Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Upgrading 5.1 system

I was really thinking about getting some 804s list was 4500. I was getting them for about 4000 decided they were not worth the money. Boy was I right, don't get me wrong they are awesome with a capital A. But last week a store here was blowing them out for 2600 new. They had a display model for 2200, I won't lie it was hard passing them up, but I asked are they worth the extra cash. I had to answer no especially after seeing what happens to there discontinued models. there 14000 matrixs go for under 2000. They are pretty though

Well Griff, I for one will be very interested in hearing your comparison between the two speakers since you've lived with the 60's for so long and will now finally have the speakers you've been dreaming about the whole time. I must admit, I purchased the 80's for the very same reason you stated... I didn't want to sit there listening to my speakers everyday thinking, "wow, as good as these are, I wonder what the 80's would have sounded like"?

However, I must admit now that I've had my 80's for the last year, I am ubber curious as to how the 60's sound! I'm probably going to get a pair in the next 6 months or so. Here is how I envision it playing out, I hook them up to my system as it stands now, and they sound so similar to the M80's that I have no problem taking my 80's out to the studio and keep the 60's in my HT. I'm thinking the 80's would do a better job as a stand alone speaker in the studio. In other words, I don't have a subwoofer or any surrounds out there, so they'd be responsible to fill the entire studio with pleasant sounding music during shoots. We rarely crank the tunes out there, perhaps during a really crazy senior shoot, but besides that the music is usually playing fairly low. I don't know how the 60's play without much volume pushing them, but I know the M80's play excellent all the way to next to nothing. So during either scenario, crazy senior shoot or soft baby shoot, the M80's seem like a great choice.

On the other hand in my HT/sales room I often have the volume up fairly loud. Plus I have 3 other speakers playing, the center and surrounds (I know, I know... bbigwyrs will never approve) and subwoofer to help out with any difficiencies that the M60's might have in comparison to the M80's. But I'm thinking there really won't be much at all left to be desired when I hear the 60's for the first time. I am curious about the tip that the 80's put out more bass though. Using the same woofers I would have thought they would have put out the same amount of bass. Looking at the supplied graphs Quackie is right though, they show the 80's going 3 hz lower than the 60's... who'd a thunk it?

So anyway, congrats on your purchase... I hope they're everything you ever dreamed they'd be. May I enquire what you're brother bought to replace his $8000 dollar B&W's btw? And did you ever have the opportunity to put your 60's up against them? Just wondering how they faired.

Looking forward to your review!

When comparing the M60 to the M80, remember the M80 has a larger cabinet(taller AND deeper) which lilkely reinforces the bass, and they also use different crossover points which I'm sure makes some difference as well.

Anyone who thinks the M60s NEED a subwoofer would have to apply that exact same reasoning to the M80s; that one is trying to reach a SIGNIFICANTLY lower bass point with SIGNIFICANTLY more volume.
The M80s have a larger cabinet, more volume, more sound, more bass extension. HOWEVER, you have to really listen for it. The M80 is NOT a M60 with a subwoofer like component all of a sudden attached!

This ongoing comparison between the M60 and M80s is continuously overblown. It is being made out to be like comparing the M22 sans sub vs. the M80s in an outright listening test.
Why is this being promoted like a night and day experience?
Has anyone actually heard the M60 vs. the M80s in anything but a sighted subjective manner?
Until they do, this propagation of differences between these two speakers will continue way out of proportion to reality.

Sorry Micah, i've commented on a few of your posts in this regard, but with so many newbies coming to the forums over the years, there's been many a snake oil we've battled from cables, power conditioners, etc. But when it comes to differences between speakers, more often than not the differences are so subtle that instantaneous switching comparisons are required to hear those differences EVEN MORE SO with speakers from the SAME company that use the SAME drivers, SAME cabinet design, SAME crossover components.
I've never read about this concept of M80 being a 'better' speaker than the M60 so much as i have in the past year or two and in my opinion newbies are getting skewed information in this regard.

Is it possible that people could discuss the Axiom speakers (or other brands they like) without having to bias their suggestions to their favoured ONE model by constantly pronouncing its (overblown) characteristics vs. all others?
Does anyone try to take a more down to earth, ego removed approach to providing newbies information?
One thing i've always thoroughly liked of Axiom is their integrity in trying to design a speaker in an objective way; by taking what we know of human behavioural and listening science, and applying it to make good speakers of ALL their speakers. I doubt their sales people are taking phone calls and pushing the M80s with the same vigour (and reasoning put forth) i read in these forums as of late.

