Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater On-Wall vs In-Wall vs On/In-Wall

Hi folks, please help me pick some Axioms for the bedroom!

I'm thinking of M22's for mains, M2 or VP150 for center, and the QS8's for surround. I have a sub.

What's the difference between the In, On, or In/On wall M2's and M22's as far as sound quality goes?

Due to the wall I'm mounting to, On-Wall would give me more flexibility for placement. Both In-Wall and In/On-Wall options can be done, but due to stud placement, would end up limiting the separation between L/R speakers. Not the end of the world though, so I'd like to ask you folks which sounds better.

Is it just a low-frequency roll-off issue? If so, then the sub can take care of it. Are there any dips or peaks in the frequency response? Room correction would help with that. The big question, do any of the mounting options sacrifice detail and/clarity? Nothing can fix that

Anyone with experience listening to the different mounting options?

Thanks!

Cary

I currently have the M22 bookshelf and the M22 on-wall.

My preference is the bookshelf version because it has a better over-all sound than the on-wall, including better mid-bass. The on-wall is a compromised version designed to satisfy those wanting a cleaner look.

Having said that, the on-walls do have good sound with bottom ports that can let out some bass. I found them sounding better with the AVR set at the large position for these speakers.

The on/in walls are supposed to sound a little better than their on-wall counterparts because of the bigger cabinet, but I can't vouch for that since I've not been able to compare them together.

I agree, they all sound great and very similar in the higher frequencies. The onwalls or inwall/onwalls really need a sub for the lower frequencies.

Does that mean that the inwalls (the one's that are flush-mounted, totally in the wall) would be a better choice then?

Cary

Oh, I see, your talking about the totally flush mount In-Walls. I can't comment on those as I have not heard them, so hopefully someone else might jump in.. I can say that the larger the encloser, the better bass response you will get. The flush series seem to have a larger enclosure than the inwall/onwalls, and then in 3rd place would be the thinner Onwalls.

I still think a sub would be a good addition in all cases and even recommended with full bookshelf speakers. A lot depends on what your looking for appearance wise, but most important performance wise.

I think the totally in-wall speakers would get the nod from the wife since they disappear into the wall, but the other options are ok too. I just have to "compress" the L / TV / R combo if I went totally in-wall so that I'd miss the studs. The in/on-wall option has a smaller in-wall footprint so I could expend a bit. The on-wall gives complete freedom.

I don't want to sacrifice sound quality for placement freedom though. Hence the question...

Regardless of what happens for the mains, I've got an old Velodyne 12" sub (mid-eighties vintage) that I'll put into service.

Cary

It's going to be really hard to judge between the on-wall, the in/on-wall, and the totally in-wall. Reason being, probably no one has purchased and compared all 3 of these, except maybe people from Axiom themselves.

What you could do is try the on-wall's first and see if you like them. There's the 30 day trial period and you can exchange them, I would think for another 30 day trial period.

Thanks! That's a good idea. I was hoping that someone could say, either from experience or just knowledge of the product line, which one would be best. The liberal 30-day return policy may be the ticket though.

Cary

When it comes to speakers there is no best for all. You have to listen to them yourself and even better is a listen in your own room as the room has the second biggest effect on sound quality next to the speakers themselves. We can give you our opinions on what we have found works for us but you still have to try them for yourself.