Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Decisions decisions

Via review of the AVS forum I was swayed to purchase the M2i's and was I blown away. I was so impressed it has put me in a delima for which I solict your alls help. Oops, I guess you just figured out I am from the South.

I currently have a dedicated home theater that is 11 x 19 and 8 foot ceiling. The floor covering is carpet and I have stadium seating with two rows of reclining couches for seating. I have a Yamaha 2095, two 2002 Def Tech towers with 125 watt built in subs, a 2500 Def Tech center channel and two BP1 surrounds. My video source is a NEC HT 1000 projecting on a Dalite Hi Power 106" screen.

I am considering two alternatives and would like to solict your advise on what you would recommend or to suggest any ohter option.

Option one would be to purchase a pair of M60's and sell my Def Tech towers then add a subwoofer, probably an SVS PB 12 +. This would appear to be the most economical route but I am concerned about mixing the speakers, esp the fronts.

A second option I am considering is selling the entire Det Tech set on e-bay and purchasing the Epic 60 package.

Almost forgot, I also plan to move the Yamaha upstairs and purchasing the Marantz 7400 for the theater. I assume that is a good match for the Axioms?

Would most appreciate anyone's thoughts and or recommendations.

Without question, Option One. With M60's and a PB12+, you're more than half-way to unbeatable sound. The sub in the Epic 60 package can't compare, and you might want to upgrade the VP100 to the VP150. Stick around here and we'll convince you to get the QS8's.

i would definitely get some M60's for the space. 80's not needed. and you just cant go wrong with SVS, but take a look at the new axiom subs. EP500 and EP600. they are rather expensive, but all indications go to show that those subs are setting new industry standards.

i would also suggest the VP150 center, and some QS8's. the VP100 and QS4's could get the job done, but why leave yourself in a position to wonder 'what if'?

it sounds as though you have a pretty killer HT set up already. i would love to see some pics of your dedicated room, and its a must once you get your new axioms.

bigjohn

Daffy - you clearly picked your name to fit in here easily.

Try this on. You are best matching your speakers. Since you have chosen Axioms, I'd suggest, for your room size, M60s/VP100/QS8s. The VP150 is an optional upgrade, but not really necessary as the 100 is a special speaker to begin with. To expand on bigjohn's comment - the QS8s are stunning and are "must have" choices.

The new Axioms look pretty good, but they are a bit expensive. For your sub, the PDS-12+ you are looking at would do the job - ALOT. You really don't need that much sub for that room. A PBS-12 ISD would be more than enough. I've got a 20-39 PCi in a 16x22x10 room and the gain is only at 45%. Lotsa "woofing" is still available. Any of the SVS subs mentioned here will be more equipment than an Axiom EP350.

I'd suggest you call SVS and let them help you with the sub choice. They actually sold me DOWN a model and they are just special to deal with.

Good luck with it.

Ray

Thanks alot guys for your input. You confirmed what I thought that the M80's were too big for my room. It would appear the only deviation is which center channel is best for my needs.

Amie at Axiom had recommended that I at least match the fronts by getting the M60s + the VP150 so that all the tweeters in the front matched. In order to get the 5% discount Amie recommended that I order the QS8s which would save me about $70. By selling my Def's on E-bay I won't be deplited of too much cash. With the 30 day trial I thought I might do a comparison between the two and if I see no difference just pay the shipping costs to send the Axioms back. I know, there is no way I am probably going to want to ship them back. I will call SVS as suggested next week but I gather the PDS-12 will be sufficent. Haven't really considerined the QS8's so will explore the posts for some comments.

Thanks again for the help and I will take some photos of my theater when I get it back together. My HT 1000 developed a problem, I think a short in the line and I will be sending it back next week. I am not what you would call a computer wiz, you will note I couldn't figure out how to post a photo so who knows if I can figure out how to post.

I am curious Ray, what caused you to decide to purchase the 20-39 PCi as opposed to the more conventional box type sub?

I don't know if I'd say the M80s were "too big" for your room. If you had a burning desire for them, I think they would work out OK. But, the M60s will give you all you need, and then some, in a room that size. I have the 60s in a room 11.5x18x8 with a 10x10 dining area adjacent. They do the job, believe me.

Daffy, the 1PB 12 will be MORE than sufficient. What I am suggesting is that you may be looking at too much sub (if there is such a thing ) and might save a few $$.

To answer your question - when I spoke to Eric at SVS he explained that the cylinder is a bit more efficient than a box, but the difference isn't enough to wring your hands. I ultimately decided on the cylinder because of my room and the furniture I have. The box would have akward to place, but the cylinder fit very nicely behind a chair/in a corner. I also liked the look of the cylinder and it's ability to spark conversation. Really boils down to a matter of personal choice.

Spent quite a bit of time discussing the 20-39 vs. the 25-31 with Eric. The 20-39 goes lower and I wanted to capture all of the LFE I could. The 25-31 has more headroom, but it seemed to me that louder is only important if you are going to crank it and try to peel the paint off the wall. Hence, the 20-39. In my room, it is more than enough sub and I have not even come close to pushing it to its limits.

