Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Would YOU trust this cat with YOUR speakers?

Thanks to a recent retirement party and the overwhelming generosity of the people I worked with I am now able to order my home theatre speakers.

So now it’s decision time……

M22s or M60s?

Background
I currently have a stereo setup that I bought almost 30 years ago, Bose 901-II (stop laughing) and a Crown D150 and Crown IC150. They still work fine but I think it is probably time to upgrade . My listening tastes are eclectic. If I like it, I’ll listen to it.

I’ll be powering the speakers with an HK320. Be warned, many hours spent staring at the back of the receiver going “what is all this stuff” will probably lead to another post entitled “How do I hook this up?”

I am estimating that my listening will be evenly split between HT and music. I have never owned a sub so the question of using a sub with music has never even come up. I will be getting a sub for the HT side, just not sure if I will use in while listing to music.

My ears certainly have a lot to experience

The Room
The room is 285 sf/2,280 cf., carpeted wall to wall with heavy drapes, windows on three sides of the room, large fireplace on one wall. I would never be tempted to call the room, or myself, “bright sounding”.

The Cat
We have two cats, a good cat and a devil. Here is the cat in question:



I have called him a lot of things in his short life but he generally answers to the name of Smokey”. He is only 1 year old and is extremely “active”. He has left his mark on a few pieces of fabric but seems to leave most of the furniture alone.


Question Time
So the questions are:

How many of you have towers and cats?

Any problems with this combination?

Any problems with the ports?

Any solutions?
It should be noted that getting rid of the cats is not a solution. Getting rid of me and the HT might be a solution.


In a room this size which front speaker makes sense? M22s or M60s?

The listening position will be about 15 feet away and the speakers will be about 10 to 12 feet apart. If I can ever afford a flat screen then the listening position would be about 8 feet away with the speakers about 10 feet apart.

Same question for QS4s v/s QS8s, which is the best "fit" for this size room?

For the center my mind is already made up, the VP150.

I know that the popular suggestion is always M60s/VP150/QS8s, I’m just trying to make sure that I’m not buying more speaker than I will ever use. For what it’s worth I hope that these are the only speakers that I will have buy (I’m old).

Thank you for reading this far.

Oh yes, here is the “good cat”

Misty


All three of us thank you for your input.

cheers

Ford

Ooh, that bad cat reminds of my bad cat I used to have. He was grey as well. His name was Hoskins. Never bothered my speakers though, he was not a "climber". If "Smokey" is a climber you may have problems with towers.
Without the grills he may not bother them as he couldn't get a grip so to speak. Then again he would be able to get at the actual speaker then. Cats are a lot of fun aren't they, lol.

I have the M22's and they are superb but I have just ordered a pair of M80's so it is somewhat of a tossup.

Good luck to you and the kittys.

In reply to:

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How many of you have towers and cats?

Any problems with this combination?

Any problems with the ports?

Any solutions?

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As long as you keep the catnip away from the towers, you should be fine. Also, if you ever see your cat's head in a vortex port, turn up the volume and play the finale of the 1812 Overture.

I've got towers... I actually picked them over bookshelves because of the cats. I was just too worried about when they play and run all over the house jumping on each other's backs and falling over that my speakers would be the first casualty.

They've never ever tried to scratch the grill cloth at all, when I've had them on. With the grills off, my "bad" cat does like to get on two legs and put her arm as deep as she can into the ports. As far as I can tell, she can't actually reach anything, so that's actually one of the more innocuous thing she does.

So I don't think towers are a problem at all - but yours may be worse than mine.

Hi Ford,

Cool post. Thank you for sharing all of that.

I've never heard the M22's. I own M60's. I love them.

Getting them eliminated any "what if" sentiments I might have had. My room is a different configuration than yours, but about the same size. I do not feel like I sit too close to get good imaging or that the speakers need more room to "breathe"; quite the opposite. I find the soundstage to be huge in every dimension.

Perhaps more importantly, you are coming from a frame of reference where the 901's probably sound "big". For all their other shortcomings, they do tend to bounce a lot of sound around. I think you will be rendered practically incontinent by the difference the Axioms make, but I also think that the M60's will more closely replicate the size of the sound image that you are used to.

Did you consider using the 901's as surrounds? That could be a fun experiment.

