Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater New User with lots of questions

Hi Everybody,
I am new to all this and have been doing a lot of research. I now have to get off my duff and listen to some speakers and evaluate an what I want to drive them.

I am very impressed with what I have read about the Axion speakers and am considering the Epic Master 350's. My only hesitation is the fact that I haven't settled on a reciever yet. I am leaning toward a Harmon Karmon AVR635, but I really don't know what will drive the Axion speakers the best. Does anyone have any advise what might be best.

Thanks,
Bob

Hi Bob, welcome.

Any of the HK, Onkyo, Denon, Yamaha, et al. receivers will work fine. Most people around here subscribe to the theory that "a watt is a watt is a watt" and that - unless you have a perfect listening environment and golden ears - you won't be able to distinguish one solid-state amplification section from another one. So, trying to "match" the Axioms with a particular brand of receiver may not be worth your time. There are lots of happy Axiom owners with all kinds of other equipment.

I think the HK 635 is terrific, and would satisfy you for many years.

Agreed with Tomtuttle. Just choose the receiver with the features you're looking for, and it'll drive the Axioms perfectly.

Welcome Bobby, as the others have mentioned, you will be good to go with pretty much any receiver. I would stick with a reputable name and you'll be fine. The only issue with some receivers is if your going with the m80ti's for your main speakers. Their 4 ohm design sometimes does not play nice with cheaper quality equipment.

ps: By the way, it is Axiom, not Axion.

Ummmm Ok, I think? I study Astronomy also, never heard of those galaxies. Anyway, two typos is why I made the joke, would not have bothered for just one, my bad I guess.

Ah yes, Rich, searching for axions and gluons in our favorite black holes. Still have a considerable interest in astronomy, although not as much as previously(my chemistry degree which turned out to serve as pre-law was originally going to be pre-astronomy).

Ok, so it has been 20 years since my Astronomy classes, and I forgot about that evening class when we discussed the hypothetical boson of mass. Sorry for the confusion.

I'm off to have another Corona, dust off my 16" Dobsonian I built back in college and search the sky for some dark matter.

Bob! Are you still here?!

Sometimes we get carried away!

We're sorry!

Yes Bob, welcome. You don't have to worry about axions, gluons and black holes and need have little concern about "matching" speakers and receivers. All the Axioms need is clean power, and that's available from any of the popular receivers. Pick the features you want at a price that fits your budget.

When I said 16" I guess I was referring to the Sonotube, my mistake. I ran down to measure, the sonotube is actualy 15" diam. and if I recall the primary mirror is 12" F5, however, I didn't want to remove it and mess up the alignment bolts. OK, enough of the hijacking.

Has anybody ever heard of Axioms?

Ooooh 16 inch Dobsonian... droool....

Not that I know that much about telescopes, but a 16 incher is pretty impressive!

<insert bad joke from Peter here>

y'all weird.

Whaaaat?

I think Tom meant good in a weird way. You know, like. . .hmm. . .like. . .a good weird. . .like. . .

hey is that the phone ringing? Gotta go.

(sound of feet running away)

Hi Everybody,
Yes I am still here. Thanks for all you input.
You guys are write I am have very dumb fingers. They just don't type the letters my brain tells them. It is hard to teach old dogs new tricks.

Again thanks for all your input.
Now I just have to get off my dead A?? and get out there and start listening.

Bob

Mornin' Bob; glad you're still here!

And yeah, Randy; "even" a 12" f5 Dob still sounds pretty impressive to me! Looking for Dark Matter could be fun(just what IS it anyway!)but I'd be happy finding simply Dark Skies!!

But I think, Bob; that looking for the receiver with the features you want/need is a good way to go at that!

Worked for me!

....except I wish my older Onkyo had the ability to set each speaker crossover independently.

Anyway...

And even though I've been typing for.....um,...started playing 'round with a typewriter in oh, 'bout '48 or so....how many years would that......?

Still, I still have to look at the keys when I type and when it gets dark and the kids are asleep I have to move the keyboard up on the shelf where the monitor is to gain enough light to see what I'm typing.

In the time between when it's dark enough to move the keyboard, but I haven't moved it yet, I take more time squinting in the dark going from eyes on the monitor to "see" the mistakes, to trying to see the keys again til my eyes get used to the dark all over again.....arrrrrrrrgh!!

But I digress.

So Yeah! Get out there and get a receiver that does the things that you want by a reputable manufacturer, and we'll talk about room size and listening preferences, and all that good stuff, so that you can get some new speakers and we'll all have some fun!!
Rich.

>>> y'all weird.

No kidding!



Welcome Bob! I have an H/K 635 that has driven a pair of 80s in the past and are currently driving a 6 ohm VP150 wired in parallel with an 8 ohm VP100 for a total of 3.5 ohms with no problem. I consider it to be fine receiver with a lot of features and if you are considering the 635 to drive your Axions I believe there are some great deals out there at the moment due to the fact that the AVR 645 will be out soon.

Hi Everybody,

My wife and I will be retiring soon so we are down sizing everything. We just moved into our retirement home. The room we will be using for most for our entertainment will be our living room. It is not ideal for sound but it is the only place in the house we can place a large screen TV and sound equiptment. The room is 18 x 12 and has a high ceiling about 12 ft. That means we will have a bout 3000 cubit feet of space. The room has hard wood floors, a brick fire place and a picture window. The room is furnished with a reclining Sofa and a reclining love seat. I would love to use M80's in this enviorment but my wife would kill me.

After all this whole thing started after we heard some Bose surround equiptment. My wife was real happy that the speakers would hardly be seen. It has been difficult at best to convince her that we should use book shelf speakers.