At this point, I have about decided to go with the 60's up front and the 150 center. When I recover financially, will go for the qs8's on the side wall and use direct radiating speakers in the back. Right now I have a pair of Bostons I will use.

In addition, I am leaning strongly toward purchasing the Marantz 7400 but having second thoughts for a couple of reasons. One, the speakers will be used about 90% of the time for home theater and Marantz strong suit appears to be music. I have been a Yamaha fan for a long time so could get the Yamaha 2400 for about the same price, $650 and I think Yamaha's strong suit is home theater. If I go Denon i would want the 3805 but it is around $1,000 and it does not seem to be worth the difference.

Anyone have any thoughts on receiver selection? I have checked out several profies and the majority appear to own Denons.

I have a Marantz receiver and love it for both music and movies. I think you'll find the consensus here is that there's really almost no discernable difference between brands once you start moving up to the price point where you're looking. Ignore the British magazines, if you read them. Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, H/K, Rotel, etc. all make fine products and it's unlikely you'll do poorly with any of those choices. Having said that, the SR7500 is slated for release after the first of the year.

hey daffy,what kind of bostons do you use for the rear?

Hey rcvecc, to answer your question, they will be CR 6's. Right now, I have them up front using as effect speakers but when I turned them off, I found I liked the sound better, but that may be because I am using Def Tech 2002's up front, for now, and running a Yamaha 2095. When I go to 7.1 will move the Boston's to the back of the room and will use my Def Tech BP 1's on the side walls.

I am starting to get the impression with with a 11 x 19 room the QS4 my be totally adequate so may decide to save myself a little money.

I feel pretty comfortable with my present speaker selection (pair of M 60's in front and the VP150 center) but keep bouncing back and forth on the receiver situation. Having had Yamahas for some time I am comfortable with them, you know the drill"If it ani't broke, don't fix it" but then thought I would try another brand for a change so the rebuilt 7400 looks interesting and is $200 cheaper than the Yamaha 2500 but then same price almost as the Yamaha 2400. What to do what to do?

I tend to agree with dmn23, esp since he is a follow Tennessan, that once you reach this price point, it is 6 of one half a dozen of another.

So if I went with the Marantz, I could almost go ahead and buy the qs4's and possibly move my M2i's down from my office so all the speakers matched then take the Bostons to my office.

Anyone have any thoughts in that regard?

Who else has a 7.1 set up and how do they have it set up? I love movies that involve the surrounds a lot and feel that by putting direct radiating speakers would fit my listening preferences better.

Dave, on your receiver decision I'd suggest that you disregard things seen elsewhere about makes which have essentially identical amplification but mysteriously are better in either music or HT; this is ridiculous in my view. In the price range that you appear to be interested in I'd suggest that you consider the new Yamaha 1500 or the Denon 2805 .

Thanks JohnK for your input. Shop Sunshine has very good prices. I assume you have dealt with them and recommend them? I always feel a little better when the internet sights provide a street address. I am guessing at that price point, they are not an authorized dealer am I correct?

Daffy
I purchased my 985/2805 from sunshine. The overall shopping experiance was good.
If your decision takes you to the 2805, be sure and buy it under the 985 name. Both the 985 and 2805 recievers are EXACTLY the same thing, except the 985 is about $100.00 cheaper. You can find both model #s in black or silver, just look for a S at the end of the model #(which stands for silver)
Hope this helps.

Forgot to tell you that sunshine is NOT an authorized dealer.

Guys just wanted to take a second and thank you for all your help.

With all the help I got on here and the research I did elsewhere, I took the plunge and purchased the following:

1 pair of M60ti's
1 VP150 center

I will move my BP1 Def Tech's to the side wall for the surrounds for now and will move the M2's from upstairs.

In addition I ultimately decided on the Marantz 7400 for two reasons. One, I just wanted to give another brand a try and 2 the price from AC4L.com with a one year warranty was hard to beat since the Yamaha 2500 would have no warranty at the approx $100 higher price.

I will have a fun time testing the difference between the M60's and the Def Tech so will let you know my impressions. Let me know if you know of anyone that might be interested in a set of Definitive Technology speakers, one owner low mileage, just driven on Saturday nights and then one night during week and sometimes Saturday afternoon when the Tennessee Vols are shown on Hi Def. I will have a Yamaha 2095 also for sale. Anyone have any experience selling on e-bay? Comments appreciated.

I sold my 2095 on eBay well over a year ago for a little over $600, but I'm not too sure how it would have sold now. There are just too many comparable receivers at a much lower price, and most with EX and ES surround. Hopefully there are still people who are looking for a good deal on a used one. Good luck.

I figure worse case scenerio is that if I can't get a decent price for it, I can move it upstairs to replace my old surround sound receiver in living room or use it to amplify one of the passive SVS subs.