Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Would the M80's be good with a Yahama 1300?

I'm teetering between getting either M60s or M80s. My room will be 20.2 x 12.1 with a 7 foot ceiling and my current amp is a Yammy 1300. I'm sure the M60's would be more than fine, but if the system / room dimensions can handle a pair of M80's I figure I might as well go all the way, since I'm sure they sound remarkable in the proper environment. The question then is, would this environment be proper?

Any advice would be supremely appreicated!

i think you should be fine. the m80s are the most sensitive axiom speakers, which means they need the least amount of power to get loud. also, dont be concnerned about the 4 ohm rating on the m80s. most of the middle class receivers nowadays can power 4 ohm speakers just fine.

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if you are wondering about which speaker to get, between the m60 and m80 email axiom with your room dimensions. they are very prompt in their customer service and will not tell you to buy the more expensive product because its more expensive. they will tell you what will suit your needs the best.

The M80's are the most sensitive, but theyre half the ohms of the other speakers, so while they might go louder on the same amount of power they will need a better amp to handle the 4 ohm load. Most recievers now days wont handle a 4 ohm load such as the M80's. especially when you want to get it crankin. however id say the majority of the more expensive ones will handle it, but i doubt they will do the M80's justice.

Just my thoughts.

Re: driving the M80s on the Yamaha, be sure to see this thread, especially Alan's responses.

I faced a decision somewhat similar to yours. I have a Yamaha RV-1105, rated at 5x85 WPC, which has a 4 to 8 ohm switch on the back for changing loads. In my case, Brent at Axiom recommended I stick with the M60s due to the power clipping potential that Alan describes in that thread linked above. Brent in fact said I should NOT get the M80s due to the potential for power issues with my particular Yamaha. I have no idea how the 1300 will do -- supposedly the 1400 and definitely the 2400 can handle the M80s well. Others on this forum have touted the 2400, so I have to believe it can handle the M80s handily. Maybe you can make some inferences about the 1300 based on its distinctions from the 1400/2400 series? You can learn more about the 2400's impedance switching in this Audioholics review by Gene DellaSalla -- and I seem to recall that somewhere online he describes driving M80s very successfully on his Yammie 2400 -- I can't find the link to that, perhaps it was actually a comment here on the Axiom forums, but I know I've read this.

In sum, I'd definitely email Axiom for advice before proceeding. For what it's worth my wife and I are very happy with the M60s we bought in lieu of M80s, operating in a 14'X18'X8' room, 70/30 Music/HT .... I agree with others however that if you can handle the M80s, power- and budget-wise, you may as well buy them, just for the peace of mind post-purchase factor.