Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Looking for some 5.1 advice for a room 16x20x9

Welcome Adam,
I'm with everyone else on the sub - minimum EP350 but bigger if you can. Keep in mind the EP350 and EP500 use the same enclosure, so size is equivalent for the WAF between the two. I have not heard the QS4's, but have the QS8's and can't recommend them highly enough. Lastly, as Cat said, look into a vertical center speaker if you have the space for it. Good luck.

i have used my EP600 in a 10'x10' room before, i thought that was a perfect match.. Now my room is 17'X18' i am still using the 600, but want another.. so another 600 will be on the way soon enough.. i have M60's and a VP180

Thanks everyone for this amazing feedback. I'm certainly thinking that a 12" sub would be worthwhile, if I go Axiom or another brand. I'm not moving for another 8-12 months as my home is being built, so I will continue to ask questions and poke around this forum!

Seems like the popular opinion would be to go with a vertical centre, but the only in wall option would be the M22. Can that be mounted horizontally?

Flipping the way a speaker is designed to be used is not recommended. Can interfere with proper sound dispersion. Although, I still wonder about flipping the VP160 from horizontal to vertical. Even though this practice is not recommended, it seems the VP160 center could handle this well, as vertical L/C/R behind an AT (acoustically transparent) screen. Although M80/M60 would probably be better suited for this purpose. I'm thinking in-cabinet designs mounted in the wall behind the screen.

What got me thinking about using the VP160 in this way is the short distance from left and right speaker (or rather top and bottom speaker, when rotated). When mounting behind a 2.40:1 screen it puts all the speakers closer to ear level. With the M60/M80 it would put the tweeters closer to the ceiling unless you flip it. Then it would put the woofers closer to the ceiling. We're talking about a ceiling that is a little under 7 foot.

^^^ Latest thoughts on VP160 flipped vertically ^^^

Adam, can you consider the in-on walls instead of the straight in-walls? That way the cabinet volume gets bigger and you can get deeper extension out of the speakers. My 2 cents on that point.

As for the vertical center - call me slow - but for me it was news that vertical centers were even 'allowed'. Everywhere you shop center channels are almost always horizontal in a complete HT system - I thought this was done because it was the best design for center channel sonically speaking. It was a surprise for me to learn that it was this way for ergonomics/cosmetics and not for the best sound configuration. While I prefer a vertical center after some experimenting, it is not for everyone and a good horizontal center can also sound great. So in the end, do what works for your setup, but at least know there are center channel options to consider no matter what brand of speaker you are looking at.

I'm not so sure that the in-on/wall has more cabinet volume than the in-wall versions. This could be correct, but I'd check with Axiom first. I was under the assumption that it was the other way around.

The specs for the M22 are -3dB for the bookshelf and in/on wall at 60hz, 70 Hz for the full in wall and full on wall. To me that means the cab volumes are bigger, but what I was really saying (or trying to) is that the in-on walls have a bit more depth than the full in-walls. Cosmetics might outweigh that fact, but thought I'd point it out in case it helps make a decision.

Cheers,

This might be a mute point if one adheres to an 80hz cross-over point. The difference between 60hz and 70hz would probably go unnoticed anyway.

Not trying to be argumentative, but just opening up his options.

Not taken argumentative at all Brian. Good point on the 80 Hz x-over anyway. We're all just trying to help the OP.