Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Which Axiom tower speakers should I get?

I have already purchased the QS8 surrounds, VP150 Center Channel, and VTF-2 Subwoofer from HSU Research and know need to decide on which Axiom tower speakers I want. I was thinking about the M60Ti's but the M80Ti's intrigue me. Would the M80 be a better match for the speakers I currently have though? For the moment I am using tiny pc speakers for my left and right channels (pathetic) but the sound I am getting from the Axiom center channel and surrounds is unbelievable. (The sub's great too but that's not Axiom )

I can't believe how great of a value these speakers are! I'm a newbie to hometheater and I had never before owned any surround setup of any kind so these are just absolutely blowing me away. I have recommended them to all since purchasing. Music on cd's and in movies sounds amazing. And I know it will be a lot better once I decide on what towers I want.

So what do you guys suggest? Would the M80's be overkill? These speakers are in the living area of an on-campus college apartment so the space is not that big but for the most part I would be able to have them loud. Once I go home for the summer I would be able to turn them even louder.

And one more question... Should my reciever (Sony DA4ES) be set to 4 or 8 ohms? The manual for the reciever said to set the reciever to 4 Ohms if the speakers were 4 or greater and 8 Ohms if the speakers were 8 or greater. These speakers are 6 Ohms but I think I may have made a mistake, by greater are they meaning 4,3,2,1 instead of the 4,5,6,7 I thought it was referring to? I have had it on 4 Ohms, should it instead be set to 8?

Thanks for any help! As you can tell I'm a big-time newbie. My television is the PT50LC13 (Panasonic 50 inch widescreen LCD rear-projection set).

folgers,

The M60ti sounds pretty much exactly like the M80ti. The M80s can just play louder. The main reason to go with the M80 over the M60 is if you have a large room you need to fill with sound. Additionaly, the M80s need more "breathing room" than the M60s and sound best if you're sitting further away ( > 10 ft.), which can be a problem in a smaller room.

If you do get the M80s, you'll need to set the receiver to the 4 Ohm mode. Since the QS8s and the VP150 you already have are 6 Ohm speakers, and 6 is less than 8 and greater than 4, I'd set the receiver to the 4 Ohm setting.

Thanks for the reply! Based on that knowledge, I think I will go for the M60's. I have read various posts here (long time lurker, first time poster) saying that there IS a noticeable difference between the M50's and M60's and that turned me off of the 50's for my specific needs.

Oh yeah, and someone needs to tell Axiom not to be so prompt with shipping! It's pretty amazing how fast my speakers arrived, I ordered them close to midnight and they were shipped the next morning, arrived 2 days later. I'm in NC. Here I was expecting the LONG waiting period usually accompanied with free shipping... VERY nice.

My television does not have room on top for a center channel so I currently have the VP150 on the stand below it. It is about 11 inches below the screen. I have not heard how it would sound being above the screen facing out or angled down....should I invest in a shelve to put it on above the set?

Also, I have not yet mounted my surrounds. The way my room is set up (left side of the couch against the wall and right side of the couch against open space, if the couch was moved over any more it would not be center with the screen) I was thinking to only mount the left surround and perhaps put the right one on a stand in the open space. If I mounted both of them, the right surround speaker would be much farther away from the listening area than the left one which might be a bit odd.

Is there a way to purchase just one QS8 surround stand from Axiom? I could only find a way to purchase them in pairs. If not, I suppose I could go ahead and buy the pair and then maybe use it when I get my third QS8 for 6.1 though I was considering mounting that as there is a wall about 3 feet back from the couch. The viewing distance from my set is about 10 feet. The instruction manual that came with the surrounds said they should ideally be about 1-3 feet above my ear when seated. Would the stands raise them high enough for that? Thanks for the help!

I have heard much of an SPL meter. Is this a good one?

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=33%2D2055

Is there a setup disc you would recommend? I have Avia. I have not calibrated or done any settings changes with my speaker at all, they have just been simply hooked up direct out of box.

folgers,

Both the Radio Shack SPL meter and the Avia disc are the de-facto standards for calibration. You made good choices.

Aaron no, the manual said what was intended: for 4,5,6 or 7 ohm speakers set it to 4 ohms. However, ignore that and leave it at 8 ohms except as a last resort if protection circuitry was shutting off the receiver. When 4 ohms is set it limits the voltage and therefore the maximum power that can be supplied, so this should be avoided if possible

M60s should be plenty for you.