Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners M80's on the way, need advice...please

So there is nothing wrong with a good AVR like the Denon’s, HK, Rotel’s etc. It is a good solution that is economical compared to going with a sep. power amp. The only issue with an AVR is its lower power rating. You can only put so much stuff in a box. Stuffing 6 or more channels of amplification, a huge power supply, and all the circuitry of a pre / processor and still being able to put it in an AV rack, it s miracle of modern electrical engineering. However there is a limit to what even the gods can do. Your trade off for this all in one box solution is power output. So depending on your room size, and how loud you like to listen, the output of an AVR may or may not be enough for you.

My view, going with separates will only marginally sound better then a good AVR at low to moderate levels, 100 db or less at the listening position. For most of us, that is loud enough. However if you want to really push the volume to 105 db plus, then the separate power amp (150 wpc or more) will really start to shine over the AVR. I am not saying the AVR can’t get you to these levels, it will, but with more distortion, because it is quickly running out of headroom. And this could damage your M80’s. For the record, I don’t ever recommend anyone listen at levels over 105 db for long periods of time. This could cause major hearing loss, and if you’re deaf, your M80’s aren’t much good to you.