I have room in the basement 15'x10' with LCD screen, new Onkyo TX-NR905 receiver and infinity TSS-450 set. I would like to upgrade my speakers so I could enjoy movies and rock music. I have read good things about Axiom.

I do not think I will be able to afford whole setup at once. I would like to buy it in few steps.

Can you recommend what speakers would be good match for my rather small room. There s a good chance that in couple of years I will have bigger entertainment room.

Thanks Charles

Charles, welcome. In your size room the M22s would have all the capability needed to produce satisfying sound levels, and more importantly, of excellent quality. If you're planning for a much larger future room the M60s wouldn't be out of place now. In any case, the main speakers should be your first purchase, with QS4 surrounds to follow.

Another welcome,

JohnK gives some good advice, I would also like to recommend trying the Hearing Things forum to see if you could also audition a set of speakers to see which sound you like. a PM to Amie may also help in this matter if you are unable to find someone nearby.

All of the Axiom speakers I have heard are very clear but some are more forward(vocals more emphasized) than others. For instance, the M22 is more forward then the M60, I do own both. I am actually running them in parallel right now and they sound very clear, smooth and just a little forward, a little less than the M80s. You may want to consider the QS8s as well for surrounds, as you mentioned you may be getting into a larger room down the road. The sub would be next and then the center channel last as it is generally the one speaker that makes the least improvement in an HT, IMO.

Thank you guys. I appreciate that. I think I will go wth M60 as I don't want to buy speakers every two or three years. I understand that M60 is meant for bigger rooms but it should not be a problem, right?

It might be overkill for this room but still it should sound good. I hope.. :-)

{OVERKILL} Go with the 80'S. You won't have to buy for a while even if they go to a bigger room.

There is no issue with using larger speakers in a smaller room, as long as you have room. You might want to check the audition thread, you may find someone in IL that will let you have a listen.

It's about time we got another person from Il.

Charles,

How far away will you be sitting from them? The 80s (and most probably the 60s) require at least 8 feet of listening distance. As others have mentioned, you also need to consider your listening preference. Do you like more mellow, laid back, forgiving sound or more accurate, forward and detailed?

To be honest I have never had good speakers so I could not enjoy good sound. I would rather have more accurate and detailed sound.

As for listening distance it's a little bit tricky because I have to deal with limited space. Most of the time people will be 10' from the speakers. If I have more people in the room closest one will be about 6' from the speaker. Unfortunately I can't do any better this time. I hope I'll get rich one day. :-)

This is just a temporarily solution until I can do better. I want to have something in mean time.

Thanks again Charles

60s or 80s will be fine then since you'll be more than 8 feet away most of the time.