Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater QS8 versus QS4

Question for guys who quickly upgraded from QS4 to QS8, looking back what is it about QS8 which really made it worth an upgrade from QS4? Its very of course very enticing for me to get the best there is (dreaded Upgradeitis), but the little of the common sense (QS4 is cheaper and smaller, so much less trouble from WAF) that's left is resisting it? Do you really get fuller sound from playing DVDs or CDs? Thinking about DVD-Audio, neither speaker would produce really good bass as mentioned above, so why not invest into better DVD player with good bass managment and let a sub handle bass load?

And that's not mentioning excruciatingly long time it would take to get QS8 from factory outlet (10 weeks).

Off topic - but to save yourself a little time with the delivery of the QS8 (and maybe even to smooth over the WAF), consider doing what I did...Chery up front (M60 mains and a VP100, a maple rears, with added white grills, which were minimally extra). I got the sample of teh maple, and it is very light, nearly an off-white, with hints of white, grey, tan and khaki. While they haven't arrived yet - I think that they may blend in better with an off-white wall than the cherry ones, and make them less noticeably big.

BACK ON TOPIC - Home theater is always getting better and better - technology wise.

The one constant in the whoel thing, really, are your speakers. You can always get a better cd player, for half the price, with more features, bass management, etc. in a few years. However, you're not going to be able to get a better surround speaker for less in the future. You will pay more for the better technology. While I woudl advise against getting the best cd player, the best receiver, etc., especially if this is the first HT system you're investing in, I would not say the same about your speakers. They are the last and most critical link in the chain. Without good ones, the whole thing falls apart. And to boot, you can get the best, right now, without dropping a tremendous amount of cash, only to have them become obsolete in two years. Consider the receiver that I just bought. It has all the bells and whistles that I coudl ever want - and it only cost my $500. However, two years ago, the same receiver wasn't even available for any price (technoogy not invented yet), and even if I could get it, I would have paid $2500 - $3000 for it.

Go with the QS8s - think about getting them in a maple (or even painting them - if having huge speakers stand out on the walls is an issue), and know that you got the best, and that they will satsify you for years to come. If you go with the QS4s, you'll be very happy, but you'll always wonder - what if?

Good luck deciding, and have fun listening.

Capn_Pickard,
Thanks for your suggestion. I guess you are right. However, I was told that all speakers have to be the same color and I just hate the thought of either spending extra 50$ on QS8 instead of getting them from outlet or waiting for 10 weeks.

I'm not sure what you mean by all of them have to be the same speaker. If you're talking about a system (epic, etc.), then that might be the case. I think that the discount is the same anyway (I could be wrong, but the systems are just compilations - minus 5%). If you buy more than 5 pieces, then you get 5% off...

So, if you were to delve into the outlet, get some fronts, center and surrounds and a sub, no one would be stopping you from mix-matching colors - and you'd get the 5% package discount and the 10% outlet discount. That's what I did.

No, I mean my wife, not Axiom.

OIC -- well try to convince her that the front speakers will all match, and that the surrounds will be far enough away, and blend into the surrounding wall space so well that matching them is not only unneccesary, but woudl defeat the purpose in this case.

Show her some pics of setups with mismatched fronts/surrounds (like mine ). Intuitively, she thinks they need to match, but in practice it may be best if they don't.
Cap'n where's the pics of your M60s? I'd like to see those.

I'd like to see mine too. They should be coming anyday now.... Don't worry - I'll be taking plenty of pics when they come in.

Hi guys,
Thank you for all the suggestions. I am almost sold on getting a pair of new QS8s and VP150. I just have couple of small questions. For wall mounted QS8s what connectors do you use: bare wire, pins, banana plugs, spades? Basically, it does not look on the picture like pins, banana plugs will simply fit when hanging on the walls. Secondly, How long does delivery of non-outlet QS8s take in Eastern US? Thirdly, does anyone has any experience with http://www.accessories4less.com/Amazing/itemdesc.asp?CartId=EVEREST-14535755DKVBO488&ic=PR%2D360&cc=&tpc= wire? How flat is it really or should I just go with http://www.accessories4less.com/Amazing/itemdesc.asp?CartId=EVEREST-14535755DKVBO488&ic=HT%2D360&cc=&tpc= if I want something unobtrusive despite much thinner wire?
Thanks again!