Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater The long-awaited e-mail... "Axiom Order Shipped"

Received the e-mail today from Noreen, my HG Cherry set (VP150, M80s, 4 QS8s) is on its way to Texas. They'll be paired with an existing Earthquake sub and driven by a new Denon 3808 that is awaiting them almost as anxiously as I am...

This is definitely the motivation I needed to get the final wire runs done through the attic... Off to work on that now!

Jason

That's good news, Jason! Need I metion we all enjoy pics of the HG Cherry. . .

Rock on in Texas.

Those existing Earthquake subs are way better than the non-existent ones - those are totally lacking in low end!

How long did it take from the time you ordered until the time they shipped?

Trust me, you will NOT want for pictures when they arrive!



Truer words were never spoken. ;-)



I ordered them just over a month ago, though it only seems like 3... the wait has been killer.
=====

Last night I finished the cable runs I needed to do to my Zone 2 (a game room about 50' away from the media rack). Today I need to redo the surround pre-wiring in the media room that the builder did with 16 gauge wire. I've got a spool of 14 gauge in-wall from Monoprice that I'll be starting to drop in today. The projector is hung and wired. Though the room still looks like a total disaster with wires hanging out everywhere, the plan is starting to come together.

Today, hung up at customs.... Oh the agony! Does everyone have this happen to them or just me? FedEx called me and made me fill out some paperwork before they'd let them through... I just sent it back, it'll be interesting to see what type of delay this introduces.

That is strange, I've never had that problem. What was the reason it got hung up? Normally, there can be a short delay, but they don't hold things for no reason?

I've seen it once or twice. It's usually a dollar amount thing.

Once we shipped some paintings back from Venice. Declared value was something like 200, but there was some confusion between commas and periods (by Fedex or by the shop, I don't know), and the statement for customs said it was $20000! I got a call on that one...

I think it must have been the dollar amount. They're shipping me 7 speakers (no sub), so just under $3k. We'll see how it goes.

By the way... for those of you following my wait, FedEx released the speakers from customs... more tomorrow!

In the meantime, 3 of 7 speaker runs replaced with 14 gauge wire, at which point I ran out of 14 gauge wire. ;-) The rest arrives from Monoprice Thursday and the runs remaining are by far the easiest.

I'm wondering how much time I should allocate for hanging the sides/rears (QS8's)... It is looking like I might be doing a lot more hanging when they arrive than listening (at least the first day).

What a surprise this morning at 8:30! 4 of the speakers "slipped" through customs and arrived on my doorstep. The M80s, VP150, and one QS8 are here. The M80 box was beat to holy hell when it arrived, but I opened it up and it looks like Axiom's careful pack job kept it safe and happy.... on to the hookup now!

A 4.1 setup! Happy hookup!

I've got the first 3 up and running (the front 3)...

I'm waiting for my wife and mother in law to leave so I can crank it up.

First comment from the mother-in-law... "Oh, they're beautiful, they look like a piece of furniture!"

The other problem in tweaking the setup is that I don't know my Denon well enough to know how to change the settings without doing the full automated setup (which I understand doesn't work well without all speakers installed).

Anyway... lots of fun thus far.

The automated setup will work just as well and optimize for 3 speakers. You will then need to re-run it when all your speakers are installed.

Cool, more to do in the meantime!

Brief update: I have, without a doubt, already impaired my hearing...

WOW

It seems to have shortened your vocabulary too!
WOW is hard to beat without having to use extraneous superlatives and juicy (yet positive) expletives!

I like WOW

I got an order in today! But it was just the banana connectors I ordered. (so no real WOW here )

I've been meaning to write up my experience over the last few weeks with mine as well, but figured I'd wait 'til i get the A1400-8 in the mix and do up the total package.

Well, the full speaker install is done (Phase I at least - more on that later) and I have to say, I am really really happy with how it has turned out. The M80's are an amazingly versatile speaker and the VP150 has vocals that just seem to jump out of the walls at me.

I have really enjoyed using the 7-channel stereo mode on my Denon 3808 as well to hear iPod stereo music turned into a fully room-enveloping experience.

The installation process was interesting as the speakers arrived in 2 groups thanks to customs holding up half the shipment but allowing the first half to slip through...

My first "setup" was the VP150 "floor mounted" on the VP150 box between the M80s. It still sounded fantastic, but for many reasons, I wanted to get it off the floor. I'd purchased the FMB from Axiom and planned on putting it in the ceiling, and got that much today.

Here's how it started:


And here's how it looks after today (the screen is scheduled to arrive next week).


As you can see in the pictures, the reflectivity of the HG Cherry is amazing.

You can also see the full gallery of pictures I've taken thus far here... the room continues to be a work in progress, but has come a LONG ways since we started last week. The window treatments also went up today, which finally means the ambient light problem is taken care of.
Home Theater Setup Pics

You'll note that in my post above, I mentioned that "this phase" of installation is nearly complete... as it so happens, ugraditis hit me hard, and much earlier than expected when doing the initial setup, calibration, and subsequent listens.