As to the cats, I'd say if your sofa and drapes are relatively unscathed, your grills should be okay too.

Let us know how you make out!

That is sooooo weird. I have 1 1/2 y/o twins that look just like your evil one. One of them is evil and she looks identical to your evil one. Their names are Misty and Pepper. Pepper is the bad one. All three of my cats are declawed so scratching is not a concern. The twins, however love to race around the house all all hours of the morning. So until I get some tac for my M22s on their stands I take them and sit them on the floor every night. Drivers in towards the wall of course just in case.

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All three of my cats are declawed

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Yowch! Poor toes...

We have the M60's and two cats. I have a different problem with each cat. The calico will use the sub or tower as a scratching post for her declawed front claws. The tabby will use the M60 as a launching pad to the top of our entertainment center. I will figure a way to post the pics of damage to my Axioms, so that you may see it for yourself. The ports do not present any problems for the cats. I can't say the same for my precocious 4 year old and 16 month old. The ports make great hiding places for their assorted "port size" toys. I don't have any solutions. I do wish the grill material was fastened on a bit more sturdy. It will be something you live with. Our room is 13 X 23 with the main position at 9 feet away. We have the 60's, 8's, and a 175. We couldn't be happier.

Retirement you say??? You lucky b*****d . I'm inside of 2 years to go and I can't even wait.

Here's the deal, your posting indicates that you upgrade once every thirty years, like clockwork. Based on that schedule, live a little!!! Buy the M60/VP150/QS8 set. As Tom points out (and I agree), the M60s are terrific. I have also been amazed with the QS8s. Since your coworkers have exercised their contribution muscles towards your golden years, there is some incentive to choosing the larger speakers, especially since comparable equipment can cost up to 2X.

Are you worried that having the larger speakers will cause you to enjoy music and HT TOO much? Grab the brass ring!!! Don't let yourself fall prey to wishing you had gotten the larger set.

As one semi-old guy to an older, retired guy, there is a bit of downside. You will find yourself listening to lots more music and watching lots more movies just because they sound so much better. This means more time in the favorite chair. Be sure you are adequately supplied with Depends and make sure to schedule someone for regular drool wiping duties. I have found both of these things to have enhanced my daily HT experience.

Your post indicates you have no interest in borrowing my book - "100 Excellent Cat Recipes". Declawing has its merits, but I'm pretty sure the cats would have a preference to avoid that experience. So that leaves you with the "grills on or off" decision. I'd guess that the cats would likely leave the grills alone. If they don't, Axiom would probably be happy to send you another set for a reasonable price.

From a more serious perspective, grab the gusto - you've earned it. Also, don't delay in getting a sub. You won't believe what you have been missing if you have never had an excellent sub.

Good luck with whatever you decide. You are sitting in a nice place knowing that you can only end up making a good decison with what you are contemplating.

we have a cat in our house that i call lucky. i named him that because he was lucky he stayed. i solved the cat issue by cranking the volume on the m60 the first time he walked near it. since then, he is timid when walking past it.
dan

Wayne,

Glad to hear that you have finally retired. Question btwn the M22 and M60 is an easy one. If you have the room, which you do, go for the M60. It has a fuller sound which make it less harsh with lesser recording. I have listened to both and without a doubt, M60 are much better. You just can't stop listening to it. Now mind you, I don't have any cats, but M22 on stand is more prone to tip over than the M60 tower. And if these are the only speaker you are going to buy and don't to want upgrade later on, then M60 have to be your choice. Trust me if you buy the M22, you going to wish for the M60, might as well bite the bullet and pay a little more now.

-Jerry

Gee Fordprefect, oh yeah, your cat is a real devil. Want to borrow this one?

My room is 27' x 18' and the M22's are more than enough. Yes, I do envy the M60's but I'm very happy w/ the sound I have now. If you can afford it, M60's would be great.

Though I thought that M60's also benefit from good placement, so I suppose that you'd also have to make sure that you have the room to place them properly. M60 owners can comment on that better than me.

As far as stablilizing the M22's, I actually put FunTak on the bottom and they are placed on shelves. I tried to move them after a few days and almost ripped the shelf off the wall. The FunTak is a good way to secure the speakers on stands/shelves w/o having to drill. Being in California, I do have to worry about stuff like that.

Love that pic, you can see the evil in his eyes, lol.

