Hello guys, I think I am going to jump on the Axiom train and order me 2 seperate sets of speakers but have some questions first.

I am 90% HT and 10% music and cost is not really an issue I just may have to prolong the purchase out a tad and buy different pieces each month.


The first system will be in a 14X20 room with 10 foot ceilings with only 2 fully enclosed walls. One of the 20 footers is the entry and bar from the kitchen and the back 14 foot wall has an 8 foot wide hallway.

For this one, I am debating an HK630 Open Box I found for $500 or opting for a brand new HK630 or 635. About the only thing I can see different are the composite inputs are 3 on the 635 versus 2. What do you guys think? Or is there a better Receiver for the 500-750 range?

For the speakers my plan is to get the 60s, V150 and 2 QS8s to start. I am waiting on some custom wood samples now to see what best matches my entertainment wall. I have yet to decided on the sub but have thought about an SVS or a an Axiohm 350. What do you guys think, enough speaker for the room?

The second system is to be ran by one of my old Kenwood receivers and will be contained in a huge armoire I just purchased. I had a pair of bose seperates I was going to use for a 3 channel solution but they are not shielded and are distoring the TV. My solution for this being speakers only was a 100 center and 2 M3's, are the 3s shielded enough to sit directly next to the TV? If not what are the other options.

Thanks for the input.

I'd say the 630 is an excellent deal at $500, but I'd make sure it's got a real factory warranty on it. Even better would be a factory refurb through an authorized dealer. The speaker selection looks good. The M3s may or may not be shielded enough; we've had some problems around here with M2s not being shielded quite enough. How close are the speakers going to be to the TV? If they're not right up against it, it should be fine.

Be aware that the custom finishes are not wood. They're vinyl, but quite nice even so.

Welcome to the club...

The 635 has auto-EQ...which may or may not be important to you.

I attempted to put an M3 on it's side on a crt, OOPS, no-go. Works fine upside down however where the tweeter is closer to the screen than the woofer. There was even a thread on this forum some years ago where it was noted by Management that at least six inches from a CRT is recommended as the minimum. I suspect that that's still the case today.

If you can keep the M3s at least six inches away, you should be ok.

DB, welcome. You should give consideration to the new equalization system on the 635 developed by Dr.Toole's group, which Curtis mentioned. It also equalizes the subwoofer output, which is the area generally most in need of room equalization. Availability is in the $750-$800 area.

Thanks for the input guys.

On the 630 receiver for 500 it is an open box from an authorized dealer, but I may use the recommendation and do the 635 as I found it for 726 new from another dealer.

As for the closeness, yes they will be right next to the TV as I have 11 inches on each side of the TV, so they would only be 2.5 inches from the TV. Any other speakers you all can think of that are shielded really well to be in that close of proximity.

Thanks.

Vertical VP100s?

Or vertical VP150s.

I remember posting about this before, and Alan said something about how good a pair of vertical 150s sounded. Of course, that's a lot of money.

Yeah good idea on that and actually confirmed with Axiom on the shielding issue and you guys are spot on. But as kcarlile said thats a lot of money for a small 3 piece system, will have to think about that. Thanks again for the recommendations, you guys know your stuff.

I will check back in when I actually finish this system out and let you all know what I did and how it turns out or any other questions I may have.

My main issue with the vertical 100 idea is not the cost (it's only a few bucks more than M22s), but the appearance. The VP100 has a very wide grill, which makes the speaker look much larger than it actually is. (I know, I know, grills off, but...). I'd like to be able to use an M22 sized grill on the 100 or have something else to decrease the width/height (depending on orientation).