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Just bought the M-80's!
#396480 08/27/13 04:48 AM
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OK.. so I hope this thread isn't too unexciting, considering that everyone here probably already has Axiom speakers, but I ordered a pair of M80s last night.

The funny thing is that everybody seems to talk about how cheap these things are, when they're actually among the most expensive speakers I've ever seen... not sure what to make of that, but it probably disqualifies me from being a real audiophile. Either way, my friend has the same speakers, and after I heard his, they were the only ones I was interested in.

Once mine arrive, I will have to come up with something to drive them with, as I doubt my little tube amp (which I built years ago) has anywhere near enough power. Most likely, I will have to design a new one.. That should make for a fun little fall project laugh

Re: Just bought the M-80's!
rcb #396488 08/27/13 10:46 AM
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Welcome and congratulations on the coming Axioms.

While not cheap, Axioms are a very good value and compare favorably with more expensive speakers.

They are efficient / sensitive also. You might find that your amp does fine for your needs depending upon the demands of what you're listening to, the size of the room and whether or not you have a powered sub to remove some of the burden of the M80s playing full-range on their own.

Be aware though, that speakers such as the M80s are more likely to be damaged by an under-powered amp driven into clipping than a much more powerful amp that is running at half it's output on loud crescendos!


::::::: No disrespect to Axiom, but my favorite woofer is my yellow lab :::::::
Re: Just bought the M-80's!
rcb #396493 08/27/13 12:50 PM
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Welcome. Axiom was the first time I bought anything other than budget speakers as well and after doing some research and listening, I was/am super happy with my purchase and they are worth every penny as they perform like speakers that are indeed much more expensive.

I agree with Mark. If you are not trying to fill a big room and you are listening at comfortable listening levels, your tube amp may drive them just fine. Just be very careful if you get tempted to try them at really loud levels.

Here is a calculator that can give you a rough estimate of the power you need based on distance, sound level desired and the efficiency of the speaker (found in the specs on Axiom's site). If you are not too far away and playing at an ear safe level of 80db or so, you might only need a few watts. Add in a good 10db of overhead if you are a classical music listener (lots of peaks) and you still might be sitting safely within your amps limits.

Amp Power Calculator

Experiment with the loudness in the calculator though and you will notice that the wattage needed is not a linear linear calculation. You can get up to crazy power requirements pretty quick if you like it loud.



With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.
Re: Just bought the M-80's!
rcb #396497 08/27/13 02:18 PM
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they really ARE cheap for the kind of sound they output.

i've had mine for 1-2 years and i'm still in awe with the details they give, the huge dynamics and the lack of distortion.

Re: Just bought the M-80's!
rcb #396500 08/27/13 03:45 PM
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I'm a recent owner as well (M100's) and I must say I'm impressed so far though I only received them last Friday and have had limited listening time.

Certainly good value for the sound they deliver.

The wife is still muttering "they're f-ing big" now and then though. The M80's would likely have been more wife-friendly. That extra woofer adds a bit of height. I'm sure she'll get over it when she's in a head-banging mood and cranks it (sorry neighbours).

Hope you enjoy them as much as I'm enjoying mine.

/a


Semper ubi sub ubi.
Re: Just bought the M-80's!
ArthurC #396512 08/27/13 09:25 PM
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My wife got over the size last weekend. We sat up late listening to some of our music and as some point she said, "yeah, they are good speakers" - YES! I had to keep pointing out that though they are as tall as her, they occupy the same footprint as the M80s.

Last edited by PatCase; 08/27/13 09:25 PM.
Re: Just bought the M-80's!
rcb #396515 08/27/13 09:56 PM
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best bang for the buck in audio


M80s VP180 4xM22ow 4xM3ic EP600 2xEP350
AnthemAVM60 Outlaw7700 EmoA500 Epson5040UB FluanceRT85


Re: Just bought the M-80's!
rcb #396530 08/28/13 03:26 AM
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This wait is gonna be SO long! It's been two days already!

I am pretty certain that I will need a bigger amp for a couple reasons.. not least, the fact that the tube amp doesn't even come close now -- I currently have to back it up with another receiver to almost get where I want to be.

Before I moved to this house, the tube amp (plus an old pair of Boston Acoustic A70s) actually sounded quite nice... good enough that I have built copies of it for other people. Once I brought it here, though, my first impression reminded me of a clock radio.

The room I'm trying to work with is about 35x15 ft., not quite rectangular, and connected to two similar-sized rooms. This is one thing that my friend (the one who has the same speakers) does not have to deal with.

The watt meter tells me the amp is good for about 15W / channel before I can start to hear distortion, which isn't bad for a pair of 6L6 operating as triodes. That is enough for a lot of uses -- just not the living room, apparently. Just for fun, though, I will try it in some smaller rooms with the M80s. I'm told that Axiom's smaller speakers sound similar, but haven't personally heard any of them yet.

One thing that will be nice about building a new amp will be testing it against great speakers right out of the gate, and having a friend in town with the same equipment (but with a known-good amp) to compare to. This is a task that will require a little time and much beer, but I think it will be worth it!

Re: Just bought the M-80's!
rcb #396531 08/28/13 03:52 AM
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I kinda attacked the lower powered amp problem in a different way.

I have an integrated tube amp with 4 X KT-88s that puts out only 35 W/Ch in Triode mode; however, I went with a pair of M2s on stands & 2 X Axiom EP400 8" subs that put out up to 500 W/Ch RMS each for the heavy lifting down low.

Turns out that this is an absolutely wonderful combo for music only in quite a large space - articulate & powerful.

If interested, you can read about my quest here:

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php/topics/379990/Audio_Only_System_Renewal#Post379990

TAM

Re: Just bought the M-80's!
rcb #396542 08/28/13 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted By: rcb
This wait is gonna be SO long! It's been two days already!

Due to it being new and there was a backlog, my M100's took 24 days. I'm hoping your wait will be significantly shorter.


Semper ubi sub ubi.
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