I am a Boston Acoustics fan......but think it's time to change things up a bit. I think I may go ID for the first time.....although I still find myself afraid! Brands I looked at are Axiom, Ascend, Aperion, Mirage and Energy..... The room is a dedicated room but it's small. Only 13' x 11' with 8' ceilings. There is a 98" FP screen. Speakers will be driven by a Yamaha rx-v2200....may get an amp down the road but the older Yammies are much more robust than the newer ones.

Some options I was looking at are Mirage OMD-15 with matching center, Energy RC50 or 70 with matching center, Ascend CMT 340 front 3, Axiom M-60 with 150 center. I like a nice flat frequency response....with crisp detail.... but like to be enveloped as well. It is an apartment so it is not forever...meaning the room could change down the road. First....sell me on Axiom...they are #1 right now followed VERY CLOSELY by Energy and Mirage. I have heard NONE of them....I live in Maine and there is nothing available for me to listen to. I am VERY familiar with the Boston Acoustic sound and full line of Paradigm sounds....that's it....but it may give you a base for comparison. Price wise all of these are about the same....with Energy and Mirage a bit cheaper....great deals on-line right now...

My other question is.....will these be overkill for the space? System will be 75% for movies.... 25% music....but that can change to more music at times....

Surround are are down the road...I have some but would rather put my cash to the front 3.

Any help you could offer would be great!!

Kingface - welcome. Some thoughts: * I have not heard the Ascends, Mirages or the Energys. * Paradigm's overall sound has been compared to Axiom's M60 & M80...but for less $$. * Given your current space and with a good sub (EP 350) I would recommend the M22's. These I own. They are quite neutral, revealing and offer (IMO) stunning performance. * The VP 150 will also fit well with the M22's. Axiom offers a nice 30-day period to evaluate in-room. If you don't plan on a sub and are planning to move to a larger space the M60 will work fine. Good luck. Keep us posted.

You didn't say anything about a sub. You need a sub.

What kind of music do you listen to? What kind of movies do you like?

Honestly, I think floorstanders are overkill for a room that small.

Axiom speakers are very neutral. Based on your other options, you will like them. Good company. Good value. Mirage and Energy are now owned by Harman (I think); I don't perceive their newer products as innovative as they used to be. People seem to love the Ascends but I think they are terminally ugly. I've heard some Aperion speakers and thought they sounded very good. Unlike Axiom, they are assembled overseas.

Are you going to use your old speakers for surrounds initially?

M22's and a good sub. Get the VP160 if you can manage the space and cost.

Browse around the forums a bit. Welcome.

your room is about the same size as mine, and i'm totally satisfied with the system i have, believing that having "too much" horsepower is so much better on all counts than "not enough".

it can easily take anything i can feed it without any stress.
115-118dB SPL sounds (and lower) are reproduced with excellent clarity and detail and fidelity, whether it is music or movies;
and listener fatigue never happens.

the best way for you to know about Axiom speakers is to try them for free in your own home; in case you don't like them, you're only paying for sending them back.
i thought about doing this for a long time before ordering, and i never regretted it.

check the link below my sig.

Mirage and Energy are now owned by Audiovox. They were once wonderful brands of speakers owned by Audio Products International. The one thing that concerns me with the Mirage and Energy of the present is whether they hold true to the original design specifications and not trying to cheapen them out - parts, materials.

Audiovox has a history of buying up and ruining product lines IMO.

Wow!! Thanks a billion for your quick replies guys!! Makes me want to get Axioms even more now! I have looked a lot at those M-22's. I like them a lot....but like I said....I may be getting into a house in the next year or two so this is temporary....which is why I was leaning to the 60's. As for a sub....I have an older Boston VR500 that I have been using but it will be upgraded soon to either an SVS PB12NSD or an Outlaw Lfm ex. I agree about Ascends being quite ugly....almost got them...but I can't get over the look.

Music I listen to varies a lot.... from classical and jazz to Peter Gabriel, Coldplay and Metallica and Iron Maiden..... yep...you read right!! HAHA!!

As for movies. I have 2 systems.....for just casual watching I use the living room system. For more 'epic' movies I like it on the projector and in the dedicated room.....which is where these speakers would be going into... Movies such as LOTR, Star Wars, Avatar, superhero movies etc... so on the new system I would be listening to BIG movies....

Thanks again guys!!

