Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater New HT Room, Axiom Newbie...Advice appreciated!

My new dedicated home theater room is currently under construction, scheduled to be completed in the next few months. At this time, I'm narrowing down my choices concerning the audio equipment. I have a couple of questions for those of you who are Axiom owners and have much more knowledge than me!

A couple of things about my future system. First, my HT room is going to be very small (11 X 14 X 7.5, a little over 1000 cubic feet). Second, my budget for the speakers is about $2000.

Having said that, I've settled on the VP100 for the center, the QS4 for the surrounds, and the EP350 for the sub. I can't decide which speakers to use for the front channels...the M2 or their larger sister the M22?

Will the M22 be too much speaker for this space? I'm definitely leaning towards the M22 because of the reviews I keep reading about the quality of this speaker (not to say that the M2 is bad, but I think that the M22 will take the experience to the next level).

Also, I'm planning on purchasing the Denon AVR-970 (1910) 7.1 Receiver. Any thoughts on this? Is this price range of receiver (~$500) appropriate for this speaker setup, or should I be looking for something more?

Again, thanks for any advice, I really appreciate the input!

I think you would be fine with the M2s in that size room. Additionally, If there is any chance you can fit a M2 above or below your screen as a center speaker then I would go with the M2s for sure. Just run the numbers and look at the money you will save getting 3 x M2 vs 2 x M22s and 1 x VP100. Having all three front speakers match is considered ideal for the same reason people always use matching L/H and R/H stereo speakers.

If you do have your heart set on the M22s don’t let me talk you out of them or you may always wonder…what if? But I just don’t think the incremental improvement you will get from them will make a big enough difference to justify the price in that room. Even if you descide on the M22 mains I would still seriously consider an M2 center if you can fit one.

Lastly if your willing to fork over about 30 USD return shipping you could order both and hear for yourself which works best shipping back the pair you don’t keep.

Not sure there is such a thing as "to much" speaker for a room. I know people with m80's in that space. Are you ordering from the factory outlet? This will save youi 10% and 5% if you get 5 or more items. If you can afford them, the Qs8's give you better bass performance and can handle more power. The m3's will give you better bass response compared to the m2's.

The Axiom speakers are very efficient and easy to drive by even the modest of receivers, especially in a smaller room.

You've made some good decisions and gotten some good advice already. You are on the right track for that size room with QS4s. Also the M2 or M22 is your best choice of front speaker to integrate with a sub. The Denon you have selected will drive the speakers just fine.

From my personal viewpoint I would go with the M22s and an M2 center if it fits. The 350 is a little pricy for it's spec level and you might consider SVS, HSU alternatives to help reach your budget overall.

I'd go with the M22s. They will fit nicely in that size room and will be able to keep up as you push the volume on movies.

I've had big floorstanding speakers in smaller rooms than your HT. The M22s will be fine!