We listen to music in our kitchen a lot from a set of small satellite speakers sitting sideways on top of our kitchen cabinets. I would like to replace these with something a little bit more substantial but still fitting in with the decor. I'm really attracted to the look of the VP150's and the custom finishes.
What I am wondering is will these be good for music? Or are a pair of bookshelves sitting on their sides a better choice? The center channel would look much better so I am leaning towards buying 2 of them and using that setup...
That is a really interesting question. Since you're putting the speakers above your kitchen cabinets, which, I assume, is well above your heads, you're apparently wanting to simply spread some music around the kitchen rather than seeking sonic nirvana. At this point, I can't think why using two center channels for stereo music wouldn't work. I'd guess that either of the VP canters would sound much better than what you have up there at the moment. I'd love to hear what someone from Axiom would have to say about the idea.
The center channels are accoustic suspension/sealed enclosures. While they would work fine for music, I would think the ported design of the M22s would sound better for music because they will reach lower.
Are you using a sub?
You could build one into the lower cabinets...
I would vote for a pair of M3s on their sides!
Mine are on their sides with no loss of quality.
Hello SuperRabbit0,
Welcome. You can certainly use VP150s in that application. When I initially auditioned the entire Axiom line a few years ago I set up a couple of 150s on stands, then stood them on their ends to see how they sounded, using a comparator to compare them to M2s, M22s and M80s.
As it turns out, they sound remarkably good, good enough that I mentioned at an Axiom meeting we could start selling them not just as center channel speakers, but as speakers for special applications. They have very high power handling (up to 400 watts per channel) so you could certainly party with them at very high levels if desired.
You got that right Jack
I was enlightened to read Alan's response on the original question.
I guess the answer is
AFL.
Supe, welcome. It's safe to say that horizontally positioned VP150s would be a significant improvement over your present arrangement, even if they're not ideal main speakers in that position.
Alan's reference to using VP150s vertically as mains reinforces a point he's made before. Although I'm not personally familiar with the VP150s, the result certainly isn't surprising. Favoring a vertical center where possible has been frequently suggested, including turning a VP100 on end to experiment with that positioning.
Wow, what a great forum. Thanks so much for the great feedback. It certainly gives me some confidence moving ahead with this plan.
Never underestimate the ingenuity of a dedicated audiophile (or basshead). 