Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Newbie: Low Profile Home Theatre Speaker Advice?

Close but not quite. When sending back what you order, the freight charge is on your dime. You'll be refunded for what you paid for the speakers when sent back within 30 days, iirc.

Still, it is a good way to decide which way you want to go though. Offer's still open, of course, to have a listen anyway.

Eddie, "vertically configured" simply meant with the drivers arranged vertically rather than horizontally and applies to all sizes of speakers. I was thinking of M22s, either the bookshelves mounted on the wall or the on-wall/in-wall version.

Looking at your proposed setup, with the TV high above the fireplace, and the speakers presumably at the same level, a different thought immediately comes to mind: use the right wall rather than the fireplace wall. Unless there's some problem with that wall that isn't shown on the diagram, the TV and speakers could all be mounted at a more convenient height for both video and audio. The main couch would of course be about where the smaller one is now.

Man; I love this board for it's quick responses.

@CatBrat: Great link - definitely helped in persuading the wife. She does love her low-profile.

@Kruncher: Awesome! Thanks so much for the invite. I'll chat with the wife and see if she's up for it. Even if we don't make it out there, I really appreciate the offer. I imagine you'd recommend your M22's?

@Nashvegas: I might do as you suggest; in ordering a few extra speakers and sending a few back. As a commenter later on posted, it looks like it would cost *me*, not Axiom to return them, but in the quest for good sound, that might be a worthwhile cost.

As to your comments about the on-wall speakers not being to your liking - I have heard that sentiment echoed loudly by a few people. Unfortunately floor-speakers just aren't an option in this space - it's rather cramped as it is with my existing floor speakers, and the wife has given me an ultimatum. The best thing I can do is find a good set of on wall/in-wall speakers and combine it with a good subwoofer (which the XW-500d appears to be) to round out the low-end. Wish me luck.

@JohnK: Thanks for the info on the definition of vert-versus-horizontal. I'm assuming the M22's and the V150 meet the criteria of vertically configured?

As for your point about moving the setup - you've caught a flaw in my diagram. The wall that you mention isn't illustrated properly. First off, it's a bay window (so it's angled like a tri-fold), and it's also (obviously) got a window in it. In a way that would be ideal - I could have floor standing speakers sitting on the ledge, a center channel mounted on the roof, and a TV propped up appropriately, it would either be backlit by the sun, or we'd need to have the blinds closed while watching TV. All of which the wife is not a fan of.

Although I suppose I could also spring for automated blinds to close on demand... But I don't think the wife would appreciate that.

Life would be so much easier if I weren't married.

Thanks for your replies all. Feel free to continue with suggestions if you have any. I'd be curious to hear if anyone has any suggestions on my subwoofer placement still.

Cheers,

-e-

Concerning the on-walls, I'm not a fan of them after I tried them, but there are many more that like them.

I don't have room for floor standers in that spot, so as a compromise, what I intend to do is mount bookshelf M22's on the wall to the mid to lower left and right of TV, then mount M2's to the upper left and right of the TV, then mount VP150 under the TV. All bookshelf speakers, and all in Cinnamon Beech to match the sub-woofer. I'll reuse the black on-walls as surrounds, mounted on the rear wall. Seating is mid-room. The current set of M22's and the on/in-wall VP100 won't have any use for them. Probably sell them.

The reason I think I'll like the M2's mounted above the M22's is I think that it should increase the wall-of-sound value. At least it does with the on-wall M22's when I'm using both the bookshelf M22 and on-wall M22 at the same time, vertically aligned.

Hi Eddie,
OK, I have posted new pics in my online HT album. Profile pic is included with some measures in the captions - let me know if you have any questions.

For the record, I also would have preferred a meaty floor standing speaker, but room ergonomics just did not allow for it. Any on-wall is a compromise, but IMHO I think the Axiom in/on design minimises those compromises. It could be because I am just so used to my system now, but I can easily forget that I am listening to in/on-walls! Maybe ignorance is bliss?

For the record I have never heard the full on-wall Axioms, only the in/on walls so I have nothing to offer in comparison there.

As for sub placement, do the subwoofer crawl to find optimal placement. Generally a crossover of 80Hz or lower with your mains will make your sub mostly non-localized. When your crossover gets higher the sub will have to play higher than 80 Hz which will start to make it easier to localize. Another good reason to look for an on-wall solution that will play down to 80Hz linearly.

Cheers,

@cb919:

Thanks so much for taking that photo. Really looks like you did a quality job on that install too!

It's comforting to hear you like the sound. Truthfully, I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with the on-wall/in-walls as well - my current speaker system is a mismatch of hand-me-downs, and my front-left speaker has had a blown cone since I got it. Perhaps it's best I don't get too attached to any floor speakers until I get the space for them.

Next house, maybe?

I was wondering, however, if you or someone else could decipher your last paragraph for me. I'm not familiar with the subwoofer crawl - but I'm guessing it means start with your sub in one place, play something, and slowly move it trying to find the optimal placement? If so, what do you look for? Just personal preference?

Also, you mention a lot about crossover of 80HZ and non-localization. I'm not familiar with those terms or what they mean - can you point me at some resources I can read up on these things to understand further?

Thanks again.

-e-

Sub crawl--put the sub in your listening position and crawl around on the floor until you find the best bass. Then put the sub there.

Crossover--the cutoff frequency (fine--SLOPE!) above which the sub doesn't play and below which the speakers don't play.

Non-localizaton--you don't want to hear where the sub is, you just want to hear bass all over the room, or at least like it's coming from the speakers. Bass is non-localizable below a certain frequency. That frequency is debatable, but 80Hz is a good place to start.

No problem Eddie - it was less than 2 years ago i was learning all of this, and it never stops with all of the knowledge kindly shared on this forum. I read far more than I post because i have much more to learn than I have to share! Plus many of the posts are class A comic material (the last round of posts in the v3 thread had me laughing out loud).

Anyway, subwoofer crawl explained here.

Localizable simply refers to being able to pinpoint where sound is coming from. At around 80 Hz and lower it becomes much more difficult to tell what direction a sound is emanating from.

And a starting point on crossovers here.

Doh - Ken just beat me to it!

Cheers,

Yeah, but yours had links.

That's cuz as a 4 finger typist copy and pasting links is easier than spelling it out.