Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Is Axiom For Me?

Hi everyone!

I came across Axiom and this forum on a search for my first home theatre / music system, and I must say, I'm quite impressed. I've read through many posts to get myself acquainted with Axiom and the best it has to offer, and decided that it was time to sign up for this forum and ask the experts myself. Everyone on here seems very willing to help out from the reading I've done thus far!

My Background:

I will be moving into a new home in the spring and will be looking to put together a nice, future-proof music / ht system for years to come. The room size is 16.5' x 13.6' Link: http://www.mattamyhomes.com/uploadedFile...h_honeygate.pdf

I live in Canada and bought the Pioneer 9040 / Elite 21 on boxing day for a good price at Future Shop ($599), so my receiver is purchased. I also made the mistake of getting rear surrounds built into my ceiling (to avoid running wires), so won't be needing the QS series surrounds. (I know, not a match, oops)!

The system will be used for 50% music (hip-hop, pop, country and everything else in between!), and the remainder Xbox, TV, and hometheatre. I will not be able to use a subwoofer here, as were in a townhome and space is limited as it is. I may add one in the future however when we move on from this place.

Questions:

1) Since I will be without a woofer, I trust that the M60's or M80's are the way to go up front? From my reading it seems that the M22's require a sub to get the full effect, and M3's will not have the oomph I am looking for in 2 channel music. Any comments? Would my receiver even handle the 4ohm loads of the M80's?

2) For the centre channel, Is the VP-150 worth the extra dough? I would prefer to go with the smaller VP-100 if the difference is minimal due to size. I would guess that the VP-150 would be a better match for the larger M60's and M80's however?

3) Most of the music I will listen to will be from my Ipod and connector cable I got with the Pioneer receiver, which concerns me from what I've read. My downloaded music is anywhere from 128 to 320 quality-wise, and I'm wondering if Axioms would butcher these songs due to the detail and clarity being audiophile-type speakers? (Should I be looking at more mainstream equipment altogether)? I'll also be running radio through this system!

4) Is there anything else I should consider before jumping on the Axiom train? I've heard some say it is too "bright" for music due to the tweeters. Anyhow, I'm leaning towards the M60's and VP-100 at the moment. Seems like a steal when shopping comparable Paradigms!

Any input would be much appreciated, thanks for taking the time to help me out!

Welcome, Chris....

1) The M80 and M60 both have very good bass, with the M80 having more noticeable support than the M60s. Any of the bookshelf speakers really would need more support(ie subwfr) for the type of music you mentioned, as well as for movies although any speaker(including full range towers) would still benefit from the LFE found in most movies. Not sure about the 4 ohm load on that particular receiver, this may make the M60 the better choice.

2) VP100 is fine

3) I'm sure you already have read that Axiom speakers are revealing, if you play poorly recorded material...you'll hear it. On the other hand, decently recorded material will put a smile on your face from ear to ear...

4) Most people who choose Axiom's do so because of their accuracy at reproducing music/movies without colouring the sound. It's more of a personal preference thing, but I would not classify Axiom speakers as "bright"....perhaps "revealing", but again, some people may actually prefer a more recessed speaker with a less forward high end but will sacrifice some of the detail at higher fq's. I would agree with your assessment on the M60/VP100, I think this would work best for you and if you enjoyed the Paradigm sound then it's almost assured you'll like the Axiom sound IMO.

If you are able to, try to audition some Axioms either at the plant, if you are close enough, or checking the "hearing things" thread to see if someone can help you out.

Welcome to the forum

What you have planned should sound great. The M60s are a little more forgiving on ripped music than the M22/M80s and the VP100 is 99% all of the VP150 so go ahead make the purchase and have a listen, only you will know if they are right for you.

Now a sub is still possible as it should be calibrated to the same levels as your mains and it should not sound out of place. When calibrated it will not produce any more bass SPL than the M60s would you just have lower bass frequencies than the M60s can produce not louder. So M22 with stands frees up floor space for a sub

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum.

