Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Receiver matches speakers??

Hi all,
New to the Home Theatre realm, long time fan, first time purchaser.
I have the funds to do things correctly now I think. I am planning on buying the full setup and want to know if everything will be compatible or not. Heres what I'm planning on:

AV Receiver: Harmon Kardon 235 / possibly 335( I like the functionality as I have a cousin with the 135, but would like a little more in terms of features. ie: MP3 decoding and such, 7.1 capable)

Axiom Epic Theatre 60. The whole setup. This appeals to me as I hear they have good clean bass response, and very clear mid/highs. Which is what I am after, a good clear/clean sound with a sub to back up some bass.

I will be running a Monster power bar, and associated cables (possibly Axiom as well for components, DVI/HDMI input and composite) and a pretty good guage speaker wire. I like the benefits of having surge protection, and the less static interference running throgh the amp the better. I like clean sound.

With the piece da Resistance: JVC or Samsung 61" DLP/LcOS (as the case may be) television. Although 1080p is just starting to sell here and I'm an avid gamer (ie: ps3 will support 1080p). The Samsung has a 1080 p here (its a lot pricier than the 720p model though) and I havent found a JVC 1080p here yet. Debating if I should wait on a tv or not for now.

Anyway, long story short, I think the receiver will hook up well to the speakers to produce a nice clean loud sound, and just want to make sure the models I have specified for the receiver and speakers will coincide.
Thanks,

You've got nothing to worry about. Axiom speakers are highly efficient and, with the expection of the M80s, can be driven by practically anything out there. With solid state technology (as opposed to tube amps), there is no need to match speakers to amps.

Peter's right about the amps; but since your question is about receivers, and some brand name receiver's do exhibit unique sonic characteristic's (Yamaha = can be a bit harsh on the top end, Denon = can be forward in the midrange, H/K = can be a bit bright, Onkyo = sucks ass!) it is good to pair up one that will compliment your speakers. I've always liked and have had great experiences with H/K receivers, and I think it would be a great match for your new Axiom set-up.

If you take out the unsubstantiated dreck between the semicolon and the first period, then I can say you're right, too.

Nah, I'd rather keep it there and have you not agree with me, and you can keep your panties in a wad and that stick up your ass.

Come on now is that really called for.I think not.

Nope, but it was fun.

You have a new person here asking a valid question and this is the type of thing you think is fun ? If nothing else show some respect to the other people reading this looking for some informative information.Just because Peter may disagree with you does not give you the right to litter the forum with this trash.

Seriously though, we're just having a little fun. Now, I'm just waiting for Peter to put down the pencil and paper, and just make a snappy comeback.

Well, one man's trash and all that. Guess you could say the same thing about Onkyo receivers. LOL!

77 Chevy
Sounds like you've got all your ducks in a row.
H/K makes some very nicely featured receivers.
The monster power bar is not really needed, no matter what some saleperson has told you. You would be better served spending that money on a few new CDs or games (you WILL be wanting some new tunes). A simple surge protector power strip is fine. A perfectly good power strip can be found for less than $25.00.
Good Luck

minirock-
For the most part I try to ignore most of what you have to say, but in this case I will tell you that your staement is totally OUT OF LINE, and should NEVER be used on any public forum.
I also think you owe Chevy77 an apology.

Chevy, welcome. As Peter indicated, there's no compatibility problem with the HKs that you've mentioned or similar models from other makers(Denon,Onkyo, Pioneer, Yamaha etc.). All of them will give you transparent amplification and no "matching" is involved. Pick the features that you want at the best price that you can get.

In reply to:

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minirock- For the most part I try to ignore most of what you have to say but in this case I will tell you that your staement is totally OUT OF LINE, and should NEVER be used on any public forum. I also think you owe Chevy77 an apology.

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You're right bray. I'm sorry Chevy77; I'm sorry that many of the posts, including the one I quoted, are full of spelling errors, comma splices, and other punctuation errors. BTW, who in the hell is bray? Doesn't matter. I'm sure you do ignore most of what I have to say, but that's ok. Afterall, for some people, ignorance is bliss.And yes, everyone save money by skipping all expensive surge protectors, and just go get the cheap-o powerstrip. You can then use the extra money you saved to buy yourself some crack because that's what you must be on if you think it's going to do the same job.

Boo! Hiss!

Have you actually listened to all these receivers and done a comparison Minirock? I won't even get into was it blind, double blind, or anything like that if you did. Or, are you just repeating what you have heard elsewhere?

There's nothing wrong with Onkyo. If an Onkyo had better features at the same price as an HK, I'd happily take the Onkyo.

Yeah. Worked in high-end A/V for 10 years.

