>>But we tend to get bent out of shape when someone challenges our beloved Axioms.
Very true. We should try hard not to do that, however.
One thing that struck me when reading the AVS thread was the VP150 discussion -- I remember that a number of people here have replaced their VP150s with different centers and been happier with the results, but I believe in every case the new center was more expensive. Some people have gone with another bookshelf or tower speaker as a center and been happier than with VP150. Again, they are probably right and they probably do have better sound in their environments.
Horizontal center channels are not designed horizontally because that is the optimal acoustic setup, they are designed horizontally to fit on top of a TV and not look stupid. Personally I would like to try a Bigfoot (that big-ass Rocket center which is essentially an M60 on its side) with the M60s once I move into the new house, and I bet I would find it quite an improvement. It also costs twice as much as anything Axiom offers, so this is not a criticism of the VP series in any way (other than my firm belief that Axiom should also offer an M60-based VP250
). I'm really happy with the VP100 and would recommend it to anyone.
Same deal with the rest of the Axiom lineup -- of course you can get better speakers, but they also tend to be more expensive. In Jack's case the new system is probably worth twice as much as his current system (probably more if you include the electronics), and I would be very surprised if it didn't sound better. I can live with calling that a makeover, but then again I don't watch a lot of TV
Anyways, I forget what I was ranting about so I guess I'm done...
