Hi,
I expect to be purchasing Axiom speakers shortly and am looking for advice/pointers.
My goal is to setup my living room for 2-channel stereo listening. TV watching occurs in a different room. Most of my music collection is eclectic, but leans more toward jazz ('hard bop': Davis/Coltrane/Blakey) than anything else. The music has been ripped to FLAC and will be served via a Squeezebox connected to an amp (likely to be one made by Audiosource).
The room is an 18' x 15' room with an 18' ceiling. The room is 'open' at one end, which is to say that while one side ends in a 15' wall covered with windows, at the opposite end the room opens to a foyer. The demarcation is an open second floor hallway/catwalk that separates the foyer from the living room. The foyer also has an 18' ceiling and extends for another 18' feet or so. Were it not for the catwalk the whole space would be a 36'l x 15'w x 18'h cube.
Along one 18' wall a 6' x 7' x 15" cabinet is centered. The facing wall runs for 9' from the wall of windows and then opens to a 10'x10' eating area with a 9' ceiling. The floors throughout are hardwood covered with assorted rugs. The room in question has a 10x14 wool rug centered in it.
I am considering 2 primary listening positions:
(1) Facing the 18' wall with the cabinet. The idea is to put speakers on either side of the cabinet. Two chairs face this wall/cabinet (one with its back partially to the open eating area mentioned above).
(2) Facing the 15' wall with the windows. The speakers would be in the corners. A couch roughly 17' away would be the primary listening seat.
Of these, the first option is more desirable, simply because I prefer sitting in the chair rather than on the couch. And no, swapping the two pieces of furniture aren't an option.
I am leaning toward the M22 v3 bookshelf speakers, primarily because I think they'll be more 'out of the way' than floorstanding models, as well as give me more placement options as my needs/wants change. I'm unclear whether a subwoofer is needed/desirable with these speakers. I have been tempted by the M80s, but suspect between kids & cats floorstanding speakers are in for some abuse.
My questions:
1. I'm unclear on the difference between the M3 and M22. Does the application and room configuration above indicate one model would be preferable to another?
2. What kind of power requirements should I be considering? The music will be played at ordinary listening levels, probably shaded to the quiet side in the evenings, and need not 'rattle the walls'.
3. What should I know about speaker placement re the wall of windows and the wall with the cabinet on it? If I put the speakers on either side of the cabinent, should I be concerned about the cabinet shielding the sound in any way...or should I be more concerned about the sound reflecting off the windows? I have 6' of space on either side of the cabinet, so I have plenty of room for optimim placement.
If you can help with these questions or otherwise provide food for thought I would greatly appreciate it.
