Hi everybody,
I will soon upgrade my speakers from Paradigm Titans V2 to Axiom M22TiSe and I was wondering if anybody could comment on how well those speakers will match with my integrated amp:
Rotel RA-980BX 100 watts x 2
Will the relatively high power of the amp (compared to less powerful amps anyway) really be used and profit to the speakers, and for what exactly? Better dynamics? Tighter bass?
btw, My system is used for 2ch music listening only.
Regards,
Mikhail / www.MusiqueMachine.com
Hi Mikhail,
I just received my M22s a week ago and let me tell you that I am blown away about what I am getting for $320 (factory outlet). Your amp is very well suited to the M22s. Rotel is known for making good, clean power. The extra wattage (when compared to less powerful amps) means that you can definitely play your music at a higher volume and lose nothing of the musical presentation. All amps are different, but if we take two identical amps with different wattages, the higher wattage one will be able to deliver more power to the speakers and thus play louder. I believe that it won't "add" more bass or anything (again, provided the amp is identical to a 50 Watter save the power). However, I can tell you that the Rotel amp is going to make your 22s sing!
Enjoy.
Thank you for your answer!
I remember reading a while ago about the "damping factor" of amps (my Rotel model was supposed to be pretty high at 1000.. I remember reading about Yamaha's what were around 240) and such things and how a more powerful amp has better "control" of the speakers and could deliver "tighter" bass where a less powerful amp could sound more muddy.
Anyway, now I can't wait to get my M22
no problem... and yes, your rotel is going to deliver a much better sound than the yamaha. Have fun with your M22s!
no problems with 100 wpc. rotel makes good stuff, too.
It will sound terrific. Nice step up. Enjoy!
Well, now I'm stuck: I don't know if I want the Black Oak or Boston Cherry...
I'm really considering the Cherry because the Paradigms I have now are black Oak and I'm kinda tired of that colour (and also the Boston Cherry looks more like real wood, it looks pricier :-) ).
Can anybody who has the Boston Cherry comment on how they look? I have only seen pictures..
I think they look really nice with the grills off but I'm not sure how they would look with them on.
Is there any indications AGAINST always keeping the grills off (and dusting with low pressure compressed air from time to time I suppose...)?
Regards,
Mikhail / www.MusiqueMachine.com
Hi again,
I have the Boston M22s. They really look great with the grills on. The black grill with the dark wood colour is very nice. I think it is advised to keep the grills on, but I have no idea if taking them off affects the speaker in any way.
Good luck!
The one thing i really liked about the Axiom finish is that the veneer goes ALL around the speaker except for the driver inserts. Many other speakers only have finish on 2 sides and the top, sometimes the back.
I preferred the Boston Cherry since i found the Maple to be a bit bleached but both colours look FANTASTIC compared to standard black. Both the light maple or darker red cherry should blend in nicely with any furnishings.
The speakers look great with the covers off.
I found the pics on the Axiom products page to be the best resolution images online so far. I suppose i could take some of my own but i just haven't got around to it yet.
The M22's look great with the speaker grilles on. If I am listening very critically, I remove the covers. I do notice a miniscule difference in high frequency dispersion. Also, if I want to impress my friends I take off the grilles. But otherwise leave them on just for the added protection.
Well, I bought the M22s today.
The sound is impressive out of the box without any burn in time (they are a little bright right now but I think this will get better).
Much better than my Paradigm Titan V2 anyway (which where pretty good for the price I paid, I'm not taking anything away from them).
Cliché, I know, but now I'm rediscovering my CD collection :-)