My cat Jones has never bothered my Axioms, but he and his brother did a number on my old Sony towers. Jones is pretty welled trained at this point, and he hasn't paid muych attention to the new m60's. His scratching post is near the Ep350, and he hasn't bothered that, either. Now, the cat hair is another story...I'd go with the m60's and the QS8's, to eliminate the what if factor that I succumbed to a few weeks ago...

Ford, definitely grills ON. Replacing one of those would be alot cheaper than replacing a driver with a nice puncture wound in the rubber surround!

I have a 12-yr old female Norwegian Forrest Cat, who has never bothered my M60s.

I've had M22s and M60s. The M22s plus a sub are very good, better than most other speakers I've heard. Maybe the Magnepan MG 3.6s were a little better

However after listening to M22s and M60s back to back, the M60s are worth the upgrade IMO, assuming you have the space and money.

If you've never heard surround music, try out some DVD-As, the Dolby 5.1 track of which will play on your regular DVD player. If you really like it you might get an SACD or universal player.

Before I got my Axioms, I estimated my use would be 70% HT, 30% music. After getting them my actual usage has been 60% music, 40% HT. With them music is an entirely different experience.

i believe you can tune your m60 to 20hz if you stuff a cat in each port...ron

Ron, depending on how firmly you stuff them, you may find quite an improvement on the high end as well.

Good one, Ron.

I'm thinking that hijacking this thread into cat jokes might work out okay.

This is not for children, PETA or humor impaired.

Kitty Skeet Shooting

Had to stop playing Kitty Skeet because the dog's freakin' out!
I've found scratching posts in conjunction with catnip to be effective in redirecting my cat, Kitty.

great game ,i was having fun until my 4 year old told me we shouldnt do that to real kitties.........so i told her to go to bed

First off thanks for all the replies. They really helped me reach a decision and stick with it. People here are really first rate.

Cats first.

Neither cat is declawed, just my preference. The older one is a bit more selective with the claws and I have high hopes that Smokey will improve with age. We really need a "rolls eyes" smilie here.

Joema, if we hadn't gotten our cats from the local SPCA that's the breed I would have gone for.

Yep, very good one Ron, I can just picture it.

Nice pic 2x6, I can clearly see the love in it's eyes

Jerry, good points, considering the cost of a set of stands it's not a lot more money, especially when averaged over 30 years

and now back to our regular programming.

Based on conversations with Axiom, and all the replies here, plus factoring in the cost of a set of stands (funny how I missed that) I'll be going with the 60's and the QS8s. If we ever downsize the house I'd love to move in a place with an unfinished basement where I can build a dedicated room. It's not like I don't have the time.

Ray thanks for making me smile . I decided to retire now as quite a few of my friends seemed to be passing on well before their time. I want to get a few (well actually quite a few) work free years in before I go to the big sleep. A few people have told me that 57 is too early but I'm any thing but bored and have even started doing some volunteer work with the botanical gardens near me.

I'm still hoping that I can go grill free, just have to see what happens.



Many years ago I got my sister-in-law (a noted cat fancier in our family) a book for Christmas. It was called 1,001 Things to do With a Dead Cat. Let me tell you, she was not happy about it. How anyone can "own" cats and not have a sense of humor is beyond me.


Cheers,
Ford

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1,001 Things to do With a Dead Cat

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Is that a picture book? I think my aunt (a cat owner) had that. I particularly remember the "oven mitts" page.

Good call on the speakers. You will be thrilled with them. Don't feel bad about retiring "too early". Believe me, I would go today (also 57) if possible. I'm figuring another year, maybe 18 months.

As you get to this point and realize that you are no longer immortal (like you were when you were 18), the thought process begins to become interesting. Balance more time aginst working longer for more money.

Without being maudlin, we are going to be dead for a long time. That's why you need the larger speakers. Enjoy them.

Apparently there is a new laser method for declawing cats that is quicker and far less painful an experience with a much shorter recovery time.
No more yanking and pulling.

Yeah, but it's still taking off the first joint of their fingers. :-(

Would you trust this DOG with your speakers?

When compared to your other brute of a dog, I'd trust the smaller one. I bet your large dog could knock over a speaker with its tail.

But the laser eyes Peter, the laser eyes!!!!

Not laser eyes -- tapetum lucidum.