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M80's - center and amplifier selection
#412550 06/08/15 01:41 PM
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Hi, all - I've been stalking this site for a while now, and I'm thinking about switching out my Boston Acoustics setup for Axiom.

I'm thinking about the M80's - thought about the M100's, but I don't think I have the space to let them breathe (ie. placement from the walls) due to the room not being dedicated. Also, I have a sub, so the extra bass ability of the 100's is kind of useless to me.

So, on the assumption of the M80's, wondering about the VP150 with them - adequate or not? My center channel HAS to fit in a defined space in a cabinet, and the VP160 and VP180 are both too big. But if I go M80's and VP150, am I going to be extremely disappointed with the VP150?

And, how power-hungry/loving are the M80's? I currently run my LCR off an Emotiva XPA-3 (330WPC @ 4ohm), although I have been considering going in for 3 x XPA-1L monoblocks (500WPC @ 4ohm).

Room is just under 3,000 cubic ft (21.5 x 18.5 x 7.5)

So what advice do you have for me?

Last edited by EastCoast; 06/08/15 01:48 PM.
Re: M80's - center and amplifier selection
EastCoast #412572 06/09/15 12:35 AM
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Speakers have a SPL of 92 - db at 1 meter at 1 watt.
For every 3 DB increase you double the wattage, so say the amp has a wattage of 250 you will get about 24 db extra for a total of about 116 db. 500 watts only gets you 3db more so....

On the basis of power I'd stick with what you got.

Re: M80's - center and amplifier selection
EastCoast #412580 06/09/15 11:34 AM
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I have been watching the 6 month review thread for a bit and am very interested in the results from that. Axiom makes the M50 that gives the tower speaker sound without the extra added bass you get from the 3 way. Think of them like a M22 with a port to breath.

The reason that I mention this is that I don't understand the idea of getting a speaker that performs down to the 40-60hz sound to then cut it off at the knee-caps by moving that sound out to a sub. I understand the reason to do it as a sub is designed to produce that sound far more efficiently with it's own dedicated amp. But why spend that $700+ for the extra bass that the 3 way M80 deliver if you are not going to use that. I think there are far better ways to spend that $700 like on room treatments that will improve the sound far more over the 2-3% boost that you get over what the sub you have can deliver from the M80.


Anthem: AVM60, Fosi DAC-Q5
Axiom: ADA1500, LFR1100 Actiive, QS8, EP500, M3, M3comp, M5
Re: M80's - center and amplifier selection
EastCoast #412589 06/09/15 02:14 PM
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Hello EastCoast. I can't comment on your VP150 question as I don't own one but I have a 7 channel amp with a simliar power rating to your Emotiva. It has no trouble driving my power hungry LFR1100v4's to an SPL that would frighten Ted Nugent so I agree that your're amp will be fine. Also, If it was my money I would definitely still go for the M80's. In your room and with your amp there will most likely be more sonic benefits than just more bass.

Re: M80's - center and amplifier selection
MMM #412599 06/09/15 06:41 PM
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Originally Posted By oakvillematt
I have been watching the 6 month review thread for a bit and am very interested in the results from that. Axiom makes the M50 that gives the tower speaker sound without the extra added bass you get from the 3 way. Think of them like a M22 with a port to breath.

The reason that I mention this is that I don't understand the idea of getting a speaker that performs down to the 40-60hz sound to then cut it off at the knee-caps by moving that sound out to a sub. I understand the reason to do it as a sub is designed to produce that sound far more efficiently with it's own dedicated amp. But why spend that $700+ for the extra bass that the 3 way M80 deliver if you are not going to use that. I think there are far better ways to spend that $700 like on room treatments that will improve the sound far more over the 2-3% boost that you get over what the sub you have can deliver from the M80.


I get what you are saying, but the M50's don't even have a midrange, so I somewhat doubt they would sound appreciably better than what I have. I think the minimum I would consider going is the M60, but even then I think it would be more of a sideways move, while I believe the 80s or 100s would be a step up.

Re: M80's - center and amplifier selection
EastCoast #412602 06/09/15 07:15 PM
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Actually, with its 6.5" drivers, the M50 can be thought of as a floor standing M3 albeit with double the bigger drivers.