By looking at the pictures of the Epic masters She agrees they look attractive, but refuses to move beyond that size.
So there is were I am at the moment. I would like bigger speakers, but have to compromise. Neither my wife nor I have a "golden ear", but we both appreciate good sound. Especially since my son is a professional Opera singer and we listen to a variety of music from Opera to Pop.

Enough about us for now. Talk with you guys some more as we progress.

Thanks again.

Bob & Annie
Nikki (CAG)
McGyver (GW)
Sasha (Persian Kitty)

Welcome Bob,

I will give you the standard forum reply, first uttered by our own Ray3 (must give credit where credit is due), when faced with a difficult situation such as yours. Sell the wife! Ray, like you and I, is retirement age, and knoweth whereof he speaketh.

I have a room about the same length and width, but with only an 8 ft. ceiling. Truthfully, I've never heard any of the speakers in the Epic Master systems (M3s/VP100/QS4s/Ep175/Ep350/EP500), except the EP500 subwoofer, one of which proudly sits in the corner of my room. Thus, it's difficult for me to assess whether any of the systems would be enough for your room. However, I feel very safe in saying any of them will embarrass the Bose system.

The best advice I can give is recommending you pick up the phone; give Axiom a call; and explain your needs, wants, and wifely limitations. They are very nice, down to earth folk, will NOT try to hype you into anything you neither need nor want, and they certainly will be able to provide knowledgeable advice about the Epic Master systems. I assure you the results will be well worth the expense of the call.

Keep working on the wife about the M80s. Try the "but honey, if we get them in a custom wood finish they'll look like works of art" routine.

Ajax,
Right now I am still laughing so hard I can hardly type. I don't think selling the wife will be a good solution. I could end up with the garage and that is not a good place for a surround system.

Calling Axiom is on the agenda. I really need to get out and and decide on a receiver. The one that is I seem to be leaning toward is an HK AVR 635. They are really coming down in price as the next version is starting to Ship.

By the way it sounds like you must have one hell of a system.

Thanks for the advise, but I am keeping the wife.
Bob & Annie
Nikki (CAG)
McGyver (GW)
Sasha (Persian Kitty)

All I can say is WOW

Thats Craigsub's basement theater room, right Jack?

After reading all this, I have come to the conclusion that your wife must be incredibly hot. I'm keeping mine, too, but if I told her I had to have the M80s she would relent.

Hi littleb, Actually my wife and I have only been married for 7 years, so the bedroom is still the playroom. We may be old but we are not dead.

Bob & Annie
Nikki (CAG)
McGyver (GW)
Sasha (Persian Kitty)

>>>> "I'm keeping mine, too, but if I told her I had to have the M80s she would relent."

It's a matter of give and take around my house Bruce.

After months of trying, I finally convinced my wife to let me turn our screened room into a music/TV room and all it cost me was a screened enclosed pool. Ouch.

Sorry Randy. Asleep at the switch, as usual.

Yes, that's Craig's basement room. All those speakers and subwoofers are gone now. Nothing lasts too long at Craig's house.

Wow, what can we expect from him next. I thought that was one hell of a system. How can you improve on that.
Bob & Annie
Nikki (CAG)
McGyver (GW)
Sasha (Persian Kitty)

Well, the room in the photo now has a pair of ACI Sapphire XLs with a pair of Rocket UFW-12 subwoofers. I've heard this system and, for music, it is incredible.

In his upstairs main theater, he has ACI Essence V mains, an ACI Essence center, ACI Emerald on-wall surrounds (now discontinued), and two ACI Maestro XL subwoofers (along with two HSU VTF-3 MKII HO Turbos, and at least one SVS PB-12 Ultra (I can't remember if he has 2 or not). Can you tell Craig likes Mike Dzurko's ACI products?

His Axioms are in a third room.

The Maestro link above shows the old version. The Maestro XLs are so new, they aren't even on the web site yet. But, this is what they look like. The box on the subwoofer is the outboard amp that powers the Maestro.

That is a very nice looking sub, and from what I've read the performance is phenomenal. One of these days I would like to hear some of ACI's products.

Hi Everybody,
Well, after lurking around the forum for several weeks. I have finally ordered a system. I wish to thank everyone for their advise and council. Without each of you I would have been lost in a maze of information. Finally after emailing with Jean-Claude I made a decision. We ordered the Epic Master 350 with a VP150 center channel. I am still thinking the Epic Grand Master would be a better choice, but we will try this and see what the wife says. I can always upgrade.

Of course there is always drama when you order something like this over the net. When I placed my order I received an error do to my credit card. Upon calling my credit company they told me that my credit card had been up graded and a new one issued. Now I did recieve new card about a month ago but since it had a new number and expiration date I assumed that it was an advertisement for a new card and threw it away. Well, to make a long story short after much discussion the credit card company allowed the purchase under the old number and Axiom should be putting the order through today so I should have my new speakers soon.

Again thanks everybody. I will let you all know how we like them as soon as they are recieved and set up.

Bob & Annie
Nikki (CAG)
McGyver (GW)
Sasha (Persian Kitty)

Cool beans Bob! I'm betting dollars to doughnuts Mrs Annie is going to take a real licking to the new system ... it's great getting the women involved, I believe.

Enjoy!

[/Homer] DOH! [Homer]

>>I'm betting dollars to doughnuts Mrs Annie is going to take a real **licking** to the new system

Every day Axiom's decision to use a vinyl finish seems a little wiser.

>>> Hi, I doubt my wife will be licking the speakers. Hmmmm I can think of something else. Hey Honey.


Now this is what I call taking a bad situation and turning it in to something good!
_________________________________________

And for you guys who want to rag on a guy who almost never makes mistakes ...

I was starting to like where this thread was going until you said rag.