Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Help me decide

Hi, this is my first post. I have been browsing the Axiom site for quite awhile and I am just about ready to take the plunge. But I am having trouble deciding what to go with.

I am considering the M50, or the M60 with the VP100 and the QS4 for surrounds.

My debate is the M50 or M60s. I don't hear much about the M50's. I do hear alot about the M22's and the M60's. Is it that much of a difference to go with the 60's over the 50's. Or should I be considering the M22's for value instead of the M50's. I am upgrading from cheap Klipsch bookshleves(KSB1.1) and was thinking a floorstanding speaker would give me a fuller sound.

Sorry for the long post, thanks for the help!!

Lane

A couple of questions:

1. Whats your ratio of Home Theatre to Music?
2. Are you going to be purchasing a sub?
3. How big is your room?

The M22s paired with a good sub can rival a floor stander for home theatre listening (and still pretty good for 2 channel listening). The M22s and the M60/M80 are usually in the same sentance because of their mid range woofers. The M50 does not have a mid range woofer, thus will not have the same mid-range clarity that the M22s, M60s, and M80s do.

Actually, the M22s get compared more to the M80s than the M60s (in regard to their high/mid range response) because of their dual mid range woofers.

-Hutz

Thanks for the quick reply!

1. My ratio of HT to music is about 60%HT to 40%music, music is one of the main reasons I am seeking out new speakers.
2. I have a sub that I will continue to use.(Outlaw, LFM-1)
3. My room is a den/kitchen with the entire area being about 18x30. The den area is about 20x18 of this room.

So I guess I should be considering the M22's or the M60's. I am just a little hesitant to go with bookshelves again. Although I assume the M22's would be quite an upgrade from my old Klipsch. So will the M22's be a good choice for music paired with my sub?

Lane

The M22s can actually pump out quite a bit of volume because of their dual mid range woofers.

I love the clarity of mine (in a 16x14 room) and I think they sound just amazing.

For music, most will recommend a floor stander because they like to listen to music without the sub on. However, if you are going to be using your sub in a 2.1 setup, I would advise trying out the M22s first. Bookshelf or not, some reviews state that they actually do rival floorstanders in terms of output capacity (if that is what you are worried about). I know that this forum has some members that have M22s in a 3200cu.ft. or so room and think they sound awsome.

Your total cu.ft. is over 4000cu.ft. (with the kitchen), so M60s would be a good choice as well if you can afford it.

Try the "Hearing Things" forum for someone in your area that you could go and audition some M22s or M60s.

Lane,

what's your budget? Can you afford the M60's? If so, go for them. You won't be disappointed.

To validate your question, yes, floorstanders will give you a fuller sound than bookshelves.

What about center channel? If you are putting one lying down on a TV, the VP100 is more than enough for your room size. But, if you can fit another M60, or an M22, as a center channel, standing up, that's even better.

If I buy everything from the factory outlet. The 60's will fit in my budget. I will have to use the vp100, it is the only size that fits my entertainment center that I just custom built about 6 months ago.

Thanks for the reply!!

Lane

That's a big room. I'd really try to stretch for the M60's. By the time you factor in the cost of stands (if you need them), the price gap gets closer.

Lane, Welcome, I agree with the vote for the 60's, they will provide a larger soundstage and as Tom stated there won't be that much of a difference in price once you get stands.

not sure I understand everyones "difference is not that big after you get stands" argument.

You can get a good pair for $100 or less, or build your own for $50.

The current difference in price is $520USD, at most, the differnce will shrink to $420...really, is $420USD a small difference?

Not to me its not. When you can get a new receiver (Yamaha RX-V659) for the difference in price, its not too small of a difference.

So far it seems the verdict is for the M60's.

Has anyone ordered there axiom's from the factory outlet?

I will have to go that route to get the 60's.

So are the 50's totally out of the question for the size room that I have?

I agree with Hutzal that the price is quite significant. But, I am willing to shell out so that I don't feel the bug to upgrade so quick.

Lane

Hi Lane,

The M50's don't seem to get much love because I think people perceive that the M60's are worth the incremental cost. There are many folks who love them. I think the M50's would still be preferable to M22's for such a large space.

Don't worry about the Factory Outlet. The nearly-universal reaction seems to be "I can't find a blemish".

Quote:

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Has anyone ordered there axiom's from the factory outlet?

---

Many of us have ordered from the factory outlet, everything I have bought from the outlet looked like it was brand new.

Agreed about the factory outlet (I got all my gear through the outlet)

The only problem I see with the factory outlet products is that they take so stinkin' long to get!

Also, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but the QS8s might be a worthy addition to your room size over the QS4s.

I would suggest going with the QS8s (if you can swing it), if not, then i guess you can't!

Keep in mind if you order over 5 items at once from Axiom, you get another 5% off (that 5% might be enough for you to upgrade to the QS8s)

-Hutz

I had the same dilemma, go with M22's or M50's. For me it came down to a couple of factors, namely sound, cost and esthetics. I wanted good sounding speakers without a doubt. Then came the issue of cost and esthetics. I knew I really wanted floor standing speakers because of the look but the difference between the M60's and M50's was a bit too much for my pocket book, $200 plus tax. I bought brand new HG Cherry, M50's, vp150, QS4'.

Keep in mind that the M60's are larger than the M50's and would have been too much for my space. A couple of inches can make quite a bit of difference in a 800sq ft condo. I'll be sitting around 9ft away from the speakers and they will be about 7ft apart. So the M50's won out in my case. I seriously doubt I will be disappointed with their performance. If I am well I guess I can always return them. The M22's would have probably been the better choice space wise as I could have put them sitting right on each side of my tv on my tv stand without the need for buying separate stands.

I have to admit though I still sometimes change my mind and think about changing my order to M22's or M60's but I think it's only because everyone on this site constantly mentions the M60's and M22's. After a while you start to question your judgement/decision.

I was very happy with the M50s while they were my primary speakers. Good stuff.


justdontaskmeaboutcomparingthemwiththem80s...

Lane, welcome. Since you already have a fine sub, the M22s would be good choices. Don't assume that a bigger speaker necessarily means a bigger(or "fuller", whatever that really means)sound. The M22s have very wide dispersion and sound plenty big because of that, not their physical dimensions.

Also keep in mind the possibility of using a vertical center for wider and smoother horizontal dispersion.

Your room is quite big, and I think M60s would probably be best for you. I can't be more happy with mine.