Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Starting to oggle new gear

I don't know of any speakers that can help you in that kind of configuration. There will always be a compromise. Some KEF models or Mirages may be your best bet. They will cast a huge center image that doesn't waver at the expense of stereo imaging.

Edit: one of the things I've noticed is the on-walls in my living room are more forgiving of MLP than floor or bookshelves. That includes LFRs. I can sit 60 degrees off-axis and still get good separation and a center image with M5OW and M2OW. I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with the bow window in between them.

Yes compromise which is why i'm looking to change things around.
With the secondary plan at the moment, trying out LFRs on the main floor, it is possible that the mains in the media room will not even be Axioms.
On-walls would provide about another foot back at most and could have been an option by pushing all the speakers and tv right to the wall, but of course, i have two wall sconces on the wall immediately on the outside edges of the 77" tv so....mounting on wall speakers isn't possible unless they were mounted really low which i don't see working very well.

Again i'll post a few pics later to show all the dimensional constraints.

If we do test out LFRs for the main floor, i will also test them in the media room though.
Lots of testing coming soon i think. Will have to see about borrowing the speaker switcher again.

My M5OW tweeter centers are 41" off the floor and I sit 10 feet away. I've tried them as low as 36" and the stereo effect is wonderful with a better soundstage width and just as good an image depth as the active LFRs in the same room. Ditto with the M2OW. The M2OW and M5OW are better in that room than actives in absolutely every way except for the more precise imaging and ungodly bass of the actives. I am much happier with those OW than actives in the living room. So consider them.

I can't see how LFRs can help you but then again, I've never had them 6 feet apart.

Edit: I always shunned OW. Then one day I thought I'd give the M2 a try. After listening to them, I called Axiom and got put through to Ian. I reamed him out because the OW didn't sound like the bookshelves. I asked him how he designed them and tested in the chamber and that turned into a half hour discussion. Poor guy said something to the effect of "Oh well, we tried...just send them back." As I reflected on what he told me about the design, I figured maybe I should nail them to my wall instead of listening in free air. Yup...dumb me. They were a revelation on the wall! They yielded nothing to the bookshelves.

If we go too low, the tweeters may be at head height, or less, the long lounge chairs would likely affect sound in the midrange. Additionally, the sound would be too low for the screen which sits up fairly high. It is mounted above the 33" cabinet by about another 14" so the bottom of the screen starts around 47" which presently is already well above the M60 tweeter height.
I have actually raised the M60 on pucks before to see what the elevated effect would be.

I've found M2, M3, M5 image more holographically when the tweeters are 6" below ear level. I've tried this at 10 to 14 feet MLP. Against conventional wisdom, raising or lowering them in this small amount does not affect the height of the imaging. I don't know about the mids being affected by your gargantuan chairs that you stole from the set of Land of the Giants.

Just as a thought, get someone to build you a speaker switcher.
Try testing these things a/b and you will find many of your observations will change, if you are honest with the results.

I need a better drawing … with a dimensioned floor plan … then I might understand/see the issue. Right now I’m not really getting it..

My only real takeaway is that your current seating is one of the issues given the room. What if you gave up on the theater seats and went with a couch.

Pictures would make all the difference. I thought i posted something some time ago. My original room photos are no longer on the gallery since it was redone.
I just had time for a quick 'text' drawing.

Giving up the seats?
Not likely. The wife wouldn't have it and dammit, they're crazy comfortable. Great sleepers!

I suspected you might not go for that given all your doing to keep them

Well that and to undertake all these changes is going to be about 3 to 5 grand beyond our original budgeted allocation.