Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo AXIOM m60ti with ONKYO TX8511 or ROTEL RX1050

Good morning folks....my first post, so I'll say howdy to all. I'm considering purchasing a beautiful set of m60ti's for my 14x18 den. I recently purchased an ONKYO TX8511 100wpc sterio receiver to replace my old and tired luxman audio receiver....very sad to let it go indeed....Anyway, my plan is to pick up a new ROTEL RX-1050 (also 100wpc) within the next year. My question to all of you knowledgeable folks is whether there will be a difference in sound quality between these two receivers? And if I should even bother buying the new ROTEL receiver? Any help will surely be appreciated. Thanks

Many people will tell you there will be a difference. Many will tell you that there won't. If you were going from a receiver to separates (especially higher powered separates) I would be willing to entertain the idea that there might be a difference. However, going from receiver to receiver (especially a really nice Onk like that one-this isn't a bargain basement Walmart special!) should not make a difference, at least in the amplification side of things. The DSPs probably will sound somewhat different, but straight through stereo direct shouldn't.

Welcome to the board! I don't have much of an opinion about the receivers you mention other than I'd love to get a full Rotel setup myself based on their great looks and the wonderfull reviews from those on these boards. I currently have the m60's in a room slightly larger than you mention driven by a hk/3480 (120wpc) and it sounds just great. You're in for a real treat!

I recommend considering the harman kardon 3480, 120x2 @ 8 ohms

a) It's under $280 on amazon

b) It's much less than that Rotel(as much as they sound as good as they look: no way there's much audible difference between that and the HK, if even a measureable one)

c) The onkyo has no subwoofer or pre out outputs, which kills upgradeability. Sure, you can plug it into the speaker level jacks on the sub, but it just aint the same..

I was considering that Onkyo when I saw it on amazon refurbished for about $180. However, no sub output really sucks.

Whoops, guess I misjudged the Onkyo. I thought it was one of the 8 series HT recievers. Nevertheless, Onkyo is a reputable company and should be building decent stuff.

Strange, I thought I'd already posted this, but I don't see it. If it's a double post, I apologize.

Although I really like the sound of my system, one thing to consider about the HK 3480 is that it doesn't have a crossover for a sub even though it does have a seperate output. Honestly, I'm not sure if you really *need* a crossover for 2-channel listening, but if you know you'll want a sub you might want a different receiver. Btw, I was sure that I would want a sub before I got this system, but I don't feel like I'm missing anything. The only reason that I'd like a sub now is that old upgradeitis itch.

Good point about the crossover for sub. With smaller speakers this would definitely be a problem because you really need to high-pass the mains (ie set them to SMALL) in order to keep the bass out and let them play at a decent volume... and only an AV receiver can do that.

With M60s it's probably not such a big deal -- you would probably just have the sub kick in at the lowest frequencies (maybe 40-50 Hz crossover freq) and would not need a high-pass filter.

I run an HK3270 with M60s and am totally happy with the combination. I would only add a sub if I was going to play DVDs through the system... and then I would probably want an AV receiver anyways...

Ahh, thanks for the clairification. That makes sense.

Actually, that depends on the speaker itself, not its size.

The m2i was reviewed by soundstage to dodge deep bass, while the m3ti tried to do some deep bass(using a bass woofer and all), which left room for distorted bass at high volumes. The m2i would be better for a situation without a crossover, since it would not muck up as bad with high volumes in the bass area. Same with the m22ti perhaps, since it uses the same drivers, although it would be more tolerant due to the larger enclosure and extra driver.

Big speakers such as cerwin vegas need to be crossed over moreso than the m2i, perhaps, due to the horribly muddy and boomy low end they have.

A 5.1 receiver will give you much less current and is the only way to get a crossover in a reciever.

I recommend getting a very cheap preamp(refurbished, used, etc), then an amp, and putting a crossover between the preamp and the amp. HSU sells them for $100.

So, you're referring to the high pass filter from HSU? They seem to allow you to specify two different crossover settings. Any recommendations? I'm not so sure I need a sub but it's nice to know that if I do decide to get one and I'm unhappy with the the default sound from sub output on the receiver that I still have options.