Axiom Home Page
Posted By: jmone Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/03/13 07:46 AM
Would this be a worthy upgrade to pair a set of M2's with the AudioBytes Amp and Sub? The Audiobytes are OK but at times I want to crank it up in the study and having gone through 3 drivers so far (the good folk at Axiom keep replacing them!) I'm now very cautious of not pushing them.

Thanks
Nathan
Posted By: JohnK Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/03/13 09:22 AM
Nathan, sorry to hear about the problems that you've had with the Audiobyte speakers. I don't have any personal experience with the Audiobyte, but assuming that the connections from its amplifier can be modified so as to drive speakers with regular binding posts(check directly with Axiom), the M2 with a sub makes an excellent small system. There should be no problem with over-driving it.
Posted By: Ken.C Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/03/13 12:42 PM
You will not be able to drive the M2s with the AB amp. The AB amp has built in crossovers for the Audiobyte speakers. That said, I believe that the M2s will probably be an upgrade from the Audiobytes, although I have not heard the M2s.
Posted By: jmone Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/03/13 09:02 PM
Mmmmm that makes sense....
Posted By: JohnK Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/04/13 01:51 AM
Ken, the fact that the built-in fixed crossover between the Audiobyte speakers and sub is higher than needed for M2s(since the Audiobyte speakers have a rated low of 100Hz and the sub a high of 150Hz, the crossover apparently would be in that range)wouldn't in itself be a significant problem. The sub would just be playing farther into the upper bass.

If the connection can be made and there's no other incompatibility the result should be good. Again, Axiom should be consulted as to the feasibility.
Posted By: Ken.C Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/04/13 01:59 AM
No, it's a crossover for the tweeter and mid in the AB satellite, not for the AB sat vs the sub. It's a non-starter.
Posted By: JohnK Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/04/13 02:17 AM
I'm not following. From what you say it isn't actually a crossover, but just a high-pass filter on the speakers. If so, and it's say around 120Hz, why is this a major problem?
Posted By: Ken.C Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/04/13 02:21 AM
Noooooo... The AB satellites do not have an internal crossover network. The network for them is in the AB amplifier box. The connectors on the AB sats are 1/8" stereo style plugs--in other words, it carries a separate signal for the tweeter and the mid.
Posted By: JohnK Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/04/13 02:34 AM
Okay, I see what you're saying. If it works that way(which isn't indicated in any way in the specs or the manual)then the connection to a "regular" speaker can't be made.
Posted By: Ken.C Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/04/13 02:42 AM
Yup.
Posted By: jmone Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/05/13 11:42 AM
So - any suggestions on a "small" amp/receiver to drive a 2.1 speaker system to fill a small room?
Posted By: JohnK Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/06/13 02:53 AM
The use of "fill" indicates that you may want a much higher sound level than is used while at the computer. It also may help to explain why three Audiobyte drivers have gone down. What did Axiom suggest was the problem(and were they mid-woofers, tweeters or both?)? You may have simply been playing them at a level well beyond what the amplifier(intended for typical computer speaker use)could handle without clipping and damaging the drivers.

If the lower sound level which is safe isn't adequate for all your uses, then yes, a bigger and more powerful setup would be needed. I'd strongly suggest a multi-channel HT receiver even if you're only considering 2.1 use now. The bass management to cross over the sub and speakers(which almost no 2-channel receivers have)is a substantial plus and the economies in producing these units in quantity result in getting more for a similar amount of money compared to stereo units.

I've visited Sydney, but know almost nothing about the Australian audio equipment market. I took a look at a Sydney dealer here for the sort of unit I might suggest, but was appalled at the price, which at about $460 USD was about twice what would be paid in the U.S. Possibly shipping and other charges involved in your buying from the U.S. would almost wipe out any savings. In any case, I'd suggest an Onkyo or Denon 5.1 model in the 80 watt or above class, or if you get just a stereo unit, the HK-3390 would be suitable.
Posted By: jmone Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/06/13 06:42 AM
Thanks John. I'm comfortable with the flexibility and power of the AVR approach for the reasons suggested but just don't like the physical presence for a Study. And yes we pay inflated prices down under but I could just get a second hand AVR (without any fancy Video Processing as these older HDMI units are now cheap as chips).

I've had lots of toing and froing with Axiom over this system trying to work out why I've blown 3 x "mid woofers" on the Sat and never the Tweeters or the drivers in the Sub. Axiom suggested that the system should be able to play at full vol from the included Audiobyte amp and that it must be distortion in the input but.....now I just play at lower sound pressure levels. (note: I'm also on my second amp - the first one had a bad hum to it. I've also removed the flying remote as this introduced a hum as well a certain positions.... + I replaced all the supplied cables with shielded / ferrite baluns and they made a big improvement removing hum) and so far so good. I'm just nervous of "Cranking" it up, hence the Q on the upgrade path. Given the full AVR alternative I may just enjoy what I have yet!
Posted By: jmone Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/06/13 07:11 AM
Another thought - on my PC I can also do full Bass Mgt in SW (I use JRiver Media Center) so a small 2ch amp + active sub would also be fine....
Posted By: jmone Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/09/13 10:55 AM
I've ordered another set of Algonquin for the 2.0 part (as I can redeploy them outside if needed). Say I drive the new setup with an AVR or dedicated mono blocks, can I use the AudioBytes Sub as the 0.1 with them or is the lack of cross over going to be an issue?
Posted By: Ken.C Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/09/13 11:23 AM
You probably won't be able to use the sub with them, either. Sorry!
Posted By: doormat Re: Upgrade AudioBytes Speakers to M2? - 05/18/13 03:37 AM
On the plus side M3s do sound excellent without a sub. I used M2s for a while as computer speakers and even with a sub found them lacking (though they were very clear and precise, just "lacking" that certain je ne sais quoi). I now use M22s for the computer with a sub and love them. My M3s serve as a standalone 2.0 system in the bedroom and I love them as well.
© Axiom Message Boards