Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo M60's dynamic range

I received my M60s yesterday and I love it!
I tried different types of music on my old Kenwood 7080 and it sounded like never before.
Basses are tight and natural, vocals are clear and rich, highs are slightly shy but that is exactly what I like!
I auditioned a pair of Paradigm Monitor 7 and got tired quickly because the tweeter was so pronounced.
One observation however.
With my old speakers I used to adjust volume on the receiver from 20 (very quiet) to 50 (very loud).
With Axiom speakers this range shifted to 35 - 65.
Any explanation for that?
Also it seams that with M60s the loudness changes sharper (the difference between 40 and 35 is substantial).

Thanks,
Vitaly

I am not sure as to why you would need more volume to acheive louder volumes, but I do think I know why there is a sharp difference when you slightly increase the volume. I have experienced the same thing. My guess is because Axiom speakers are very 'sensitive'. Thsi means they need less power to make them loud, so the more power you put, the louder they go.

Also, remember that with many amps, going from -40 to -39 is not the same as going from -9 to -8. This could also explain differences in loudness.

it's because they are not broken in yet. after break in i only need to set my receiver to -35 to achieve the same volume level at -25 when the speakers were hooked up out of the box.

I think that what you mention in terms of volume control levels could be explained with the difference of the speakers. You do not mention what the older speakers were, but suffice to say that the Axiom's seem to require more power to satisfy you. This could be explained by technical differences, and as well as pyshco-acoustical principles as well.

By what you said about needing to turn the amp louder, the Axioms seem less efficient than what you had been using. As Axiom's are quite effecient, and not knowing what you had, I am more inclined to say that the pyshco acoustical (you want to listen to them louder, as they sound better) is what you may be experiencing. The change you notice on the volume control may have been masked by the quality of your old speakers, and is a point where the amp simply produces more power in a non linear fashion.

Thanks for the responses.
Since my first posting I bought Denon DRA-685 stereo receiver and there are no words to describe the improvement.
I can only go up to 1/3 of the volume scale before the walls in my house begin to shake.
The sound quality is perfect no matter how much volume you put into it.
Great speakers!
Vitaly