Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater What should I upgrade?

I think speakers are more important than room acoustics. That is my opinion, and I got nothing to back it up.

I was going to make that argument, but that's the problem with border cases (such as the comparison of using rusty baling wire vs using $5000 cables of solid silver)--they don't exactly get at nuances. For example, it's possible that in a truly horrible room, M80s would sound worse than, say, Paradigm Monitor 7s in a well sorted room. But then, that's also a border case. In 2 different average rooms (even in 1 average room and one well treated room), the M80s are going to sound better than Monitor 7s.

Speakers make the biggest difference without a doubt.

[quoteI think I tend to agree with this statement. Would you rather have a full Axiom System and no room treatments? or would you rather have a HTIB with all the room treatments available?

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. I guess I asked for that one. The Polks should not really sound that bad compared to the Polk equivalents that he heard at the demo. Treating the room could make a big difference.

Chris, as most of the previous replies have indicated(and this isn't something that's merely "subjective")the speakers are the components that make a difference. One of the great things about today's audio scene is how we can get audibly flawless performance from players and receivers(certainly including your 435)at quite modest cost. Besides the speakers you have to consider that the acoustics at the dealer's demo were probably more nearly optimal than in your room at home. So, consider speakers and don't be overly concerned about the electronics, but also consider room treatments and be sure that your present setup is well-calibrated.

I'd upgrade your room acoustics so you can hear exactly how each piece of equipment really sounds, and how each piece makes a difference in your overall listening/ viewing experience. It is undoubtedly one of the last things folks pay attention to, but after they do, they are amazed how the quality of their listening experience increases. (some times dramatically)

Here is some good information on why acoustics and a properly tuned room are important, as well as some tutorials on how to DIY acoustic treatments on the cheap:

Home Theater Acoustics FAQ and Tutorials




my 2cents

It wouldn't hurt to experiment with room treatment before you spend a lot of money. The first reflection points can be temporarily treated with some heavier cotton blankets on the walls/ceiling/floor or a piece of soft (a cushy chair) or diffusing furniture (a bookcase) to see if this makes a difference to the clarity. With someone's help, first reflection points can be found in less than a half hour. You can do the same kind of thing in the corners by hanging some heavy blankets and leaving an air space behind them to act as a bass trap.

I tried this recently (my wife wasn't very happy by the way ) and was surprised at how much "tighter" my system sounded in the mid-bass region. I was also able to turn it up louder than just the few watts that I am used to without sounding muddied. Now I have to figure out how to make the room treatment more permanent without spending a fortune.

If treating the room this way gives an acceptable level of sound quality then maybe you can spend some money on materials and build the sound treatments yourself to save on labor. Now having said all of this, you should one day upgrade to the Epic 80-500 system .