Those of you sharp readers will have looked at the "after photo" of the front wall and seen a big gaping hole under the center channel that is just begging to be filled. The question is... with what? The answer... an EP600 in High Gloss Cherry purchased on the last day of the free upgrade promotion.

I have a ~5 year old Earthquake 12" sub that performs well, but not quite up to what I was expecting when paired with the rest of the Axiom speakers. I did the "crawl" and found the best place for the sub, which in my case was in the front right corner, right next to the M80. From here, it sounded good to me, the unexpected problem was that the wife said NO WAY to having that "ugly black box" sitting next to those Axioms. (Yes, she knows them by name)

I told her there was only one solution I could think of... getting a new matching Axiom sub to round out the collection. Miraculously, and I do mean miraculously, she agreed with very little argument. Plus, with the promotion ending yesterday, I struck while the iron was hot!

(As an aside, she made it quite clear to me that if we were getting this speaker, there was a laundry list of things for the house that she would be getting as well -> and she made true on the promise no less than 24 hours later... even so, a deal I'd take again in a heartbeat!)

The 600 will undoubtedly be capable of total overkill for my room, but to me, there really is no such thing. I can't believe I'm back in the dreadful waiting game so soon after getting the rest of the system... but here I am! The best thing is that between now and then, I now have PLENTY to occupy me in the meantime.

Congratulations on the toys. It's a beautiful system you've assembled.

Pretty, pretty good! This will give you years of pleasure (once you're done with the new chores, obviously!)

Congrats, enjoy your new system and good luck on the "to do list".

Congrats. Be careful how loud you turn up the 600. It could rip your room apart .

I am actually seriously worried about it shaking my VP150 out of the ceiling once it sits right below it.

I'm a little skeptical about the integrity of that mount with just two wood screws into the stud...

Am I over-worrying about this? Any suggestions for securing the mount a bit more?

As far as I know, what you have is what Ian runs in his house (well, he has 2 VP150s) and he apparently likes it LOUD.

If you've got the screws going into the studs you should be fine--as long as you used long enough screws.

Nice looking set-up, so far!

Thanks for the comments... the pictures don't do it justice yet (it's kind of a dim room now that the curtains are in and I don't have a great camera... hard to have a camera budget with the way this system is shaping up)

As for the mount, it only allows for two screws. It came with 2" screws and I used 3" instead, and they're both straight into the stud. Sounds like I've done all I can.

I think he has 2 EP600's too doesn't he?

I believe for my 2500 cubic foot room one of each should last me for awhile.

Isn't that 4 EP600?

Nothing would surprise me.

What I actually meant was that his VP150s are mounted above is 600 using single fmbs. Of course, his aren't on an angled ceiling...

You could do pull ups on the FMB when mounted like you have, so don't worry about it falling.

Wood screws into a stud? Have you thought Lags?

Nope, sure haven't. I don't know what a lag is, but wikipedia describes them as a wood screw with a hexagonal head as opposed to Philips or flathead... what are the other differences?

That is pretty much the only difference, other than Lags usually start at 1/4" dia. and go up from there while wood screws stop at about this point.''

Like I said, with 3" screws you could hang your entire body weight off this mount and it wouldn't move.

With 3" screws into the framing you have nothing to worry about.

Nice looking set up, you have no worries with the FMB sticking to the wall. I was able to support my weight 200lbs from it. The only thing to be aware of is having the VP150 securely attached to the FMB itself.

As there's only 1 bolt in the middle of the VP150 to attach to the FMB if it's not tight it could get loose and swivle. I would like to see 2 bolts on the VP150 to the FMB as mine got a little loose and rotated/spun which left a nice half circle mark on my wall. My VP150 was a little off center originally which bugged me and I moved it. I tightened it once moved but I must not have enough as after a couple months it spun as mentioned above. Afterwards, I decided to take it down and put it in front and below the TV.

So remember to check your screws on your FMB once in awhile, especially if you have a little boy always jumping around in the room above. I will try to post a pic tonight.

Yes, the spinning scenario seems totally possible... The instructions with the FMB warn pretty strongly of not overtightening, so at this point, if I press down (fairly lightly even) on one corner or the other of the speaker, it will swivel.

Based on your experience, it sounds like I can tighten it to the point of not moving at all with light pressure and still not run the risk of damaging the speaker. I'll give that a go today.

Thanks for the info.

In looking at securing my 150 to the wall in the new room (once it's ready) I was thinking that whatever bracket I use, a couple of stick on rubber pads, positioned tightly on either sides of the bracket, would help to prevent spinning unless someone really puts weight on one end. Some rubber foot pads have very sticky adhesives. Just stay away from the discount store variety.

A general rule of thumb for tightening alan bolts(internal hex) is to use the long end of the alan wrench like a torque wrench. When you push on the long end and you can feel it flexing you have reached optimum torque on the bolt.

Just thought I'd post pictures of the screen now that it is mounted. 92" Elite Screens fixed frame. Went together in < 1 hour and looks quite nice. I'm very happy with the purchase.

