Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater A downside to the M80s?

I was just wondering if there would be any downside to getting the M80s over the M60s considering I have a smaller room ( 15*20*10)?

I am considering the relatively small increase in cost vs the futureproofing the M80s provide(for a larger HT room down the road)

Thanks again, in my first post here I couldn't believe how helpful everyone seems to be on these forums and sincerely appreciate the expertise you all so willingly provide.

The only thing you would have to consider is being a bit more selective in what you power the M80's with since they are rated at 4 ohms. Brands that have been proven to drive the M80's without issues have been Denon (the most popular and affordable among M80 owners), Sherwood Newcastle (Axiom sells online), Harman Kardon, Rotel and many others.

IMO there is no downside in going with the M80's over M60's.

if you can afford the m80's go for it. great speaker.

One more vote for the M80's.

The M80s sound great at low volumes and the sound is very detailed so they should be fine in a small room.

Briliant!

I am probably looking at using either a Denon or an Onkyo to drive them. The Onkyo TX-SR806 seems to have caught my eye (Since it is only a few dollars more than the 706)

I live on the east coast in Canada so the fact the Onkyos run hot will be welcome in the winter months :-)

Mandrake,

Onkyo are not generally recommended with the M80's because of people having issues with certain models (shutdown/protect mode) in the past. This Onkyo model might indeed be able to handle the M80's but Denon has been proven to work very well with the M80's. What Denon model were you considering?

I wouldn't think you would have an issue with the 806 - it is THX Ultra 2 which means it is rated to handle 4 ohm speakers. Since you have a small room, you won't need much power to achieve ear splitting levels.

The biggest drawback to getting the M80's is you won't be invited to the M60 Owners Club (and we are WAY better than the M80 club)

I've owned both 60's and 80's, they are both great speakers and sound very similar. Either should bring a smile to your face.

Haha, well...I guess I can always slum it with the M80 crowd ;-)

In regards to the amplifier, I was hoping the Onkyo 806 being rated at 4 Ohm would be ok. As far as Denon is concerned, I would probably be looking at the lowest model that is rated at 4 Ohm. (I think it's the AVR 989 at FS/BB but I can't find anything on the Denon Canada website specifying any of their 7.1 amps as 4 Ohm capable)