I’m looking to start piecing together a nice sound system. I’ve been wanting to do it for years, and I finally have the money to get some nice speakers. I sort of have my heart set on the Axiom m60s. I’m looking to get a set of speakers with very good soundstage/imaging, clarity, and bass. I like a lot of different things ( http://www.last.fm/user/scootermac ). Metal, Punk, and Electronica are my favorite kinds of music. I should probably note that I am not going to be using these speakers for home theater purposes, but music only. I want speakers that can go really loud without distorting. Right now I listen to most of the music I have on my computer, through a pair Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers. I really like them, and the subwoofer has very nice, deep bass, but it’s pretty accurate and it doesn’t have that boomy/distorted sound that my old subwoofer had. How would the bass on the Axiom M60s compare to the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers? I would hope that the M60s could match if not surpass the bass in the Klipsch…

My biggest concern is that the Axiom M60s might be too big for the room I am putting them in. What happens when you put tower speakers in a room that is too small for them? I’m not sure exactly what the cubic feet of the room is, but I’d say it’s somewhere around 1,000-1,200 feet. I think that’s a couple hundred cubic feet off from the recommended room size for the Axiom M60s. Is this a real big deal? How far do you need to place the M60s away from your listening position/what’s the closest they can come to your seat? The basement might be another option. It’s a bit wider, I’d say about 15x15 feet. But the ceiling is only 6 feet high. I am going to be hooking it up to a McIntosh 1900 receiver, which is rated at 55 watts per channel. I have a feeling some of you might say to get the M22s instead. I know I would lose out on some of the bass, and would probably want to get a sub. I would be willing to do that all of that, I’m just not sure if I could hook up a sub to the old Mac receiver. I'm thinking it might not have all the right connections.

So to sum it up, can I get away with putting a pair of M60s in a room that might be slightly too small for them? What would happen if I do?


Thanks in advance for any advice.

Scott, I've run tower speakers in a small room before (10x10) and it is important to play around with placement. The corners may be the biggest problem, accentuating the bass. I know options are limited in terms of placement. I've had very good luck recently with moving my chair closer to the speakers, sort of a nearfield type listening environment. This may be an option for you as it takes away some of the reflection problems you may encounter.

Welcome to the forums Scott. What are the physical dimensions of the room?

I suspect that if you are sitting far enough away from the speakers, you would be OK. The distance you need to be to get a proper soundfield depends on the room size and how lively it is. I would suspect that you want to be at least 4' from a set of floorstanders.

The M60 will be much better than your current setup. With dual woofers (4x what you currently have) and more cabinet space you will get both more output and lower extension.

As long as your amp has sufficient power the M60s will not distort.

Bookshelves and a sub would be a good option if you have placement issues with the M60. Since this is music only and its such a small room, the EP125 or EP175 would probably be enough.

Wow, I was not expecting replies so fast. Thanks!

I wish I could give the exact dimensions of the room, but it's actually in an apartment I'm moving into in a few weeks. I've visited the place a couple times, I just know the room is probably not the "optimal" size for the Axiom M60s.

Most of us don't have optimal rooms either and with buying the M60's you are future proofed for the next bigger room.

Have you checked for an audition in the hearing things forum? Someone might live nearby and you could get to listen before purchasing.

You're new here, aren't you?

Some of us live here, so there's always someone to give a quick response.

Hi Scott. While the Promedias are pretty darn good for comp speakers, the M60s are in a completely different class. I mean no offense, but I do find the Klipsch bass to be rather bloated, so be prepared for the bass to sound different.

You want the truth...well you can't handle the truth! I'm sorry to break the "there is no such thing as a silly question" rule, but your question is silly. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'm not being mean (hard to believe, I know), my point is simply that you are comparing a solid 1991 Honda Civic to a 2009 Cadillac CTS.

No, the M60s are not the greatest speakers available - e.g., a Maserati Quattroporte Sport - but the upgrade you are looking at is dramatic. M60s are not computer speakers, they are audiophile speakers. Your Klipsch might be great computer speakers, but the stats they list are BS: 200 watts [uh, NO!] drive two satellites and a vented 6.5" sub woofer to 32-20,000Hz frequency range [ ] up to 106dB maximum output capability. [no, wait, tell me they did not say 106db, please!) The M60s are true full range (short of the sub zone) speakers. Meaning, they are accurate when the make a sound, not just that they can make a certain frequency at 106db). You can use M60s for any source, including your computer, but you really are not comprehending the level of sonic change you are contemplating.

