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Time to upgrade?
#447344 05/03/23 11:33 PM
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Hi Experts!
Background - I am not an audiophile, but I do love the sound of my M60s. I have a VP150 and pair of QS8 to fill out the rest of my home theater (if you could really call the rec room that..).No sub in my setup. Right now I am powering the set with a Denon 2808ci which has been really good to me.

So why upgrade? I want to put my mains and centre channel on the wall. (free up floor space and unify the look of the 'TV wall'). I cant justify the cost of going to M60 on wall for the once or twice a week it will get used.

I was thinking the M5HP on wall with VP180 on wall but need the comfort of some knowledgeable folks telling me that the upgrade will make me happy. Would this be a good upgrade path for someone who likes sci-fi/action movies and listens to a little classic rock? Or should I sell my motorcycle and get the M60 (or M80) on wall?

Thanks for your opinion and suggestions.
Clark

Re: Time to upgrade?
Clark #447346 05/04/23 04:56 PM
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I can't speak for the m60s as I've never owned a pair, but I can tell you the m5ow sound incredible. I have a huge room and they put out more than enough sound. I did have them hooked up to ada1500 and I know they can be a little power hungry but they still sounded good even when I had them hooked up to my AVR. Honestly you could probably do a m5ow as a center channel if you have room to accommodate the vertical layout. There are also several 160 mini and other ow center channels in refurb store as well.


LFR1100
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M3 In Ceiling x 4
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M3 Outdoor Speakers
ADA 1000.8
Re: Time to upgrade?
Canesfan27 #447348 05/05/23 04:11 PM
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Thank you! Appreciate the feedback and suggestions.

Re: Time to upgrade?
Clark #447349 05/05/23 05:45 PM
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I am running M80's and M5 and can say you would be fine with the 5's replacing the 60's. I have moved the M5's to both surround and main L/R speakers and would be fine with the 5's as the mains. I have driven them with many different amps.

I also started with the VP150 and upgraded to the VP160. Having heard all models in all lines at the factory in comparison to each other, I don't feel I am missing anything with the 160. It was night and day difference for the better, so the VP180 could be better or overkill. There is a 30day trial period, so you could order both and send back which ever model loses you comparison!

Re: Time to upgrade?
Clark #447350 05/05/23 07:12 PM
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"Should I upgrade" questions are always tough. For me, aesthetic improvements get a free pass as an automatic yes.

I look for something being 50%+ better before upgrading from something that's perfectly serviceable. My M5HP is probably 20% better than the Kanto Yumi it replaced, and with major EQ tweaks it would be closer to zero. I kept them anyway because of aesthetics. My Harman curve-hugging Sony WF1000XM3 wireless earbuds were 100% better than my Apple EarPods with Dirac Realplayer HD, themselves the best headphones I had owned up to that point.

On the other hand, some things just aren't worth it. I test drove a Tesla Model S P85 when it came out, and my first impression was "This drives like a Lexus ES with triple the horsepower and one pedal driving."

Sometimes you won't know if it's worth it until you try it. I did all the low hanging fruit like air sealing, so I recently upgraded the attic insulation of my older home from R20 to R50 and fixed the ventilation. OMG, I cut my space heating in half and the payback period of the install appears to be 5 years. I'm now within spitting distance of EnerPHit standards. My heat loss is 9,000-12,000 BTU/hr during the 50 heat degree days that we can get in Edmonton. That's like heating a home with 2 hair dryers (a PassivHaus-certified home only needs 5000 BTU/hr). We'll see what my A/C usage is like this summer, but a 66% reduction in run time looks achievable, because a heat soaked attic is apparently a thing.

Last edited by Hambrabi; 05/05/23 07:33 PM. Reason: edit for clarity

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Re: Time to upgrade?
BBIBH #447351 05/06/23 12:59 AM
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Thank you both for excellent points.
I appreciate the point about esthetics being enough of a reason for upgrade. I think that is really what is driving me more than improving on the performance.

Based on what I am reading the M5HP would be a very nice set of mains on the wall beside my TV. The center speaker may be an interesting decision as I love the look of the VP180 but if it overshadows the M5HP then I might have to see if I can audition it first.
Again, thank you so much for your input.

Re: Time to upgrade?
Clark #447353 05/06/23 02:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Clark
I was thinking the M5HP on wall with VP180 on wall but need the comfort of some knowledgeable folks telling me that the upgrade will make me happy. Would this be a good upgrade path for someone who likes sci-fi/action movies and listens to a little classic rock? Or should I sell my motorcycle and get the M60 (or M80) on wall?
The M5ow is a great speaker .. I highly recommend them.
Personally, I’d match the size of your center with the size of your screen, I’m running a VP150ow under a 77” TV in the family room and a VP180ow behind a 150” screen in the HT. Both sound awesome.

Re: Time to upgrade?
Clark #447354 05/06/23 02:25 PM
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Thought I’d expand on my thinking on center size. A center is used to anchor sound to the center of your screen. It’s only needed on larger screens when the center action doesn’t seem to come from the center for all listeners (which is dependent on the sweet spot size and seating distance v.s. screen size). In this case a large speaker (wider) relative to the screen may not work as well as a smaller one. On a personal note, I prefer virtual centers when I can get away with them.

Since we are talking about on screen sound placement … the main speakers should be as close to the screen as possible to keep the sound stage on the screen. It’s just weird when a on screen action comes from someplace else..

Re: Time to upgrade?
Clark #447359 05/13/23 05:43 PM
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Thanks for those tips rrlev!
I upgraded to a 75 inch TV last month (another reason I wanted to move to on wall speakers).

Here is a pic from the couch, eyes are 10 feet from screen. I didn't close the curtains so there is some glare. I will replace the old stand with something low so the on wall can mount below the screen.[img]https://postimg.cc/d7TVKNrx[/img]


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