Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo What receiver is everyone using w/ their Axioms??

Yamaha Rx-v659 have plenty of power and are reasonably priced. Can't speak for the M60 setup, but they drive my M22/VP150/QS8 EP 500 nicely.

Driving my system with a Denon 2805 and Emotiva MPS-1 amp.

By the way, Axioms are not bright and people that say they are don't know jack.

Not everyone would be able to discern purported differences between the sonic signatures of high-quality solid state amplifier circuits. I believe that room interactions and source material are going to make a much bigger difference to most people than the difference between any decent receiver and an upgrade to separates. Any mid-level receiver from any of the major brands is going to deliver a satisfying audio experience with the M60 setup mentioned.

I think it depends on your listening habits, too. Most people are not going to need/want to get "the most" out of their systems approaching 100% of the time. I guess I'd reject the notion that "it's not worth doing without separates". Plenty of people enjoy Axiom setups with modestly priced receivers. Getting a receiver with pre-amp outputs allows a person to enjoy the Axiom sound immediately and still use that equipment in conjunction with a separate amp in the future if warranted.

I just started using a Pioneer elite VSX-84TXSI(previously had the pioneer 1015 but I wanted HDMI on the receiver). I have the 60's, vp150 and QS8s and have 2 old mission bookshelves as my back channels. Right now I have a HSU STF2 for a sub but I have a EP500 on order from the factory oulet.

Actually, even my hard of hearing Dad (has a hearing aid in one ear) could tell the difference between a high-end receiver and high(er) end separates. Granted, he didn't hear as much difference as I did, but he heard it nonetheless. With that said, he thought the compromise well worth the dollar savings. The separates in question would have run additional $3000. Pesonally, after hearing the difference, I couldn't have gone the receiver route.

It's all about your own experience and expectations. From my point of view, if you're going to spend a good chunk of money on speakers, why hamstring them will middle of the road electronics. I've rushed into purchases in the past to save a few dollars, short-changing one side of the home theater for the other, and have ended up disappointed.

While pre-amp outs on a receiver does provide an upgrade path, I'd still argue that the noise floor is going to be noticably higher with this than with a nice pre-pro and separate amplifiers. In addition to this, separates (and high end receivers) tend to have superior internals and greater flexibility (of particular note is speaker crossover settings... there is no comparison here between my existing Pioneer Elite receiver and an Anthem or even an Outlaw pre-pro). Internal components matter. D/A converters, in particular, make a difference.

I have no doubt that many people enjoy the Axioms using mid-line receivers. Many people also enjoy the Bose cube speaker surround system. It's all about individual taste and perception, and thus ultimately subjective. I also didn't mean to suggest that "it's not worth doing without separates", though I don't doubt I came across that way. I thought it worth noting - particularly given the system mentioned - that noticably better performance can be had by spending a bit more, whether this be in the form of separates or a higher-end receiver. How many in here would try to talk someone out of the Bose setup and into a nice Axiom system, based on personal experience? This is exactly what I'm doing with the electronics side of things. Caveat emptor.

My slant on things is probably a bit different than most, but I can't imagine running a nice speaker system from a cheap receiver. If I can spend $3K for a HT speaker system (which is about what I'm planning), 50% of this amount isn't over-kill for the front end electronics (I'd argue differently if we were talking about a HT-in-a-box speaker system, in which case it's probably best matched to a cheap receiver). YMMV.

Nicely said!

In most cases, you get what you pay for.

I totally agree with the above, based on my own experience with receiver and separates (both of Rotel brand). In fact, everybody should listen for themselves and make comparisons on their own houses with their own electronic. It is not nice to dismiss something as useless and waste of money without even trying.