One bit of advice - if you are going to use the computer as a source, you need to make sure the signal path is beefed up dramatically to take advantage of the speakers. A 55 watt amp pushing a signal from a standard sound card playing 192K mp3s will sound bad on M60 or any other good speaker. Just as the Caddy CTS would run bad on 4 temporary doughnut tires and bad gas. If you have the cash, opt for an AVR and a sound-card with digital outputs. If you don't have the cash (it happens to all of us) go for smaller speakers and secure the signal path to be sure you can enjoy the speakers. If you do this, you will be shocked by the sound in terms of realism and emotional delivery. Go for it.

Scott, I had M60's in my 30ft x 31ft 9ft room for 2 years before getting the m80's, you will be fine.

Unlike Zimm and some of the other amp freaks (I say that lovingly!) I think you'll be fine with a 55W amp in that room, particularly a McIntosh, which I would use even if it was 5W. Because McIntosh amps look awesome.

Oh oh! The smoking baby is running low on oxygen again.


... at one c M

Specs only tell a useful story if all the details are included. No distance on the max volume. no +- db rating on the frequency range. No lies, just mis-information.

I agree with both of you - 55 watts from a real McIntosh amp I would trust to sound quite nice. 55 watts from McIntoosh, I would expect to get 160db of...sounds? My concern was about signal path to the Mac. [Edit: turns out the Mac 1900 is an old-style AM/FM radio/receiver from 1977, so I'm not sure what to say about that.]
And my "BS" call was more along the lines of what Fred says. No doubt they can prove those numbers if needed - just not in a way anyone would be impressed with.

I know that the M60s will blow my klipsch speakers out of the water. I was just concerned about bass because I had demoed some tower speakers (rega R5 i think, through a rega brio amp) and it had almost no bass.

As far the sources, that is something I'm still trying to figure out. To play records I have a Perpetuum Ebner 2040 turntable. My Dad started letting me use it. It's made by a really obscure, defunct company that I can find almost no information on. It sounds great though, but I may consider getting a Rega P1. The thing is I'm not positive it will actually be an upgrade. I have a feeling that this turntable could be on par with the Rega P1, although I don't really have any way of telling.

I want to use my Macbook to play lossless/FLAC files. I think I will just get a nice 3.5mm-2 RCA cable at first, but I will probably want to get a DAC later down the road. A DAC (for macbook purposes) basically acts as an external soundcard, right? Forgive me if I'm sounding like a newbie

You have that right, with the DAC. Well, assuming you have a digital out on your Macbook (or a USB DAC).

Not all towers are made the same... nor are all rooms.

But I have to wonder if you're just used to bloated bass. I can't imagine too many instances where a computer speaker system will put out more or better flat bass than a pair of floorstanders.

Me wonders if this isn't one of those situations where the bass is cranking up but rolling off at 50Hz....

Don't worry about being a "newbie", no matter how much money we spend, we are all newbies depending on who is reading the post. I don't know Apple's soundcads, so I won't comment, but if you are looking to upgrade your sound, consider an AVR, or integrated amp to hook up to your computer. That, plus a good bookshelf would beat the pants off your current system.

As for the M60s, assuming you can give them the source material to make their purchase worthwhile, you won't regret it. But, if bass is a big thing for you (and your music suggest it is is) you should go the sub/sat route. A really good sub, like the EP500 plus a nice set of Sat's will blow you away and feel like the music is actually kicking you in the chest. No tower will do that with your current system (no offense). Go sub/sat from Axiom and you will never regret it. The other good thing is the Sat's become surrounds when you later want a full tower.

Almost there brother.

And so it begins...

I just won a pair of Axiom M60s on eBay. It was quite magical, Harold Budd's Madrigals of The Rose Angel was playing on the radio while the auction ended. I think this is a good sign

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkWwQlqpFYM


These speakers are the the first step towards building my first real "audiophile" sound system. So happy. So excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was it from the Axiom store, or some other seller? If it is from Axiom, then the warranty would be valid.. Great news, you will enjoy them....

I have M60s in both a large and a small room. Both sets are one of my favorite purchases ever! Why has been already described above.