Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater M22 Good for HT???

I was under the impression, Chess, that both you and Sushi felt that modern pop recordings were frequently mixed "hot". This is done to make the recording louder and "better" when heard through car stereo speakers so that people will go, "Wow! That really sounds great. I'm going to go buy that CD!"

Obviously such a recording would sound bad on an accurate, detailed speaker.

OTOH, DVDs are mastered with the HT user in mind - someone who has likely invested a bit of money in quality equipment. As a result, movies sound consistently great and music CDs can be hit and miss.

That is what you guys concluded, correct?

What he said! I REALLY can't stand guys who say what I would like to say better than I can say it. Sheesh!

I have the M22s with a cheap sub for my HT and music/ht is about 60/40. Actually, the music listening went UP after I got them. They are that amazing. They have (in my opinion) amazing mid-range and clarity (read that as neutral) and will probably fit your needs. I will someday get a much better subwoofer, but not until I move out of an apartment building.
The main concern I would have is not if the M22s would sound good, but if you need larger speakers for your space. It's always recommended and encouraged that you call Axiom and ask what speakers they would recommend. I have read on these boards that they talked people OUT Of M80s. To me that means they want happy customers not just more money.

jr

I am one of those that got talked out of the M80's. I was told the M60's sound virtually identical except the M80's would play a little louder. I was also told that the 80's were tougher to setup. Based on Axiom's recommendation I went with the 60's instead and couldn't be happier.

How do you distinguish between what is good for HT and what is good for music or what is consistently and completely a bad speaker for either?
What if a person had a mix of music to movies? Do you then suggest one speaker of one brand and one of another to compensate for the good and bad points?

Here's one possibility:
Both sets of media (music cds and movie dvds) have a wide range of frequencies that need to be played back. If a person were to select a speaker solely for 'hot' music recordings (IF that was all a person had), a speaker with a more laid back upper end, less bright, possibly labeled less accurate with a rolled off upper frequency, would that not take away from its HT usage? (dulled down upper end, now dialogue does not sound so clear for movies)

Perhaps some speakers that are good for music are not always good for movies.
It's a thought to ponder.

No, Travis, there's no technical basis for your comments relating to the mid-range. The M22s have an outstanding midrange, using two of the 5 1/4" drivers for that while the M60 has one. The lowest octave of bass isn't covered by the M22s, but this doesn't in some way change the ability of that driver to handle the mid-range.

I think it all comes down to personal taste (and budget). If I had unlimited funds and a dedicated HT room I would have one set of speakers for music (focusing on DVDA) and another set for HT. Unfortunately myself as well as most of us don't have that luxury. So we have to compromise. That is why it is generally recommended to listen to a bunch of different speakers and make up your own mind rather than relying on the opinions of others. If you hop over to the Spot there are dedicated followers of Axiom and also Rockets. Both rave about the greatness of each brand yet you probably couldn't find 2 more tonally different speakers out there. Myself, I want an accurate speaker even if it means some of my music sounds less than ideal. Sure this way my poorly recorded songs sound worse than usual but on the flip side the well mastered songs really sing (no pun intended ). Not to get on a whole other subject but equipment plays a role in how your music sounds as well. Paired with my old Sony the Axioms as others described were a tad "bright" but paired with the Denon they have mellowed out a bit.

JohnK, I am definitely not an audiophile, I will leave the technical lingo to those better suited to explain it. Playing devils advocate here, if the dedicated midrange driver does absolutely nothing to improve the midrange dynamics than why does Axiom put them in the M60's. If they serve no purpose why not just leave them out and save all of us some money. The same goes for car stereo's. Why when you go to the shows and you look at the installs are there usually a woofer paired with a midrange driver and tweeter. Now we all know that a woofer can not produce what a tweeter can but it can produce midrange so why put in the extra speaker. I am not claiming that I am right I just feel that it is there for improved clarity.

Travis, it isn't for the mid-range, it's for the bass; the mid-range is identical.

If it were for the bass why wouldn't they put either a) 2 8" woofers and forego the mid or keep the 2 6-1/2" and add a 4" woofer instead of the mid. If it is indeed the exact same speaker as the M22's why does Axiom describe it as a midrange instead of what it is, a 5-1/4" woofer?