Ignore that black piece hanging down under the screen... that's the Wii sensor. I bought some Velcro to attach it under the screen but have been unable to find it today.

It also projects a beautiful image... Check out this shot of the Finding Nimo menu. (the picture would be better on a tripod [also MIA since moving]. This was as still as I could get it, it is actually sharper than what the picture shows, and the picture doesn't look half bad.)

Very nice, myrison! We're all coming over for movie night.

I think anything by Pixar is reference material for both picture and sound. Doesn't get any better.

Looks very nice. Where do you hear the centre image?

Looks great, I'm really getting jealous of all you guys with these dedicated HT rooms.

I'm getting jealous of all you guys with houses....

Very, very nice indeed.

So how much noise does the Epson put out and what kind of dvd player are you using?

The center image actually sounds pretty good. I was worried it was going to seem misplaced being a tad high. I experimented a bit with the angle of the mount (aiming it further up and down).

I settled on the angle in the picture and then ran the Denon's Audyssey setup again and it really seemed to balance out nicely. Keep in mind I traded up from a 5.1 Bose system though, so my ears may still be in sonic shock from the pure quality of the Axioms versus what I had before.



I think the bad reviews on the Epson noise are really overhyped. If I sit alone in the dark with just the projector on (no music, no movie) I hear it. If I'm watching a movie or listening to music, I've never heard it.

This is all running in its "HD" mode, which is a lower-light setting ideal for dark rooms, which fortunately I have. If you're going to run it in "Cinema Day" or "Vivid" (think spotlight power) it is louder. I only ran it in this mode before I had curtains on the windows. I would probably turn it on to this mode as well for a sports watching party, but in that scenario, there'd be a bunch of people in the room talking/screaming/etc., so I can't imagine it possibly would be bothersome in that setting either.

To the final question, DVD Player = PS3.

Looks real nice, I want a dedicatd HT.

Very nice!

Here's a shot of a loose VP150 on an FMB. Some serious bass or jumping by my son in the room above



Due to an over active soon to be 4 year old and a new baby 2 weeks away, the speaker has been moved to a stand in front of the tv (still under progress) Some how it also went from Boston Cherry to High Gloss Cherry

That's nasty. How did that happen? Mine is rock solid on the FMB.

I’d count my blessings it didn’t fall and hit the TV.

I find the weak point of the FMB to be the single bolt atatchment to the speaker. My qs8's have a tendency to rotate slightly if bumped giving them the crooked picture look. I have tightened the mounting bolt tighter than I felt comfortable with to limited success. I can see a vpseries or m-22 being touchy. A toothed mounting surface on the FMB or speaker or both might be a positive upgrade for future versions.

You could always use some stick on sandpaper(400+grit) cut to the same size as the FMB mounting area and then applied to that same, face-speaker side, to give it some bite. It should help stop the twisting.

I fear the exact same thing will happen to mine at some point. No matter how much I tighten the bolt to the speaker, it will not stop from spinning with even slight pressure applied to one side or the other. Fortunately, it is out of reach of children... but bass from the EP600 on order (that will sit right under it) may prove too much.

Congrats on the new baby!

For the FMB issue, how about a flat washer against the speaker, a split lock washer, then the mount and bolt. The flat washer should protect the speaker and the split lock washer should apply enough tension on the threads to keep them from loosening.

That sounds like a good solution (better than putting sandpaper on my High Gloss! - sorry Jakewash) ;). Next time I'm heading to Home Depot I'll grab the parts and see if it tightens it up. It's unfortunate that Axiom hasn't found a way to fix this considering the price of the FMB, but I'd rather fix it and minimize the risk of it falling off the wall than complain about it. (rereading my post, I guess I'm doing both)

I forgot you had the high gloss, but the sandpaper in the higher grit ranges(1000+) won't leave much of a mark if any at all, as it shouldn't be moving across the surface, just adds the extra grip you are looking for on the mount.

The lock washer will leave a mark on the high gloss as well as the washer is bigger than the thread opening. A lock washer should be put under the head of the bolt to help apply pressure to the mount which keeps tension on the threads and this won't leave a mark.

You could also get a product known as blue thread locker, used more for automotive purposes and it will keep the threads from turning, it basically glues the bolt to the threads of the threaded insert, but not so much that you can't force it to loosen with the wrench when needed.

I had it up on the FMB for around a year with no issues. It wasn't rock solid but it was tight. I finally moved the speaker and bracket so it would be more centered above the TV and I thought it was tight enough. But, constant vibration and my son jumping around in the room above was enough for it to slip.

I never thought the speaker would actually fall off the wall, but it scared me enough when I went down stairs and saw it hanging there. Even if the FMB released the speaker, I had the speaker wire wrapped around the cross memeber in the wall so it would only be able to fall a few inches. Always have a back up

i am using the fmb to mount my vp150 below my screen. heck i could not hit any studs so just used two of those heave duty ez drywall anchors. i would agree the weak point is the attachment to the speaker and not the wall. mine is only 20 inches off the ground though. later.