Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater M80 as center channel speaker

If money and space was not an issue, would there be a dramatic improvement having a third M80 as the center channel speaker over the VP150?

I have not tried it myself, Although i have the speakers to do so, But I believe it would be an improvement myself. I'm really not sure why I didnt do that to begin with in my parents theater room when I chose the speakers for that system.

Any chance you could test it out and let us know your thoughts?

I've heard it and was very impressed. However, I didn't hear a VP150 in the same environment, so I can't really speak to that.

Vertical, matching centers are pretty popular around here, so I'd say that it's probably the best way to go.

Alan Lofft has written an excellent article on center channel speakers and his conclusions have been pretty much the same as I have encountered in my experience in recent years. The horizontal speaker, like the VP150 and others(as a result of TV monitor issues AND weight) has always been a compromise and even with the same matching brand all the way around, just changing the position will often change the timbre resulting in a possible loss of the desired smooth transition of sound from left to center to right, etc.

If one has the ability to run the same full range speakers across the front(like movie theaters)and you can do M80's and you have the space, then by all means, go for it. Regardless of how you set up the crossovers, you could run the center channel full range and gain all the desired effects. Theoretically, this set-up would be the ideal. Unfortunately, in the vast majority of home theaters, space, budget and the vitally important SAF(spousal acceptance factor) wouldn't allow it.

I can do the M80 center channel, I would just have to come up w/ a creative solution for housing all my components as they were originally going to go in a console under the wall-mounted TV.

My real problem is the right surround sound speaker... I have nowhere to put it >:(

You can't wall, ceiling, or stand mount it?

Tyns,

I don’t have a M80 center yet but I usually run a phantom center with my M80s. While not exactly the same as using a discrete M80 center I think that in my room it’s a huge improvement over my VP150. It’s not even a contest. I can get away with this because I always sit in the sweet spot when listening this way. If you already own a couple of M80s you could try this and see what you think.

Another option would be to order both, keeping the one you like the most and send the other one back.

I will buy another M80 as a center for when I get a house. I’m considering placing the order now and trying it upside-down above the TV. Not sure how it will work but if I’m going to get it anyway I figure why not now.

Dean

ha, that would be interesting, I could hang it above the TV vertically and angle it downward... 18' ceilings

Which is my problem w/ ceiling mounting the right surround speaker... it's too high

That reminds me of the Axiom factory: M80s bolted to the rafters. It looks kinda funny to see such a large speaker way up there like that.

Grunt. Your comments about the M80 phantom center are interesting. I don't think I can run a phantom center with my current receiver, but I would love to try this to see how it compares to my M2 centers.

The M2s are such a dramatic improvement over just using the display's speakers for sound, it is hard to imagine that further improvement is possible.