And J.B.....that system is CRAZY COOL in that smallish room!! Reminds me of the old MTV add when MTV first came out and they actually played videos..... the guy sitting in his chair getting blown away!

what you will want for a subwoofer is one that goes down very low in frequencies.
a short while ago i changed the tuning on mine from 16Hz to 11Hz, and i'm not going back to the former setting, it's so much better.
also, so far, the speaker in the sub has not bottomed out; it still has some in reserve.

when a movie does have info in those frequencies, it makes a very good addition to the movie sound, it adds to the movie feel as the director wanted it to be. LOTR and Avatar and others are better when those ulf are reproduced. WOTW's tripod emergence scene at the beginning of the movie makes your feet move with the waves in the wooden floor and... (enough said).

re. the MTV ad, make a search for "maxell speaker ad"; done in the 80's.

Hi Kingface. I believe the Energy brand is fading, but the RC line up are/were really good speakers. I love my Axiom's, but if I were in the market for new floorstanders, I've seen the RC-70's for $800.00/pair-that is a really good deal for those speakers...

However, for service after you buy, Axiom is the best and as far as I can see, they aren't going anywhere. If you do have issues with the discontinued RC's down the road, I'm not sure what sort of support is available. Both brands are awesome, Canadian designed speakers-don't be afraid to buy ID from Axiom. Just my 2 cents.

I have both the M22s and M60s. For your present room the M22s would be more than enough, but if you plan to upgrade in the near future go with the M60s now and don't look back. The new VP160 is a perfect match and will make you happy in a much bigger room.

J.B., have you ever thought about a nice Harmony One???

I have, but it's not worth it; and then, it's not hi-fi ! ;-)

You guys are AWESOME!!! Very good to know that if I go Axiom.....and at this point I'm 99.9% sure I will.....that I will have a lot of backup and support from users. I know Axiom has great customer service....but there is something to say about real world and ENTHUSIASTIC users to back you up that makes the experience even better!

I'm leaning to the 60's.....even though I think it would be overkill....but heck... go big or go home I guess.....

King, welcome. Since no one(on earth probably)has done a comparison of the speakers you mention under identical conditions, to a certain extent a leap of faith is necessary, but the leap is a quite small one since you can return the Axioms within thirty days in the unlikely event that you're dissatisfied.

In a couple weeks it'll be 10 years and over 25,000 hours of primarily classical music for my M22s, and when supported by a good sub(I have the EP500)it leaves in my view nothing to be desired in overall sound quality. Note that it uses two 5 1/4" drivers to handle the mid-range, compared to one for the M60, so if anything, it has the ability to handle the all-important mid-range slightly more cleanly at high sound levels(the larger M60 enclosure is tuned for more extended bass, but this has no effect on the mid-range and treble).

I love my M60's. I haven't been listening quite as long as JohnK, though. I don't think a few thousand more hours is going to change my mind; I'll still enjoy my speakers.

By the time you buy good stands for the M22's, they start to become nearly as expensive as M60's. There is broad consensus that the M60 is - by far - the best looking speaker Axiom makes.

Why don't you get ALL those speakers, set up a proper double-blind testing environment and report your results? I think people would really appreciate it.

I think my Axiom speaks completely suck and would never recommend them to anyone!

I jest

Ben, you need to try plugging the ports.

I'm with Tom on my M60's. Everyone one of my friends who has heard them is waiting for me to upgrade to something/anything so they can buy them. Ain't happenin.'

Best of luck with your final choice and welcome to Axiomville! It's conveniently located quite near to Nirvana, so there's very little travel time.

I have to agree with Tom, the M60 is the best looking speaker followed by the M22 IMO. M22 + stands might equate to nearly the same cost as M60 but the M22/stands take up a little less floor space so it depends on the room, personal preference etc as to which to go for.

Best looking speaker until you have the M80's , I'm sure.Hahaha

First off - there is no such thing as overkill. Of course in an apartment, you could probably get arrested for disturbing the peace.

Second off - Tom is the wisest man on the forums. Do not listen to the M80 crowd.

Third - Assemble those speakers and you could sell tickets around here to the audition. May even cover your cost.

I've got an SVS PB12 NSD, and I sure as hell wouldn't turn it on in an apartment. For the price, it hits really hard. Get the m60s because I'm sure you'll have to turn off that sub on occasion and the m60s do a fair job at bass. I've tried a few other high end brands and the Axioms sound very nice. You'll be very happy with them and they remain very upgradable because they keep coming out with new models that have the same neutral sound.