Hi everybody, I have a newbie question ...
I have a pair of M50ti for stereo purpose, but my whole system is composed of an Yamaha RX-V596, CTC-120 center, QS4 for rears and a D-BOX David 302 sub.

I would like to have more definition, a bit more highs, the bass and mid are great, but the high are a bit lacking ... Would it be a better investment to get a pair of M22ti bookshelves to complete my M50ti's or stay annoyed a bit longer, save up and get a nice pair of M60 or M80 ?

Patrick

I've never heard the M50ti but to my ears, the M22ti has some of the cleanest, most well balanced highs that I've heard from any speaker regardless of price. Some say that the M22ti's highs have a sheen (i won't use the M word) to it, but I don't hear that at all. The M22ti is one of the most well balance(frequency wise) speakers I've ever heard.

What do you mean by buy some M22ti's to complete your M50ti's? Where would the M22's go? Where would the M50's go?

Your question has lost me.

Regardless of that, from what you're describing, you want a pair of M60's. I think if you went from the M50's to the M22's you'd miss the fullness you get now. The M60's have exactly what you are describing you want. All the depth and lush fullness of the midrange and low end, but they also have crystal clear highs.

How long have you had the M50ti's? If you haven't gone too awfully far past the 30 days, perhaps they'll still let you return them. Then you'd only have to pay the difference for the M60's. It's worth asking.

Patrick, just so that you're not acting under a misapprehension, you should be aware that all the Axiom main speakers from the M2 through the M80, including the M50, use the same tweeter. I don't believe anyone previously has complained about a lack of highs; the very few complaints have been about too prominent highs, probably by those who had become used to less accurate speakers with a rolled-off high end. Unless you happen to have a M50 with a defective tweeter, I wouldn't know the reason for what you report and don't believe that another Axiom model would be significantly different in that area.

John, I've had M2s, M3s, M22s and M50s all using the same 1" titanium tweeter and can report that subjectively, the highs from the M50 sound rolled off compared to the M2s, M3s and M22s. I think a possible explanation as to the M2s and M22s is the 5.25" drivers compared to the 6.5" drivers in the M50s. Of course, the M3 uses a single 6.5" driver, so its compliment is similar to the 2x6.5" + 1" tweeter of the M50s. A possible cause for different treble characteristics between the M3 and the M50 is the fact that the M3 does not use a crossover, but rather runs free. In any case, although I liked the M50s very much, the reasons I got rid of mine were (1) rolled off highs, (2) "chesty" low mids - what can almost be described as a 'boxy' sound. I liked the M50s, but could never fall in love with them, not to sound peculiar, but I love the M3s and M2s.

I replaced the M50s with Axiom M60-like Michaura M665s (2x6.5" Axiom drivers, 1x5.25" Axiom driver and a Merak-like titanium tweeter in a hex shaped cabinet). I love these speakers, although I am looking forward to hearing some M60s or M80s.

My amp has 2 main speakers output, I would run my M50's on one and the other pair on the other ...

Like yesterday, I was listening to a couple of CD's from Joe Satriani, the guitar player. It seems that his guitar got lost when the whole band joined in, it sounded ok when he was the only one playing, but when the band kicked in, I totally lost his instrument. The drums and bass do not suffer from this ...

This is just an example, but I tend to hear that with many different CD's from my collection. I have been a musician ( guess what, the guitar ... ) for many years, so I have an idea of what it should sound like, and it's just not there, it's missing something.

They sound better at very high volume I noticed, but at lower listening volume, I witness fading ...

Patrick
I must admit that for the price I paid ( in 2001 ), they blew away the competition and I was'nt able to afford any better. You could describe me as an Axiom devotee. Axiom may not be the be all end all speakers, but bang for the buck wise, I am more than satisfied ...

I hate to sound like a broken record, but the M60 is the speaker you want. Guitars in particular sound REALLY good on the M60's and M22's. You can hear every nuance of the playing. The plucking of individual strings. It's really amazing. Listening to some guitar was one of the selling points of my M22 and M60 purchases.

whats up doc,if you are looking for more highs,i would go with the m80s,more tweeters=more highs.they are a great speaker from top to bottom,i too play the guitar(well still have my old gear anyway) and listen to a lot of different players and the m80s sound great at low and high volumes.so i would say,stay annoyed a bit longer, save up and get a nice pair of m80s....good luck....ron

M80's

Yep.

You'll love em.

I love them.

They can do anything.

I would have to say to go with the M80's as well. I've compared the M60 & M80 side by side. You get better clarity and detail with the M80's. It's probably because of the dual tweeters and dual midrange drivers. Also the bass is tighter and more focused with the M80's. I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you think you get great detail and clarity with the M60's, wait until you hear the M80's. Definitely worth the price.

check the reciever(make sure its not the reciever) and u are the first person to complain of lack of definition. it could be deffective speakers so send them back

I'm glad someone suggested to check the settings on the receiver. I would guess that something is off for regular two-channel listening. This happens sometimes with my preamp when I don't manually switch it back to the proper two-channel stereo setting.

Though I don't know how complex your receiver is, I'd suggest checking the setup on your system. See if the crossover for the speakers is correct and if they're set to small or large (if you're able to do this, of course). I'd run all the diagnostics on it and see if that helps first.

The second thing I'd do is make sure that your interconnects are decent, and not the basic wires that come with your CD player. I am not suggesting to go spend $1000 on new interconnects and speaker cable, but at least make sure you've got more than the bargain basement stuff. It does make a difference. Good luck.