Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Advice Please

I've owned both the M22's and the M60's.

They have the same amazing clarity. The M60's have a fuller, larger, more three dimensional soundstage. They can also play louder without a hint of strain. And of course their low end is much better.

If you can't be more than 10' back, or don't intend to really crank the sound (85db+) then the M22's with a good sub will work just fine.

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provided the room is large enough with a minimum 10’ separation.

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Some HT gurus recommend that the main speakers be no more that 3' from the video display. And if they are too far apart for 2 ch only, you will create a hole in the center of the soundstage.

How far apart they are kind of depends on how far away from them you are as well. If you're sitting 15' back, having them 10-15' apart is probably ok. Isn't the goal to have a equalateral triangle between the two main channels and yourself?

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Isn't the goal to have a equalateral triangle between the two main channels and yourself?

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Yes, I know this holds true for stereo but the article I read (I'll try to dig it up, I think it was titled something like: the ten most common mistakes in seting up your HT) on home theater stated something like: the mains shouldn't be more that 3' away from the video display because it would undermine the seamlessness between the center and the mains (paraphrasing of course). I don't know that I agree with it but thats what the author says. I actually have my mains about 9' apart (for HT) and I sit about 10' away. The mains are about 4' from the center speaker/display.

I do know that if you place the mains too far apart in a stereo setup it doesn't sound right. For stereo, I place my Maggies according to the equilateral triangle axiom.

I would think that the seamlessness (or lack thereof) has more to do with the quality of the speakers than their distance from the screen.

That doesn't make any sense...

In stereo you have no center channel. So having the speakers too far apart would cause a hole, but in HT you have a center channel, which would seem to make the distance between your mains less critical.

No? Am I missing something?

You are preachin' to the choir here my friend. I'll try to find the article and get the full scoop on just what his reasoning is.

Im confused about using the M60 and M80 in a smaller room. When I use the Axiom Home Theatre Wizard it always recommends the M80 for my small room with a smaller sub EP175. Yet everyone hear is recommending the M22. It is that in a smaller room the M22 are just as good as the M60 or M80 and that these larger speakers just wont make much difference in a smaller room. Or are all of you saying that the M60 and M80 would actually sound worse than the M22 in a smaller room.

Thanks John

I don't think the M80's would sound worse, but all the added benefits of the M80's would be wasted in a small room. Why pay that much more, if you won't gain all the benefits?

This is from the article that I mentioned earlier. It is by Russ Herschelmann in his Home Theater Architect column. The article is entitled The Top Eight Home Theater Mistakes.

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TVs in corners, surrounds against the back wall or front speakers placed 3 or more feet from the screen are all rookie mistakes.

Further on in the paragraph he says:

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Front speakers placed too far away from the screen disconect the sound from the picture, breaking the delicate balance that makes us feel part of the movie

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There is no further elaboration on this subject in this particular article.

I'm thinking that if they are placed too close to the screen/center speaker, you would loose some of the openness and spaciousness (especially in a large room) that you would expect from a movie.