Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Taking the M60 Plunge

After months and months of reading about the M60s, I finally decided to crack open the piggy bank and give 'em a shot. Soooo, this past Wednesday (4/2/03) I ordered a pair of Factory Outlet M60s. My daughter just called, they've arrived. Two days! Incredible. Now I'm all pumped but can't leave the office for another hour or so.

So unless I don't like the M60s, my current M22s will go upstairs to the family room along with my Yamaha RX-V630. To accompany the M60s, I just purchased a Harman Kardon AVR525 receiver and a Mitsubishi WS-48511 widescreen TV. Th HK is very different from the Yamaha - not better or worse - just different. Now I just have to decide which speaker(s) to use for the back to accompany my QS8 surrounds, and whether to use one or two. To be continued...

Phil

Phil,

with those M60's and QS8's you have one heck of a start for a home theatre!

I'd get a VP150 and an EP350 to complement them. If you choose to go without Axiom for the sub, you might want to take a look at the new SVS that is a cube, not a cylinder. It has a much nicer appearance!

The VP150 is a stunning center. Voices sound so pure and are pushed out in such a soft manner that you'll never get ear fatigue. Some people prefer an M2i. You could always order both and compare. I prefered the VP150 to an M22ti. The M22's, however, are superb as main speakers. They are the best bookshelf speaker, and the M60's are widely considered the best tower. They have been reputed to sound very much alike, with the M60's have, obviously, greater bass output.

I'm not sure how well that cube SVS compares to the cylinder though. I got the 20-39 PCi (cylinder). Even talking to SVS on the phone, it sounds like they don't feel their cube is as good as the cylinder. Not sure how it would compare to other cubes. Then again, the cylinder is huge...I'm debating if I should send it back and get a cube from them for the VTF-2, so in this case, sound isn't neccessarily everything.

Thanks for the input. Actually, I should have mentioned that I have been using an M22 for my center channel speaker and I already own a wonderful Hsu Research VTF3.

When I first tried out the M60s, I was a bit overwhelmed and almost wanted to put my M22s back. I loved the fullness and clarity of the M60s but I wasn't used to the ease with which the M60s handle higher volumes - it's got such a relaxed nature. I also lost, (as Alan had indicated would happen in a listening distance under 15' - mine is at about 13'), some of the wonderful sense of 3D imaging that I had been getting from the M22s. So in a semi-confused state of mind, I turned everything off, went to bed and tried it all again the next day. This time I loved the M60s. I pushed back my couch another foot which seemed to make a little difference. I was astounded by the timbre of the instruments and vocals and the envelopment in sound that I feel, especially with surround music, but with a well produced stereo CD as well. I've decided that I may lose a little in the 3D imaging, but I gain so much more in every other aspect. Then my wife listened to them and a big smile crossed her face. I rarely get feedback from her about this stuff, but she emphatically said that she loves the warmer sound of the M60s and she also loves the way they look. So this is cool, the M22s go upstairs, and the M60s stay downstairs. I get the best of both worlds. Now I just have to determine if the M22 remains my center channel downstairs or if I spring for a VP150. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Phil

PhilK

I'm glad you enjoy the M60's! I'd purchase a pair myself but my current and near future living arragements will not allow that.

I have M22's and a VP150. I must admit, I prefer the VP150 as a center, that is quite clear in my mind, but the M22 is not a bad center, just not as good at the VP150 (this is in my opinion, in my listening room, of course). The main differences I found are:

1) The VP150 centers the voice better. The M22 spread it out too much. I listen to a lot of movies that have barely any action lot's of dialogue. The M22's spread the sound too far out. The VP150 really kept it coming straight from the TV.

2) The VP150 makes voices sound a little bit more realistic, whereas the M22 gave voices a more... 'powerful' sound. Voices also came out louder.

3) on music DVD's, the center was too pronounced with an M22 as a center. I lowered the decible output of it, but then it was too quiet.

one note to point out is that when the M22 was the center, I had QS8 rears and M3 mains.