The M22s have two 5.25" drivers...

TAM

Re: M80's - center and amplifier selection
EastCoast #412607 06/09/15 08:01 PM
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I often questioned that also ,specially for movies. M22 and a sub I thought was better for movies. Specially when crossing over at 80 hz why bother with the M80 if 80hz and down is all for not.
I would rather goes nice great bookshelf and subs for movies and floorstanding for music. I am not that fond of subs for music. Maybe if I am into rap and that real heavy bass. But, I am more rock, jazz etc.
So, after years of explaining things from members of this forum, I have come to the conclusion that my M80's are used as a awesome bookshelf in movies. Then with music I have a seprate Blu-ray player and that channel is setup 2.ch no sub. Thens when I get to use the M80 as a floorstanding speaker.
I am now thinking I am going to one up in a few years to M80 HP v5 wink


Anthem MRX520
M5HPv4
VP160HPv4
QS10v4

Re: M80's - center and amplifier selection
EastCoast #412608 06/09/15 08:02 PM
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I'm just waiting now for them to upgrade that mid range driver for the HP series and M100.

you know its coming ...... they did the tweeters, the woofers, the subs, and the amps. What it one more improvement


Anthem MRX520
M5HPv4
VP160HPv4
QS10v4

Re: M80's - center and amplifier selection
exlabdriver #412609 06/09/15 08:31 PM
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Originally Posted By exlabdriver
Actually, with its 6.5" drivers, the M50 can be thought of as a floor standing M3 albeit with double the bigger drivers.

The M22s have two 5.25" drivers...

TAM


TAM & EastCoast -- This actually hits on a related question that I have had. The M3's cross over at 2.2kHz, and the 6.5 inch woofer is therefore obviously capable of playing up in this range. It is the same woofer on the M80, which crosses over at 160 Hz and 2.3 kHz. However, there is potentially more than one way to interpret this. Surely, it means that the 5.25" midranges on the m80 have a high pass filter that is limiting their output below 160 Hz. However, the converse, i.e. that there is a low-pass filter limiting the role of the 6.5" woofers above 160 Hz is not necessarily implied. In fact, we know that in other applications, they play for almost four full octaves above this threshold.

So, my curiosity is: Do the 6.5" drivers on the m80 have a role above 160 Hz? Very naively, it seem that they work in a fairly narrow window if not, much of which is potentially overlapping with a subwoofer. Again, it's a very naive comment though, as I have no practical experience with speaker design. It could be that letting the 6.5s work together with the 5.25s much above 160 Hz would artificially boost that part of the spectrum, or have impacts on impedance, or etc. I know that Alan historically, when asked similar questions would emphasize that a crossover is a gradual gradation of 6 or 12 or 18 dB per octave, not a hard cutoff, and that this effectively widens the range in which each driver plays. Maybe that's all there is to it. But, I am curious whether the 6.5s in the m80s might really be doing more than it appears at first glance, i.e. contributing well into the midbass. I don't guess that it's the sort of question that could be definitively answered by anyone on the outside, unless they were already privy to the information by another means.

Re: M80's - center and amplifier selection
EastCoast #412612 06/09/15 10:33 PM
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Originally Posted By EastCoast

I get what you are saying, but the M50's don't even have a midrange, so I somewhat doubt they would sound appreciably better than what I have. I think the minimum I would consider going is the M60, but even then I think it would be more of a sideways move, while I believe the 80s or 100s would be a step up.


There lies the crux of the problem. You as the listener need to really define what it is that you are looking for. I will agree that a full sized capable tower speaker is more pleasing to my ear than a bookshelf + sub for playing the music that I like to listen to. I am slowly making up a media room for myself with a set of LFR1100's as the center piece of the speakers. I will have a VP180 and some QS8's for surrounds and a probably pathetic Energy sub thrown in there too, but the fore front reason for the room is a comfortable place to listen to music, and throw in the ability to catch a movie too. If I was more driven for the other way around and movies were my thing, then I am sure the speaker collection would have been different too.

Last edited by oakvillematt; 06/09/15 10:35 PM.

Anthem: AVM60, Fosi DAC-Q5
Axiom: ADA1500, LFR1100 Actiive, QS8, EP500, M3, M3comp, M5
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