Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Newbie seeks some basics for new setup...

Hello, I'm a newb. I thought I'd get some direction while I search for the many questions that I have and perhaps get some advice quickly. I just bought a new 4K AVR Onkyo NVR676 and it drives 165 watts continuous per channel @ 6ohms. I also purchased a pair of M60 TI towers and a VP-100 center speaker. I had an older pair of JBL LX22's bookshelf speakers and hooked them up as my surround speakers. I bought a Dayton 12" subwoofer and hooked it up in a hurry with a car amplifier RCA cable just using 1 connector on both ends. I would like to know what suggestions do you folks have on getting the most from the Axiom's. I am using 18AGW speaker wires and the connections appear to be made for much lower gauge wiring. Also I bi-amp wired them to the AVR according to the Onkyo manual, but read in forums that this creates no advantages. I didn't catch any stickies, but any help with some hi-fi basics regarding crossover settings, LFE/LPF, EQ settings, etc.

Burn the Dayton in your fire pit. Buy an Axiom v4 sealed sub.

Trade in your M60s for M3v4 or M5s.

Trade in your VP100 for a VP160v4 or a single M3 or M5.

Sounds overly simplistic but pretty sure its good advice. Lol.

Blair, I think you and I will be among the first to try fully active M5s. FULLY active! With 3 amps and a DSP built into each one!! And a linear power supply with an OhSoSexy toroid!!! Imagine the curves on that one. Bass will be OhSoTight with deep, wide, tall soundstage and images in glorious 3D.

If I had the money I'd place my deposit now.
FWIW M80HP's are kind of like having 2 M5HP's per side, I'm not suffering by any means.
I do like the idea of going active and, knowing this is the room I'm going to have for a while, a smaller speaker might be more appropriate.

Edit: added "kind of". I've never heard the M5HP.

I'm gonna put my M100s against active M5s. I'm now running the M5s in my medium sized living room. The only significant thing they give up for very large rooms is sensitivity. In my 4,200 cu ft main room, I need nothing more than them.

I don't have that kind of $$ to upgrade right now. Any thoughts on getting the most out of what I have on hand? I'll be using it for H/T.

Lots of the considerations mentioned in your original post are room and preference specific. It would be pretty tough for anyone to give good advice without actually being there to help with the setup, in my honest opinion.
I would not use a car amp for a sub. It may work.
I'd be temped route your left and right signal through the sub if its an option.
I'm not sure I'd use an 18 gauge wire unless the receiver is very close to your towers. Even then I'd bump it up to a 14 gauge.
Just my $0.02.

There isn't much advice I can give you for that setup beyond what brwsaw already gave you. Crossing to the sub at 80Hz would help. Getting the 60s as far away from wall surfaces and forming an equilateral triangle with your listening position also helps. Moving the sub a third of the way down the wall from a corner helps too.

Regarding funding, Axiom has a generous trade-up program and a payment plan available.

Ok thanks. I was wondering about the 60's. It seems that I can barely hear them. The center channel seems to be outputting most of the sound. I can't hear much of anything even when standing next to them. I'm not using a car amp to power the sub, I'm using one side of a M 2 M RCA cable. So brwsaw, you suggest using both sides of the RCA to the sub. Can you explain a bit for me what this does? My manual says the other output is for a second sub, but it is labeled L & R. Thanks. I'll check into the upgrade program for a quote.

Put your system in stereo (2.1). Can you hear the M60s? If not, troubleshoot. If yes, see my recent post in another thread about relative power delivered to the center vs. front speakers during movies. In one GOT scene, I measured 16 times the power into the center relative to the left/right.

The v4 speakers are a completely different animal than your Ti. If you can't afford M5s and a 160, just get two M3s for the front. The M3v4 are far better than your M60. In fact they are better than my M80v2. You can get a centre and a 500 later and eventually upgrade your M3s to M5s. You don't need anything more than M5s for fronts and a 500. In fact, you can be perfectly happy with M3s for fronts if you're really cash-strapped. However, once you hear M5s, you will never go back to M3s because that's just how humans are.

Look in the refurb or B stock store for better deals. If nothing in there, look at factory direct. Buy only v4. V4 has the OhSoSweet tweeter that Andrew is so proud of and it is indeed a gift from the tweeter demi-God. V4 may also have other changes I'm not aware of compared to v3.

As for the sub, you only need one cable. The other jack is for a second sub.

Make sure the speakers are not set to 4 Ohms in the receiver.

If you are using the .1 output from your receiver then using the single RCA is the way to go.
If your receiver doesn't have a lfe/sub out you would then consider running your left and right channel through the sub.
Try turning off the center channel in the AVR's menu to see if you're correct about little to no output from your M60's.
If they were build with 4 posts on the back make sure the bar between them is in place the connection is tight.

Good one on the posts!