Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater buying speakers or A/V receiver ?

Hi,
I'm new here. Currently, i have A/v receiver Sony STR-DE945 and it works fine for me (110wpc). I'm in between to pick either a new set of Axiom speakers or a new Receiver ( Onkyo or Denon ...i like to hear suggestions too) since my budget allows me to pick only one.
Also, does anynone own ONKYO TX-RS601? which brand and model
do you suggest?

Thanks a lot .

Audiofan,
i think the consensus here will be to go for the Axioms! You'll get the biggest difference by changing speakers and the Sony should have no trouble driving them. At the risk of starting another war, you'll likely see no difference in sound quality with a different receiver (except at extremely high volumes when the Sony may run out of juice).

good luck

What do you have for speakers now? We can't make a very informed recommendation without knowing that.

Oh...i forgot. I have Bose Accousticmas 10 . I bought it 2 years ago..and I realized now that the sound is awful...to my ears...

Agreed. I have a Kenwood vr 507 (100 wpc) and a little over a month ago got: m60s, vp150, qs8s. They sound great, and the Kenwood powers them just fine. Mind you I want to upgrade the receiver too (I've been looking at the denon 3803). But I think I was right to get the speakers first. A nice new receiver would have been wasted on my old speakers. This way I can listen to some great sounding music while my savings account recuperates.

Speakers will make a far bigger change than anything aside from new music/movies.

In reply to:

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Oh...i forgot. I have Bose Accousticmas 10 . I bought it 2 years ago..and I realized now that the sound is awful...to my ears...

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Now that I know that....without a doubt, get new speakers.

A new reciever may improve the sound a bit, and give you a couple new "features", but if you're looking for the biggest bang-for-your-buck improvement, a new set of speakers should be your first step.

How big is your room, how big is your budget? We'll go from there.

I have another question. My room is 12.5x14.5, and i also have a pair of Sony 3-way speakers that can handle to 100W output. Since my budget is tight, i plan to get M60ti, Vp100, and EP125 . I will use my current Sony speakers as surround sound speakers for now. Do you think this will work. I have no way to test drive Axiom, so I seek the information from you.

thanks.

spending from $1,200 - $1,500

That will work fine. For the most part during movie soundtracks the surrounds provide ambient sound to give you a feeling of space. The odd localized event like a gunshot or a car travelling across the soundstage can be handled by your current speakers. The nice thing about most dedicated surround speakers is that they are designed to be hard to localize while you are listening. When you have the money you can upgrade, but for now I would do exactly as you are planning.

audiofan,

Not to discourage you from your speaker choices, but my living room is 12.5' x 13.5' and my M22s are more than enough to fill it with sweet, sweet sound. Depending on how your furniture is currently arranged, the M60s may not be ideal for your space.

Good point.

Receiver, we don't need no stinkin' receiver!!!! That can come later; the Sony will let you swim in the pool just fine for now.

I like the M22s, I like the VP100, I didn't hear surrounds????? (QS8s). Now (adrenals ON), let's talk SUB. I'm sure the Axiom thing would be good. Spiff is gonna show up soon with HSU and I'm going to stick my SVS finger in your eye.

The M22s save you $400 from the M60s ($300 if you consider the cost of stands). You had money set aside for the EP175. You don't appear to be going after surrounds right now (we'll use the M22s for surrounds in a couple of years when we move to a bigger place and get M60s for the fronts) and there is no need for a new receiver. Spend the bucks to get a burly sub. You won't thank me for this now, but in years to come, you will likely name your children after me. (By the way, that's "3" for short). (Adrenals off).

Seriously, you are in a grreat place to let these dominoes fall very well. A HSU VTF2 or a SVS PB1-ISD would be an excellent choice right now. They'll last a long time ad grow with you. You want enough bass now and in the future and these things will just work. If you don't get enough sub now, it will cost more $$$ later. The Axiomite chorus will join in soon, but this is another direction for you to consider. It's fun going through this isn't it?

Here I am with my Hsu suggestion....

$1200-1500...here's my suggestion.

1) Keep your current receiver.
2) M22ti mains
3) VP100 center
4) QS4 surrounds
5) Hsu STF-2 subwoofer

Total = $1330

Your room isn't all that big, no need to make the leap to the VP150 or QS8's.

I agree with Ray...don't skimp on the subwoofer. A good subwoofer is more important than you know.

Craig, does that package with the (sniff) STF-2 include stands and account for the 5% Axiom discount?

No stands, and I believe Axiom will still give the 5% discount even if you opt not to buy the sub as part of the package. (Though my total did not include a discount on anything.)

It looks like that i would go for M22ti, VP100. I will use my Sony speaker as surround sound for now and save money for better sub. By the way, where can i find HSU VTF2 or a SVS PB1-ISD? and how much does it cost?

thanks.

Hsu STF-2 $399

Hsu VTF-2 $499

SVS PB1-ISD $599

By the way, how good is HSU VTF2 or a SVS PB1-ISD compared to Axiom sub? My current sub (passive) that comes with Bose package is a toy... I don't like the thunder sound like in the the club, but i want solid bass that i can enjoy music cd...that's the reason why i think of M60 at the beginning.
So, if M22ti with a good sub can provide sound quality when playing music CD, that would be perfect...
thanks.

Thanks for advice.
Since I may move to a bigger room and I don't want to keep upgrading....i would stick with M60ti. Right now, i spend 75% for music and 25% for movie. I would hold on on the sub and use my current speaker (sony) for the rear.
Now come to the question, Is it doable to arrange M60ti in my room (12.5x14.5) I think listening position is 9' to 10' from the main speaker. What is your experience?

thanks a lot.

audio...

i run the m60ti setup in a room of similar size. i also use the vp150 (slightly behind the m60's position) and qs8's (slightly ahead of listening position and fairly high). i am very pleased with this setup.

i'm contemplating rear surrounds now

metalaaron,
How far is distnace between L/R speaker? Do you sub and which brand?
thanks.