Chevy, you will likely get similarly good results from any modern receiver that has the features you want. Make sure it has pre-outs in case you need more power for multichannel HT, IMO.
Maybe upgrade to the VP150 and/or EP500 if you can save on wires/receiver/etc... It seems foolhardy to spend extra bucks on wires, surge protectors and microscopic receiver upgrades when you could simply buy "better" speakers and get clearly audible results.
Seems like TV prices keep plunging. Good time to continue waiting???

Hello Chevy
I run my Axiom 80's sytems with a denon 885/2105. As far as clean sound is concerned they are crystal clear and very enjoyable.

Hey Chevy. Welcome. Good luck on figuring this stuff out. It's fun, but it can give you a headache all at the same time.

First, take a deep breath. You're in good hands, and you've already made the hardest decision (and the wisest in my opinion) by putting Axiom's at the top of your list.

I have an M60, VP100, QS8 home theater running through a Yamaha RX-750. It is a lower powered version of the RX-1400, which is the lower powered version of the RX-2400, etc. I never have to turn my volume up anywhere near maximum, and have never worried about hurting my speakers because of clipping issues. I don't find that the Yamaha is too bright. I have friends with better (more expensive, I should say) equipment visit me and comment on the clarity of the Axiom/Yamaha combination.

Many will tell you to think about (1) power and (2) features when it comes to receivers. The rest is icing on the cake. I.e., what feature set do you want? What's your price point? What are your listening tendancies? Do you need separate bass management for different inputs, etc....

I'm not sure if Mini-Rock is right about the difference in solid state amps or not. I haven't dont the research myself to know. But many others, more informed than I, will say that most solid state amps sound identical if not very close to one another, especially when listened to in isolation of the other. That is, while the Yammy and the H/K migth sound different rigth next to each other, when you take them home, the difference may become so indistinguishable to not make a difference.

I went for a price point and a feature set (making sure, of course, that it wasn't grossly underpowered), and I couldn't be happier with the Yammy.

And MiniRock needs to lay off the caffeine today. Too much Star Wars for him lately. I apologize for the rest of us on his behalf.

Hi MiniRock......got a question,sir.

You had some less than glowing comments to make about Onkyo.

I have listened to my current issue Onkyo 602 in direct mode, and then in stereo with some very light, though noticable coloration, that was actually quite pleasing and not the least bit objectionable thru my M50s and M3s.

(To me)

So Yup, the recvr section does add a little something to the sound of the amp.

Question: When was the last time you compared Onkyo to the other models you reviewed, and what were the serious flaws that you noted?

(it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if you said" Like five years ago" But, please be honest)

I think I know where you are going with this one. I used to have a top of the line Yamaha Pro-logic receiver manufactured in the mid-nineties. I can't remember the model (RVX-2070 or something) but it did have a nice flip-down face cover. I used to have an earlier model Adcom amplifier that I used prior to purchasing the Yamaha. I had a terrible revelation of the sound quality difference. I currently use a HK AVR-325 which sounds better (not quite up to the old Adcom, though) than the Yamaha and was about to label Yamaha as garbage. However, upon listening to Yamaha's new equipment, they have improved significantly. I always enjoyed the sound quality from the high end Marantz receivers (though at the time could not afford one)but I still feel that the best sound quality comes from separates.
The quality of receivers is always getting better but there are always limitations to what they can provide to the consumer with current technology and manufacturing.

I really liked Onkyo's older receivers, but there newer models are terrible. My most recent experience was in March when a friend tried out a moderate priced Onkyo with his M&K S-150 speakers. I've heard those speakers sound really good with other receivers, but with the Onkyo, it was aweful. I thought of Bilbo Baggins when he said, "I feel thin." That's what the sound was like, thin with no depth. We both cringed while we watched one of the DTS demo discs as the receiver tried, and failed, to deliver good sound.

I know there are one or two people who like Onkyo products, and that's cool. I'm not here to convince anyone that Onkyo sucks ass; it's just one persons opinion. If someone's opinion is that it sounds fantastic, I sure as hell won't tell them that their opinion is "unsubstantiated dreck."

Reply noted; thanx.

My onkyo matches my axiom speakers much better then my yamaha. Your comment is correct about the top end being harsh with the yamaha but my onkyo has no issues like that. It does not have the dsp sound fields that the yahmaha has but the sound is spectacular.

I have no complaints with my Onkyo either, and this is the third one I've had over the years. My older 5.1 did a fine job with my M3s as mains, and the newer 602 sounds great with my M50s. I have to admit that Onkyo is about the only units I've had for many years, so I haven't much of anything to compare to!!

(not counting an Aiwa HTIB I used for a bit to check out HT when it first became popular)

Even checked out a positive Audioholics review of an Onkyo 601 with Axiom M80s as test speakers prior to the 602 purchase, so I felt relatively confident.

But all opinions are welcome and appreciated; even negative ones