I've been looking around this forum a lot and have read some great suggestions. I finally decided to ask this question on my own even though I read a lot in this topic.

I am planning on turning a room in my house into a home theater. The room dimensions are rougly 10x15. I will be using the home theater exclusively for movies, that's my main focus.

I'm a big fan of floorstanding speakers so I initially wanted to go with the M60 or M80. Several people have told me I would be just as happy with the M22s along with a good sub, I was thinking of getting the SVS PB13-Ultra.

I like listening to movies a little louder than most people. I'm not an audiophile by any means and am very new to this topic. I want to capture the essence of being in a great home theater, I guess I'm looking for the overall warmer speaker. Should I go with the M22s + Sub or should I go ahead and get the M80s, for example, and pair it with the same sub?

Is my room too small for the M80s? Is the difference not really going to matter that much between the M22 + Sub and M80s? I really appreciate any help. Thank you in advance.

-Armen

Armen, the M22s w sub is very similar, sonically, to the M80s w sub, according to many here on the forums who have heard both and would be a good choice for this size of room. Your room is about 1200 cu ft assuming an 8 ft ceiling, if you used floor standers like the M60s or 80s, they would be fine at modest listening levels but really need more space if played at higher levels. You might also want to have a look at Axiom's 'W' series speakers, these are in-wall versions of some of Axioms other speakers...this would help keep the room uncluttered and give it a clean look as opposed to having some large cabinets/stands ect., cutting the room size down farther.

Oh! and welcome to the forums!

I agree with Adrian in that common consensus here seems to be that M22s excel in small areas and are a great choice unless you need the power of a floor model to fill a large space. I myself have never heard them but they receive nothing but praise when compared to their bigger brothers. M80s and M60s will play a bit deeper as well but you are already planning on a good sub so that is not an issue at all.

Plus, although we sometimes forget it's important, you will get equivalent sound quality for less money.

The M22's and the Ultra would be a fantastic combination for movies. IMO you would not need the power handling capabilities of the 60's or 80's. Your room is not that big. However, the one thing about going with the 80's now is that it would prevent any type of upgraditis if you move your system to a larger room. This hobby can get very addicting.

Oh, and welcome to the forums!

One-way,
Upgradeitis issues aside , you will be able to hit very loud SPL's with the M22's. I have a room slightly larger than yours and have the W22's. My system can go louder than I am comfortable listening to for any extended period of time. Without pushing things I have easily measured 100dB - I am sure I have been louder but without the SPL meter in hand. In short, buy the system that suits your interests and budget best, but don't be worried about lack of SPL from 22's in that size of room with a good sub.

Wow, thank you all for the replies. You guys definitely put my mind at ease and helped me realize it really is a good choice. I can't wait to put in my order!

Don't wait!

We expect pictures once you have the system set up

Now??

Oh, wait, he hasn't ordered them yet...

I am very happy with that set up. Not enough room for the floorstanders. Welcome to the forum, lots of good advice here.

Armen, I recently purchased an SVS PC13-Ultra and it blends very well with my M22s in a much larger room than you have. I don't play at earsplitting levels; and I'm crossed over at 80Hz so the M22s dishes out all I want to handle.
I've thought about getting M60s so I can cross over the sub at 50Hz; but I'm not sure the M60s will handle the 50-80Hz range any better than the PC13-Ultra will. When you buy a high end sub it should not only go deep, but should also reach higher with good linearity.
By the way the Axiom EP-600 is a very good competitor to the SVS PB-13 Ultra and has a longer warrentee. If I had considered the PB13-Ultra instead of the PC13-Ultra it would have been a tough decision. Both companies have excellant return policies and customer service. Form factor is very different on those two subs and the EP-600 can be purchased in vertical or horizontal orientations so take a close look at it.
Bill

Glad to see you jumped over here from AVS Armen. Keep us posted on your progress with the system. Everyone here was really helpful with all of my questions when I was in the market also.