M50 vs. M60
#949 01/16/02 06:09 PM
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Hi,

I currently own a Harman/Kardon AVR25 mkII receiver which puts out 75 watts stereo at 8 ohms, with a high-current ability up to 42 amps. I will be purchasing a preamp kit from Bottlehead which I will connect to the H/K until I purchase a tube amp or very smooth solid state amp. I am considering the M50 vs M60. I have decided to go with the Axiom's based on current reviews instead of Tannoy mX4's, KEF Q35's, or KEF Q65's. The price is not an issue. I am more interested in any thoughts regarding the different sounds of the speakers, thoughts on bi-wireability of the M60s, thoughts on the mating of the speakers to my receiver, and whether anyone has experimented with plugging the port holes with foam or other material to produce a sealed enclosure effect. I prefer a sound that is clear and I am interested in bass accuracy over bass loudness. My musical preferences are jazz such as Wayne Shorter and Patricia Barber, and I listen from very low to very high volumes. I also occasionally like to crank up some classical, rock, and fusion. Any comments or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

John
jcthomasjr@yahoo.com



Re: H/K Receiver and M50 vs. M60
#950 01/18/02 03:26 AM
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I would hesitate to alter the original design of the speaker, unless I was convinced that I knew more than the people designing them. The designer typically spends greater effort building, testing, measuring, analyzing the results, altering and retesting to ensure their original target design is met.

By altering the output of the lower frequency energy, you risk altering other aspects of the speaker. By trapping the sound energy, you may get cabniet resonances that blurr the image and soundstage.

Anyway, your receiver should adequately drive either speaker. You are correct that the preamp is in need of upgrading.

P.S> a piece of advice from an engineer, I am not sure what a solder is in the kit, or if any recommendations are made. Use as high a content of Silver solder you can find. Pay particular attention to making proper joints.

Regards,

BBIBH

Re: H/K Receiver and M50 vs. M60
#951 01/18/02 12:52 PM
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Certainly both the equipment you have now and where you are looking at going would justify going to the M60s. Besides the fact that the M60s are bi-wirable, I think there are some other advantages you would like with them. The bass and higher frequency between the two is fairly similar but through the mid range area there is some added detail in the imaging that I think you would find pleasing and worth the step up.

Ian Colquhoun
President & Chief Engineer


Ian Colquhoun
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Re: H/K Receiver and M50 vs. M60
#952 01/30/02 05:36 PM
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Thank you Ian and BBIBH for responding. I will let you know when I make my purchase.

BBIBH,

One of the things I find fascinating is experimenting with things. I know that I will end up plugging the ports on any speakers I ever own which contain port holes. Right now I own a pair of Cerwin Vegas from the 80's that I purchased new when I knew absolutely nothing in regards to electronics and sound. Through some dabbling, I have been able to achieve what I believe is a better than stock sound (not difficult to do considering the speakers) which is more suited to my listening tastes. And, it is not a bad sound - I have done side-by-side comparisons with some KEF's and B&W's and though the differences were noticeable I have yet to find what I am looking for. Your comments regarding the ramifications that tweaks my have are well taken and heeded, but in the end my curiosity always gets the best of me :-). Thanks again.



Re: H/K Receiver and M50 vs. M60
#953 01/30/02 06:14 PM
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I hear you....I am an engineer (large scale, enterprise class computer systems) and I ALWAYS have the desire to "tinker" I found a pair of older Axioms (AX2) at a clearance/junk sale. They were in bad shape, so I brought them home, disassembled them and rebuilt them. I incorporated a few things that could not be included from the factory, strictly due to price point. I was astonished at how much better they CAN sound. So much so, that I was contemplating surgery on my AX3's!

I love adjusting, playing, listening, swapping out pieces(especially of differing quality and price)....what a great hobby!

Regards,

BBIBH

Re: H/K Receiver and M50 vs. M60
#954 02/01/02 03:49 AM
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So did you rebuild your AX3's? Maybe this is the start of a business for you. Have you opened a new pair of Axioms? Is so, what are inside that might be limiting them?

Rick



Re: H/K Receiver and M50 vs. M60
#955 02/01/02 09:56 PM
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Well lets not get anything started! I enjoy tinkering as a hobby trying to "improve" pieces that I see areas lacking. HOWEVER, I must emphasis that I do not have access to all of the resources to prove and redesign most pieces. I do not believe that I have greater knowledge than the original designers.

My interest in working on these pieces stems from the fact that I have listened to, played with and own higher priced, and better quality equipment. That does not mean that the value of these Axioms is not complete. In terms of quality, you are getting the most the designer of a product can build into the product, and still make a reasonable profit. Look at it this way, a $500 speaker can't contain the same drivers, crossovers, cabinet materials, finishes, internal wiring, etc as a $5000 speaker. Does that mean one is worse than the other? Chances are if you ignore the price, the answer would be yes. BUT we can not ignore the price. Designers are not in this business to lose money....at least good ones aren't.

Here is how I look at audio gear - I listen to it, and determine if I would pay $XXX for it. If the answer is yes, then I believe it is good value for the dollar. If the answer is no, then it does not represent good value for the money. Does this mean that the $500 speaker is better or worse than the $5000 speaker? Well, it depends. I would venture to say that the $5000 speaker sounds better, is made of better quality materials, but this is not always the case.

As for the ones I have played with, I paid virtually nothing, and had little to lose.......My AX3's make me think as I paid AX2 retail for them , they are still good, and I don't want to screw them up!

Regards,

BBIBH


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