Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Which on wall speakers should I get for my space?

Hi all,

I have been looking for nice looking on wall speakers and I really like the design and look of the onwall speakers for the start of my HT. The room size is 9x10. The couch is along the back wall. View distance to TV is 7.5 - 8 ft.

I want to do a 5.1 system eventually, but looking to buy the LR speakers first and build on over time. I am running an Onkyo N6050 from costco.

I am looking at the M3, M22, and the M5HP options. Would the M5 be too much speaker for the small space or do you think this will be sufficient for the room? I like the M5 is a three way system and I wont need a sub right away.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thank you.

On-walls are a great choice.

The M3 are too warm-sounding. The M5 are too much for your room but with AccuEQ on your Onk, you can tame them nicely.

M2 would work really well. They are more accurate than the M5 within their range. In your smallish room, the bass from the M2 would get you by until you get a sub.

The M2 will also be an easier load on your Onk. The M5s, with their large motor on the woofer, demand some power. Note your Onk is not continuously rated for the 4 Ohm load the M5 presents. The M5 will function but it may not perform during dynamic pieces.

I have M2 and M5 on-walls as music fronts for my 1900 cu ft living room. I use the M2 exclusively now for music.

I appreciate the feedback! I haven't much considered the M2s. Most of the usage will be for tv and movies. Some music too. I've read a lot of great things about the m5,but wondered if they would be too much for the space. Makes sense the onkyo would not be able to push the m5s as well.

Now if I go with the m2 I wonder if the VP 100 would do well as the center channel.

I would start with just the m2s. The phantom center in your size room would probably be very efficient.

I know everyone loves the M2, but I think the M22 is always the better choice; it has the same "sonic signature" and doesn't drop off the map at 70 Hz (in the non-OW model, there's no specs for the OW). And I wouldn't rule out the M5OW either, even for the 9x10 room. I'm currently using three M5HPs, two Advent mini surrounds, and a small sub in a 13x14 room and it's not too much at all. So I don't think the M5OWs would be out of place in the OP's room. And avoiding the sub could be nice if it's going to be a music system, or just to reduce space requirements in a smaller room.

Also, the M5 (HP or OW) is rated at 8 ohms, so any standard receiver would drive it; even though it dips lower from 100-500Hz, that's taken into account for the overall rating (so Mojo, you have to explain yourself on that one). I've having no problem driving the M5s and mini-Advents now with a Yamaha RX-V681, and I've used an RX-V673 in the past.

Hah, once again, I appreciate the input. I was planning on buying a sub eventually to add onto the system. My main goal here is to find the best type of on wall speakers for such a small space that will last a long time.

I'm sure I couldn't go wrong with any of the speaker choices here. I just want nice L and R speakers where the dialogue will be clear and brings the immersive feeling of a good sound system.

So I guess i need to figure out from the M2, M22 and M5s.

Thanks again

More bass is not always a good thing particularly when a smallish driver is asked to play at a range that taxes it. Also room and placement becomes trickier with extended bass particularly when that bass isn't linear.


See the graph below. The horizontal line indicates the M5 is more like a 6.3 Ohm load. And it dips below 5 in the mids. Most would get confused by a rating like this so Axiom has chosen to present it as an 8 Ohm load rather than a 6 Ohm or a 4 Ohm. Like I said, it will function with that Onk but it may not perform during dynamic pieces.

https://www.axiomaudio.com/pub/media/catalog/product/m/5/m5hp-impedance.png

Sorry I am a newb where it comes to impedance. I have read some things about this here, but basically what this is stating, is that during lower frequency output of the sound it will cause the Onkyo to struggle some in powering the M5s and result in distortion? Just curious as the receiver is rated from 4-16 ohms I believe.

I'm by no means an audiophile type of person.

I drove the M5s in my 4200 cu ft theatre with my Onk and no sub to enjoyable but certainly not party levels. My Onk was almost as good as Axiom's ADA-1000-2 amplifier. Your Onk is not quite like mine but it will power the M5 in your smallish room as long as you're not looking for a disco fever experience. I'd go ahead with the M5 if I was you. Your Onk will not get destroyed if that's what's worrying you.

I have a M2/VP150/EP500 setup for a 77” tv in my family room. The room is 18x18’ but only 1/2 is used for tv viewing (other 1/2 ping pong) … even in that large space that combo sounds great. Oh … its 5.1 … a pair of QS10s are on the back wall.


I would definitely go with the M2 on-walls with a sub. A phantom center vs a real one is dependent on how many seats get a decent image. If it’s only you then go phantom. If your going for more then 2 seats then a real center my be required … I’m happy with my VP150v4. The QS10s are killer for 5.1 and 7.1 setups. They have exceeded my expectations in this room.

The other options are also fine … I’ve listened to M5ow’s and M3ow’s sitting where the M2’s are in the picture above and both sounded great … although I only listened with the ep500 …