I feel your indecision as a couple of weeks ago, I was the one that couldn't decide which speaker to get so my first advice to you will be what most people told me: "If you can, go listen for yourself". That's what I did last week. If you are in the GTA, it not that bad, 2h30 drive thru the country side and you'll be able to listen to any speaker you want and have a factory tour. I went with a friend of mine and we both enjoyed the day.

As for between M60s and M80s, I have a mixed comment. Since you intend to do 50% movies and 50% video games + music (including hip hop and pop), I would think that the M80 would be best. The M60s have good an accurate bass, however it's not as deep and pronounce as the M80s which will help you for movies until you get a sub and for music like hip hop. You can read what I thought about both speakers here: http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=284419&fpart=14
Now my concern is about feeding the M80s with mp3s, I am not sure that you will like the result. As Adrian said, poorly recorded material will show and the M60s in that case might be a better choice. For instance, with the M80s, I have CDs (original and purchased :)) that sound terrible, but on the other hand I have some that sound wonderful.
So in your particular case, I would strongly recommend that you listen to Axiom for yourself, take material that you would typically listen an watch and see if you like the result.

Cheers,

Bruno

and I forgot to say, on the other hand, I have some music that was downloaded at 320kbps that, after converting to wav, sounds pretty good, at least to me. Hope this helps.

I think the m60 and vp100 will be fine. The m80 or m22 would work great as well but if you are not adding a sub right away I would stick with the tower speakers for sure. As mentioned, the m60 might be a little better for compressed/ poorly recorded music. Also I don't think pioneer is one of the brands typically suggested by axiom for use with the m80's, although I am sure it would be OK, especially at "normal" listening levels.

Are you considering adding surrounds? If not maybe you should add surrounds before you purchase a center channel. A common upgrade path for folks building a HT system a little at a time is fronts->surrounds->center->sub (the sub doesn't have to wait until last). As mentioned you shouldn't rule out a sub just because you are in a townhome.

You can check the "hearing things" forum and see if there is anyone in your area who could audition their system so you can get an idea of the axiom sound. However, if you are close to the factory you should consider a road trip.

Don't forget if you purchase from the factory outlet section of the website you will save 10% on all speakers, but the wait time is generally 3-4 weeks.

Oh yeah, Welcome to the forums@

bdpf, I don't think that anything is really gained by converting a lossy file into a lossless version. I think that once you strip a file down and compress it what was removed is gone forever.

I do know that several people claim that the difference between a 320kbps mp3 and a lossless audio file is minimal. When you start listening to lower bitrate mp3's things just get worse though.

I guess it's the placebo effect then

Thanks for all the replies! I figured the downloaded music would probably be a lose, lose situation with any decent system I buy - I've just been so use to playing this stuff off of my computer, picking and choosing individual songs - it's very convenient!

I'm in the Ottawa area so it would probably be cheaper to get a few speakers shipped to me, then return the ones I choose not to keep. Unless I make a weekend trip of it of course!

Surrounds will be purchased for my next house, the QS series of course, as I mentioned in my post I have 2 rear speakers being mounted in the ceiling and can't change that now. (Made that decision prematurely).

I think I'm leaning towards the M60's for now, and with the extra money saved vs the M80's I can upgrade to the VP150. I wouldn't have to worry about a sub for now, and running the M80's with my Pio receiver. Some have mentioned that the M60's may hide my crappy music a little better too! Funny thing, on this forum many seem to think there is little difference between the VP100 and VP150, but when googling other forums many are saying the upgrade is worth while! Thanks for that link bdfp, I'll read through that when I get the chance!

Thanks for the warm welcomes!

I use M80s (and Audiobytes) and I almost exclusively listen to ripped music. Most of mine is 160K AAC or better (now doing 256K). I rarely notice much harshness; I definitely notice it with 128K MP3s, though.