Hi all,

Axiom is delighted to announce that the new M0 On-Wall speaker is up on the Axiom site. Also known as the Accent when it's combined with a subwoofer in a home theater or stereo system, the M0 can be seen here:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/m0-onwall-speaker.html

You can also access the M0 site page from the "Products" drop-down menu, On-Wall/In-Wall speakers, on the Home page.

Alan

That is a nifty little bracket for the M0. Such an awesome design.

I had always thought it would be a W0 and not an M0 as the M designation appears to be for regular bookshelf/floorstanders and the Accent is closer to the Architectural series.

I line the bracket design too. It is just a matter of time before some newbie asks how he can use banana plugs with them, despite the logic that states that banana plugs would defeat the purpose of the more "flush to the wall" design.

No wattage rating?

Hi all,

Thanks for the comments on the bracket. There was much discussion about the name and designation. I've been calling it the Accent ever since we ran the contest, but apparently "M0" is the individual designation. And I agree it is closer to the Architectural Group. I'll quizz Ian on the wattage rating.

Cheers,
Alan

Hi Alan,
Interesting product and a general question....

I understand the desire in the marketplace for "small, décor-friendly" speakers (afterall that is the selling point of Bose Cubes) but at what point do you hit the downsizing limit where the quality of the output is too compromised to be worth putting the Axiom label on (can you really have a 3" Woofer)?

Thanks
Nathan

The Audiobytes use this 3" woofer and they sound great, if the Accents sound as good, Axiom has yet another winner on their hands.

Hi jmone,

I think one of the big problems with the bose cube series is the passive bass module they use. It is not even a proper subwoofer that can handle low frequencies. A 3 inch driver can only do so much and needs a lot of help from the sub to produce accurate lower frequencies that the speaker cannot produce. In a small room using a quality subwoofer like the Axiom EP125 or in a larger room with the Axiom EP400 with a high crossover point I imagine the performance would be very good for music and home theatre.

BTW there are some other companies out there that make decent sounding cubed/small speakers with quality in mind, bose is just not one of them.

Similarly, I am always amazed at how well Orbs sound relative to their size. I have not heard the Audiobytes, but assuming they are at all similar to Orbs, small speakers can still put out some wonderful sound. Haha, I still prefer big ones though...

Hi jmone,

Interesting question. You can actually go smaller than the 3-inch woofer in the M0 (Accent) or Audiobyte--IF you are willing to trade off other variables, output being one of the big trade-offs.

For example, I don't know if you have ever heard a tiny radio made by Tivoli Audio, called the PAL (Portable Audio Laboratory). It uses a 2-inch long-excursion full-range driver and a lot of electronic equalization to force the driver to reproduce a wide frequency range, including audible bass to about 50 Hz. BUT its major limitation is you cannot turn it up loud because the tiny woofer is already moving near the limits of its back-and-forth excursion so as to produce audible bass at a moderate listening level.

The Tivoli Audio PAL was developed by Henry Kloss (the original "K" of KLH), the founder of Advent, who also invented the first domestic video projector. The PAL was based on a high-quality table radio first offered by KLH in the 1960s. The KLH Model One used a slightly larger driver, about 3 inches, and extensive EQ. Kloss was also one of the early partners in Acoustic Reseach in the 1950s with Edgar Villchur, when they developed the first really good relatively compact acoustic suspension speaker that had deep bass output, the AR-1.

The 2-inch woofer in the Tivoli Audio PAL is the smallest driver in a speaker that I'm aware of that has effective bass output. Kloss decided that most listeners would be sitting quite close to the PAL, within a couple of feet, so high volume output wasn't needed. He traded that off for decent bass output at very moderate playback levels.

Regards,

Alan

Wow...looks awesome.

Which center channel would you pair with this?
It has to match the M0 to get an approval for the bedroom setup

Regs,
Avi

These are meant to be all the same speaker. So the centers and the surround are presumed to be M0s.

The center channel would be another matching wall mounted M0 (along with the surrounds) in either a 5 or 7 speaker setup and can be integrated with as many subwoofers as you wish.

i thought so too..but may not look that good around the LCD TV. A horizontal model would have been better..much easier WAF.

BTW, why is it recommended to use sub 175 or 400 but not the 350. any specific reason for that?

They are recommended simply due to their smaller size. Any subwoofer can be used with them.

Hey Alan, do you think that 2 of these with a 125 or similar would be a decent replacement for M22s? (not for me)

We also need to take power into account. At 6db less sensitivity (than the M22 and 8db for the M80), you need to beef up the minimum power requirements x4 which might affect the "low cost" aspect. However, they sure are pretty!

Hi Ken,

Yes.

Regards,

Alan

Thanks Alan I get the trade off with power Vs Size or else wearing headphones would require a very strong neck. Also I get that using this configuration for the Audiobyte is fine as you are only at most a couple of feet away. I guess my hesitiation in the marketing of this size format to fill a room at reasonable sound pressure, these trade offs will become much more apparant.

Anyway all of this is from the other side of the world without ever Auditioning the M0's!

Thanks
Nathan

jmone, of course there are limitations of maximum sound pressure level, but if you get five of the M0's running in an average size room--say, 2,100 cu ft or so--and you have the subwoofer to handle the bass duties up to 150 Hz, the M0s will present a remarkably satisfying surround experience. No, they won't play at extreme levels like the M60s, M80s or as loud as the M22s, but I think you'd be surprised.

When I did the double-blind tests of these, they were running in stereo (not 5.1) and they still pumped out satisfying levels.

Alan

Sir Quack,

The power ratings for the M0 (Accent) on-wall speakers are 20 watts minimum and 150 watts maximum. That spec should show up on the M0 specs this week.

Regards,

Alan

Great, good to know Alan.... thanks for following up, not very common these days.

I quite like this idea for my mother.
She's older and certainly doesn't want me to punch holes in her basement walls to accommodate the W series so this M0 fits the bill.
However, to get 5 of them plus a small subwoofer, a receiver and an easy all in one remote, i'd still be looking at $500 to 1k to setup that system.

Tempting option though.

Alan,
What is your opinion on using these as back surrounds in 7.1 configuration?
The fronts are M3s, VP100; Side surrounds are QS4s.

My biggest concern is that my subwofer (non Axiom) only goes as high as 120Hz. It is currently crossed at around 80Hz with all three fronts and 100hz with side surrounds.

Hi gebemot,

They certainly work as surrounds--and they're quite neutral sounding--because the M0s will be offered as part of a 5.1 Accent system. I've never tried them as surrounds using other Axiom models as mains, or with the QS series, but their tonal signature should blend well.

You don't need low bass output in the surround satellites because the subwoofer supplies the bass. Your sub's crossover going to 120 Hz should be adequate to mesh with the M0's roll-off in output below 150 Hz.

Regards,
Alan