Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Energy RC-70 or M80's?

Hi guys, long time lurker and first time poster. I'm in the market for an entire home theater setup from the speakers to the receiver to the TV and Projector.

I have been looking at the Axiom M60 or M80 setup for a while with an EP 350 or 400 Sub. I've been looking at the Factory Outlet to cut costs.

Yesterday I noticed that FutureShop.ca has the Energy RC-70's going for a ridiculously lower price of $1199/pair due to a sale and the Friends and Family reduction. The same sale will occur tonight Online as well. Normally they are over $2000 CDN/pair.

Does anyone have any feedback on the RC-70's compared to the M80s? I'll probably have a listen to them tonight but I really am not an audiophile and I know i will be impressed by them no matter what!

Would it be wise to mix them with Axiom surround speakers?

Can't help you on experience with the Energy speakers. However, if you use the Search tool and go back 5 years with Energy in the subject line there are lots of threads and lots of reading.

It is more important that your LRC match, however, I also think there is some importance for the surrounds as well, since they use the same brand drivers.

Hi Infamous, cant tell you what the axioms sound like as mine haven't arrived yet but I know that orange260z just purchased a set of RC 70's and he says they sound great. You could try to PM him to get more info.

I will search for the Energy threads right now! I tried to search for RC-70 in the past year and didnt find anything!

I will PM orange260z now but i dont really have much time to make a decision as the Friends and Family discount goes away in the morning!

Here's a review. I doubt very much that you will be disappointed with these speakers...especially at that price. It looks like they are targeted to compete against the Paradigm Monitor 11s. I've listened to the 11s and, with some slight differences, they sound very similar to the M80s. Note that the 80s will play louder and are more linear than the RC-70s. The 70s come with a real wood veneer.

Very nice review. Looks like there was some debate on this in October on these forums as well and i'll read that now! I feel almost guilty talking about these on an Axiom forum but like I said I've been lurking for a while and you guys are all very knowledgable about this stuff!

Keep in mind the Axioms are a closer match to the "Studio" lineup from paradigm. The "Monitor" series historically has been defined to be a grade lower.

I will second the idea about you liking the Energy but for the money I would take the M80s, as they have more detail and play louder. It is the ability to play this detail that sets apart the Studio Paradigms/ M80s and other top end speakers from the Monitors and other slightly lower speakers, IMO.

The M80s from the Factory outlet($1174cdn) are actually less than the RC70s.

double posted

You could buy the RC70's and try them out. Futureshop has a great return policy the is extended to 2008. You could also order a pair of m80's and decide which you like better. I'd be very interested in a side by side comparison.

Paul

I pulled the trigger and bought them. I will pick them up tonight. As mentioned FS has an excellent return policy so i will basically have 30 days to try them out.

I read reviews and they are pretty solid for the RC-70's but the center channel and surround speakers that match with it aren't as well reviewed.

I know it's bad to mix/match different brands of speakers but I'm considering it. I know the SUB is usually the one speaker that is not always matching the others but what if my Center/Surrounds are from Axiom or Monitor Audio or another reputable brand? I know the only way to find out is to listen to them but I wouldnt mind some honest opinions on if i should even try that or just stick to the same brand for all 5 speakers.

The reason I didnt go for the M80 immediately is because of how picky it is with many receivers. I dont want to cancel out Onkyo or other brands based on the 4 ohms.

Just in case you were still waffling the RC-70 wasn't specifically part of the Friends and Family discount and is still $1500 at FS.



edit: teach me to use the back button

Congrats. The Energy's are very nice speakers but with out a comparison the return policy is not needed as I am sure you will find them very good.

It is not as big a deal for surrounds to be mismatched slightly, but the center should be as closely matched as possible. Tonal changes across the front can drive a person nuts.

Why were you looking at the M80's again? Wouldn't the M60 have worked as well and been even cheaper and no 4Ohm load? Just wondering.

It's unfortunate that the point about the M80s being "picky" about receivers has been occasionally grossly exaggerated and has led to some passing up the Axioms because of their present or preferred future receivers. Again, any receiver can drive speakers, including the M80s, which are rated at 4 ohms; the question would be if they would be driven loudly enough and long enough for the particular listener's use pattern.

What colour did you get, because if you mix match brands then aside from tonal matching you may have trouble blending colours with the mains and center...

Congrats on your purchase! I would still consider QS8s for surrounds as they will sound fantastic with mains of other brands. The center, though should be Energy for best results.

I got them in black which is probably best if i will be matching them with other speakers.

I think that is a good idea...to keep the fronts all the same brand but pick out better surrounds like the QS8! The black ones will match the Energy's nicely!

Hey Infamous1!

Congrats on your purchase! I, too, lurked the Axiom forum for quite a while and found this to be a great bunch of people... so much so that I'm still around despite my purchasing something else!

I've had my RC setup for a little over a month now. I bought a pair of the 70s, the LCR, and 3 RC-Rs (one as a rear centre). I read all the same reviews as you, and considered ordering up a set of QS8s and testing them against the RC-Rs.

I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I have no issues with the centre channel, it sounds great, blends in with the front channels, and takes everything I throw at it. I have no issues with the surrounds, either - so I decided to keep them instead of ordering QS8s. I'm not sure how effective the monopole/bipole/dipole "switchability" of the RC-R is - there is no "left" and "right" speaker, so theoretically when you run in dipole mode one of the channels will be out of phase with the front speaker. That being said, I have not noticed any ill effects from this. I am running the two side channels as dipoles, and the rear centre as a bipole.

Overall, the sound from the RCs are quite "detailed". However, they are not "harsh" to my ears. I compared them recently to the Paradigm Monitor 9 & 11, Studio 60 & 100, Focal Chorus 736v & 826v, Polk LSi15, Klipsch RF-82 & RF-63 and in the past also to the PSB Image series.

I spent a lot of time with the Paradigm speakers - I found the Monitors to sound very harsh, but the Studios really nice. Similarly, I found the Focal 700v series to be harsh, while I loved the sound of the 800v series.

IMHO, the RC-70 is comparable to the Studio series, not the Monitors in the level of refinement in the sound. Similarly, they are comparable to the Focal 800v series.

I have been a little concerned that I may be taxing my AVR with these speakers (I have a Yamaha RX-V1200, 80WPC) so I just bought a used Adcom GFA-545II (100WPC but much higher current) and received it last night. Wow, that made a difference! The sound is a lot more dynamic, everything is "tighter", and the bass is quite full & deep.

The imaging with the RC-70s is incredible. If you get your speakers set up right (as a rear-ported speaker, they really like a lot of distance from walls) the soundstage is not only very wide (ie well past the speakers) but also very deep. This was a characteristic that I did not find with a lot of speakers - the soundstage is very 3-dimensional. Especially with female vocals, I have often found myself checking to turn the "surround" mode off, only to find it's in stereo!

Overall, I am quite pleased with my purchase and I'm sure you will be too. I would have loved to try some M60s and M80s, but return shipping from Regina was in the $250 range, and I knew I liked the sound of the Rcs.

BTW, great deal on the 70s you picked up - there are some benefits to having FS carry this stuff!

PS - make sure you try threading the spikes into the plinth... there is a production run of plinths that have the wrong threaded insert, and the spikes will not fit properly. FS will replace the speaker for you; or if you are convincing, they will swap out the plinths.

Feel free to PM me if you have any Qs.

cheers,
Ayan "orange260z"