Nice work, Chesseroo.

GStrife, think about upgrading that SVS 2531-PCi. I have the M22s, VP150, and QS8s in a large room. I went from the 2531 to the SVS PC13-Ultra last year. I'm now hearing (feeling) the very low frequency bass passages in movies like LOTR that the 2531 just couldn't reach. It won't make much difference for music.

The downside (bonus?) is that pictures on walls in non-adjacent rooms are now occasionally vibrating. Wow! I can only assume the EP-800 from Axiom would provide similar results.

Bill

Hey Micah I cant wait to give you my opinion but it looks like its going to be awhile, till they ship. My brother has not bought any thing yet. He sold his speakers because of the new series II that came out now. He is still thinking what to get seems what he sold and what he can get aren't that different. And yes when he first got them we were living together, They were nice the way they play drums is something else. But you need them in the room together to really hear the difference. If you made me rate them, the 60s 91.8, the 803s 96.3. I am hoping the 80s bring me to a 94 or 95 thanks

Mojo was switching and I had my eyes closed, so I had no idea which he had switched to other than by sound and the differences were quite noticeable and I think this is about as a good a blind listening test as most of us home owners can do without spending alot of coin.

I do know that the longer I listened to the M60s and ignored the sound differential to the M80/M22's, the more I liked them, but people will search on the internet and look for information on the differences between the M60/M80, they are both good speakers with a slightly different sound which I feel is noticeable and the prospective owner asked and deserves to know about it. Will the prospective owner be able to tell the difference I can't answer that as we all hear things a little differently.

But the different crossover points, cabinet sizes and number of drivers affects the sound and it makes a difference. I noticed the M60s were a touch more subdued than my M22Ti's right away as did my wife.

I think we do try. When the M60 was the darling of the floorstanding model it was the one recommended over all others, now that many have heard and own the M80s, the M80s are now recommended more often as it does offer something different and possibly better to some, than the M60.

I think the M80s are recommended knowing human characteristics of wondering about or wanting (ie. that 'am I missing something feeling') that more expensive speaker. For Axiom's sales people to do this would seem like they are pushing the consumer to the most expensive speaker and it would be a black eye to the company. We on the forum are not stuck with this ethical dilema, we can spend other peoples money very easily

No appologies needed. I in fact do not anticipate much of a difference between the two speakers myself. But here is my position, I am absolutely in love with the way my 80's sound, I would like to buy a pair for the studio which currently has an old set of Pioneer's doing a very bland job at best of filling the air with pleasant music. But I actually like the way the M60's look better than the M80's.

Therefore I am wanting to buy the M60's to put in my living room and move the 80's out into the studio. I already know that the 80's do not NEED a subwoofer for music. Anyone who read my EP800 thread knows that the time I spent with my M80's without the assistance of a subwoofer REALLY impressed me. So since all they'd be doing in the studio is playing music, I'm 100% comfortable with the M80's doing the job and doing it very, very well.

In the living room I listen to music all day, and watch movies at night. So I do have a subwoofer in there because as much bass as the 80's put out, in movies a subwoofer adds an entire new dimension to the experience. So the only trepidation I have concerning the 60's really is this, will I like the top end as much?

I've heard direct comparisons that rate the M60 as a bit more laid back than the M80's. I don't know if I'm going to like that or not until I hear them right next to the M80's. I want to, my hopes are that I'll find them so similar that I have no problems swapping them out. But you just never know until you try right?

These are the reasons I'm anxiously waiting to hear this comparo. It has nothing to do with the amount of bass they put out, my mentioning a subwoofer was only in regards to the movie aspect of the task at hand. I'm anticipating he won't find a whole lot of difference between them. If this is the case it will reaffirm my plan and I will hopefully have the better looking (just my personal opinion) M60's in my living room soon.

But honestly, even if he does find a bigger difference to his ear than I'm anticipating it won't change much. I'll still try them out for myself. No two opinions are exactly the same after all.

I hope I didn't start a fight lol, but does any one know if the 1560 can handle the m80s.