I'm looking to upgrade my home theater system.
The following is what I now have;

Pair Axiom AX 1.2
Axiom AX 1.2 center channel
Pair Axiom AX 2+ 2
Axiom AX 150A sub
Plus a pair of new QS8
Powered by a Onkyo TX-SR806
Viewed with a 52" LCD Samsung 750 Series

What improvements would you guys recommended.
Keep in mind I am retired and living on a budget.
Rec room size is 14X24

As you can see I love my Axioms.

Thanks

just wanted to say WoW! cool stuff you have..

How are you using the sytem, for movies, music, or both... I assume you don't like it real loud?

Now that *is* an interesting question. In case anyone hasn't seen the details, please check out :

http://www.axiomaudio.com/vintage.html

Translating to current model numbers, I guess you basically have M2s, VP100, EP175, QS8s plus the receiver and LCD TV. Very nice system.

At first glance, I guess the mains are probably the closest thing to a weak link if you are playing at all loudly, maybe followed by subwoofer low frequency response.

There isn't any one obvious thing to upgrade, so I guess first question would be "if there was some area you would like to be better (sound / picture / clarity of dialog / bass effects etc..) what would it be ?

Unless there was something you would definitely like to improve, I guess my first thought would be "spend the money on really comfortable seating". Seriously.

Second thought would be to upgrade the mains to M60, third thought would be to upgrade the sub.

Crazy thought would be the new VP180; I keep thinking that it's sufficiently big and effective that you don't really *need* any other speakers

Thx Sir....Your system isn't too shabby either.
We enjoy watching movies mostly.The louder the better.
We enjoy the 7.1 sound effects of movies like The Transformers
Revenge of the Fallen,Avatar etc in Blu-ray.We also enjoy concert DVDs.How do you like your VP 150? I'm thinking of getting one but haven't quite made up my mind yet.The question I'm asking myself is would I notice the difference?Would they fit in with my mains?

Hi Bridgman....Don't get me wrong I love my system.
I just want to tweak it a bit.They say that the
center channel is the heart of a HT system.So I was
thinking that maybe the VP 150 or the VP 180 would
sound awesome comparing to my AX 1.2's.Question is...
are they compatable with my system? Or would it be too much? By the way...Thanks for the link on my Vintage speakers.It makes me think back of when I bought them .

If you like those types of movies, then you might also consider sub options. I'm not familiar with the AX150A, but there is nothing like haveing an awesome sub to rumble your body/room...


Randy

Have you asked the folks at Axiom?

Welcome, Postie. It's nice to see those classic AX speakers!

You mentioned you were on a budget but do you have some idea as to what you want to spend and also will you be upgrading once or maybe in a couple of steps as you are able? imo, a pair of M60s combined with the VP180 would be the way to go, but I'm not sure if that's out of your budget.

Timbre matching MAY be an issue combining the latest Axioms with your early AX's. I would contact Ian, he could make some recommendations there, I'm sure.

I have no problem when it comes to my sub.
It may not be as big as some but I am very
happy with it.The room rumbles when it needs to.
And I agree with you Randy a good sub makes a
good movie even better.

Thanks for the welcome Adrian...I tend to agree with
you guys.I need to talk to Ian and take it from there.
Thanks to everybody for their input.I'll make sure to
let you know what he says.It's been awhile since I spoke
with the good folks at Axiom.

I wish I could let you borrow one of my EP350v3's or the EP600 for a few days.

Be careful what you wish for...you may
not get them back!!! All kidding aside,
I'm sure I'd love them.Besides you'd have
to get them thru customs since I reside
in northern Ontario.As a matter of fact
I'm about a hour drive from the Axiom plant.
And yes I've been thru their plant back in
1997 if I remember correctly.Very busy place...

The VP180 is a 4 ohm speaker -- I don't remember how Onkyo receivers handle 4 ohm loads. I know the Onkyos are very well regarded around here otherwise though.

I have run M2/VP100, M60/VP100 and M60/VP180 (but haven't tried M2/VP180 yet). Based on your comments and my own experiences I do think you would get the best "improvement for the $$" by upgrading your mains to M60s..

EDIT - hold on, ignore the above. I somehow missed your AX2+2's last time. Everyone else ignore my previous "M2s and VP100" comment, the AX2+2s are probably more like M50s, so we're talking about M50/VP100/QS8/M2-ish.

Am I correct in assuming that you are running the AX2+2s as mains, and 1.2s as rear surrounds ? If so, then upgrading to VP180 might be the best choice after all. Sorry for the confusion.

You are correct...My 2+2,s are my mains with the
1.2's as the rear.And like you I was thinking of
tweaking my center.But not sure which to go with.
Wouldn't the VP 180 be an overkill? Or would it
fit right in.

Just want to update everyone...... I decided on the VP 150.
And I couldn't be happier ...... Thanks to everyone for their
input.You guys are the best !!!!

Glad it worked out for you.

Cool, how does the VP150 and the AX2's play together? The tweeters are very different in each. How is the timbre matching?

The VP 150 is in black as opposed to the cherry finish
on my system.But that's ok because you only see the
front.I bought the VP 150 V2 used, I might add it's in
great shape.As for the sound with my AX2's,no complaints.
As I said before,I couldn't be happier

correction; the Ax2's isn't being used.
It's been replaced by my VP 150.
I don't know what I was thinking about.