I got home last night and was shocked to see my speakers waiting for me. I got a pair of M22's, VP150, and a pair of QS8's in sorrel pear. I ordered less than two weeks ago and thought it would be at least 4-5 weeks before they arrived. I was caught so off guard I don't even have stands yet for the 22's. Anyway, now that they are here, it's time for me to solicit advice from the experts out there. First on break-in, here's what I'm doing:
- Left for work today and put a Seal disc (the one with "Crazy") into the dvd/cd player on repeat. Playing at a comfortable listening volume. I have the M22's and VP150 hooked up - haven't mounted the QS8's yet.
- Set the front and center speakers to "large" so they get a full range signal. Turned the sub - an M&K MX-125 - off, in case the neighbors are home and I'm not home to complain to.
- Playing in 5 channel stereo (with rear speakers set to off - doesn't matter since the QS8's aren't hooked up yet).
Questions -
Is this a good break-in method? Anyone have any other suggestions (on music, volume, etc.?)
What should I look for as the speakers are breaking in - what should I start to notice in the sound? My first impression is I love the imaging and soundstage. If it only gets better from here, I will keep smiling.
Other impressions -
- They are great looking speakers. The sorrel pear is beautiful. My wife (who picked the color based on the wood samples Axiom sent) cares less about speakers than just about anything in the world, but even she said "Those are really nice looking."
- Very well built speakers, and nice binding posts. My Monster Q-lock banana plugs slit right in and made a snug connection.
- The sticker with your name on the back is a nice touch.
- Even with the M22's on the floor right now, I'm very impressed with the imaging.
I researched speakers for over a year before finally pulling the trigger (I've been running the JBL N-24 setup). I auditoned a lot of speakers (Monitor Gold's, Energy Veritas, B&W, Klipsch, M&K). Having never heard Axioims (until last night), I read everything there is to read about them - since I got a custom color, my trial period isn't really risk free, so I wanted to be sure I was going to like these. Seems like I made a wise choice.
Anyway, if you've read this far, thanks. And any advice would be appreciated. Once I've got it all set up, anyone in Chicago/NW Indiana is free to come by for an auditon.
My setup:
Denon AVR 3802
Axiom M22 front, VP150 Center, QS8 Surround
M&K MX-125 MKII 2-driver subwoofer
Onkyo 5-disc CD Changer
Panasonic 31" CRT direct view TV (soon to be upgraded to a Samsung DLP, as soon as I figure out which new model I want and it's available)
Pioneer DV-563a DVD/DVD Audio/SACD player (soon to be upgraded to one of the new Denon models, but for the price, the Pioneer is a steal)
Sony SAT-W60 DirecTV receiver with Ultimate TV (will get a High-Def TiVo unit when I get the TV, and they come down in price).
Sanus NF-213 TV Rack/AV Stand
Sanus SF26 speaker stands (on order)
