Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater VP180 impressions

No one is saying that a vertically arrayed VP180 won’t sound good. You asked if it would sound better than an M80 which is very unlikely. I have not heard that comparison but can say that no speaker manufacture I know of puts a tweeter at the top and bottom of a vertical cabinet. Not even Axioms M80 which has both tweeters at the top. There’s a reason for this.

However, that doesn’t mean that a vertically arrayed VP180 won’t sound good. It might even sound better than a horizontally arrayed VP180 assuming you are basing sound quality on average frequency variation as one moves off axis. Audioholics did a test of various horizontal speakers with redundant drivers and found that in all cases arraying them vertically gave a better off axis frequency response. Some designs more than others. One thing to note is that a $115 vertical bookshelf speaker beat every horizontally arrayed horizontal center they tested. Only one horizontal center arrayed horizontally costing $2,500 equaled off axis performance of the $115 bookshelf speaker.

http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/vertical-vs-horizontal-speaker-designs

My own ears told me this when I first got my VP150 which is why I switched to an M80 center. Since then I’ve tested M22 and M2 speakers as centers and found they both beat the crap out of the VP150 arrayed either vertically or horizontally.

That doesn’t mean a horizontal array of drivers can’t sound good. Even me the vertical center nazi of the forum admit that there are time during movies and video games where a horizontal array of speakers creates a “wall-of-sound” that can give a more “movie-theater-like” performance that sounds quite impressive. I’ve even considered getting a VP180 and mounting it on a swivel so I can change it’s orientation between vertical and horizontal to have the best of both worlds but I’m just to lazy to try it since my M80 center already sounds so good.

Ok. Thanks guys. That definitely has swayed me towards 3 M80's for behind the screen speakers as opposed to the VP180s. Although I might have to mount them up-side down, which I won't know until I try them. But, that's still quite a ways down the road.

You will have no problem mounting them upside down as long as you can keep the tweeters or midrange drivers near ear level. I had my M80 center mounted upside down on top of my HDTV in my apartment while the L/R were sitting right side up on the sides of it and it was the best sounding front soundstage I’ve ever heard.

Of course if you turn the 180 vertical you can either sit and watch or lay on the floor and watch and get similar tweeter response

::puffs out chest and looks lovingly at hist dual M2 centers::

Nice, now you have me F*&^%# right up!

I read that AH article on center channels. Then they wrote a 2nd article that counters their points. WTF???

http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/center-channel-speaker

Are these guys bi-polar??

Its always about trade offs, your personal setup and what other influences there are (like an SO with different priorities).

Pick the solution that fits the best in your situation and be happy. None of the centers that Axiom offers are bad.

I was just messing with ya, I am happy....for now!