Hi,

I have owned my M80's now for about six months and still love them. The only thing I don't like about them is that they don't like playing low quality audio signals like some avi movies. Occasionally I can hear crackling from the speakers, which I assume is just an accurate reproduction of the low quality audio signal coming from the source. My friend has some lower quality speakers that sound much better without the crackling when I play the same low quality audio signal through. Does this sound typical?

My other question was in relation to the power handling capacity of the M80's. I have heard that the M80's can handle 700 watts RMS running continously. I find this hard to imagine as I can see significant speaker cone excursion while only running about 140 watts RMS through them. It looks like the speakers are running close to maximum capacity even at only 140 watts RMS. Has anyone ran their own tests on the M80's to see their true capabilities.

According to Alan : "Driver destruction occurs at 1200 watts."

Full post: http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=229287#Post229287

I see no reason to doubt him.

But to answer your question, due to many reasons; I haven't.

Axiom speakers are accurate and detailed.

That means you're going to hear every little detail of a recording, including flaws. If you play lousy media, it's going to expose it. And if you play really good media, it'll sound amazing.

There's no such thing as a speaker that does both, as those two goals oppose each other.

Grant - 140 wpc definitely is not anywhere near the max capacity of the M80s. Several forum members here have put much more power than that through them through their separate amplifiers (though for most people it's rare to do so as you really have to be playing them very loudly).

Jason

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that M80s handling very large amounts of power are running "flat"... just boosting the bass by, say 3dB will push the woofers twice as hard.

For best performance with huge gobs of power, I would certainly be rolling off the lows below 40Hz or so and let a sub handle the LFE stuff.

To answer your questions;

1) Yes, crap will sound like crap on good speakers.

2) The 80's can handle peaks exceeding 1,000+ watts and RMS of 700 watts for 24hr/day for 2 wks in lab tests.

So, it is really not hard to believe when it is fact.

“The 80's can handle peaks exceeding 1,000+ watts and RMS of 700 watts for 24hr/day for 2 wks in lab tests.”

This can’t be full bandwidth, 20Hz – 20 KHz, no way, I don’t care what the manufacture says. I’ve heard of drivers absorbing this kind of power in pulse tests but never on a long term basis.

Respectfully, who cares, nobody could stand the racket anyways!!

To quote Alan Lofft:
http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=229287#Post229287

"Under those conditions, the M80s sustain up to 800 watts dynamic peaks with no damage. Driver destruction occurs at 1200 watts."
The operative words being "dynamic" and "peaks".

Here is the link to the page where Axiom states 700W

http://axiomaudio.com/research_PowerTestRoom.html

“The M80s were tested with this music for 100 hours at 700 Watts continuous input power, with peaks of 1000 Watts!”

Music is dynamic (even Slayer’s material I suspect) so while I can’t deny Axiom made the claim; I am suspicious of the claim.
(too many variables not detailed)

Again, no one could stand the din anyway so why cares. Really all it proves, if it’s indeed accurate, is that they handle prodigious amount of power for which the average individual sitting in their average living space (HT) will never require.
I couldn’t listen to Slayer at 1 watt let alone 700 watts.

That's the point, most speaker watt ratings are meaningless for most people. Most listen at 1-2Watts nominal for loud music and peaks might get into 100W, which most people have in the amps anyway, problem is sooo many people get caught up in the Wattage ratings of speakers thinking this means they are powerful, when it has nothing to do with the power of the system at all.

yep, they can handle gobs of power.

Who was it that did a failure test With axiom's drivers? Audiholics? I just remember he was very impressed with the amount of abuse he could give them before they failed.

I recall that also, can't remember...

I tried but I couldn't do it

It was audioholics.

I see in this Axiom article that the M80's were tested at 700 watts continuous and not 700 Watts RMS. Is there a difference? On another note the SPL for these speakers in a room environment would be:
95 db/w/ 1m
98 db/2w/1m
101db/4w/1m
104db/8w/1m
107db/16w/1m
110db/32w/1m
113db/64w/1m
116db/128w/1m
119db/256w/1m
122db/512w/1m
125db/1024w/1m

So this means these speakers will put out a staggering 123-124 db running at 700 Watts RMS. Does this sound correct?

Most likely, yes. They don't test them with anyone in the room...

When I toured the factory last fall, Debbie and Tom showed me the "torture chambre" where they test-run the M80s for 24 hrs continuously, at I think they said 800 watts or north of. Keyword...continuously. Lol, there was a fire extinguisher nearby, just in case!

122 - 125db sounds about right - rock concert levels.

That and the fact that you can put them up in the rafters of, say a speaker manufacturing facility, and they will fill the place with great sound.

Whatever, their just speakers.

Wait, fredk said they will fill the place with great sound, and you say they're just speakers? I think that's what speakers do. It's not like Fred was saying they cure cancer... unless it was in code.

Hey, who gave you the decoder ring?

It came in the box of Fruit Loops.

Now I'm hungry.

Have you tried the Decoder Ring on the Denon Owners Manual yet?

\





your 140 watts, is this a receiver or seperate amplifier? this makes the difference. dampfact on a receiver is always low, and 140 watts receiver pushed to the limit is more like 90-100 watts rms, the 140 is probably a peak. axioms need lots of power. a 100 watt amp is nothing

A wee bit emotional today are we?
I can't believe grown men get upset over comments made about loadspeakers! It's not a personnel attack!

Actually, I think he was being funny. I certainly meant all my comments in fun. The image of those M80s stuck up there in the rafters just popped into my head when I read your post. They really look kind of odd up there, but hey, it works.

Actually, the only person in the thread that seems to have an attitude is you....

Thanks Fredk, my intention is never to cause offense, if I have, my apologies.
And as far as having “attitude” is concerned MarkS, this is an internet forum, it doesn’t hold any real significance with me to allow for attitude.
The problem with all forums is that you can only use speculation as to the writer’s feelings behind the words they write.
I’m guilty as well!!
Regards

Oh oh. Its a lump of coal for you next Christmas.

ba hum bug, he probably doesn't believe in Santa.

Damping factor is a mathematical equation based on the ratio between amplifier output impedance and the speaker load impedance, from there it is further affected by the gauge of wire, and length of wire run.

So you really can't say any amplifier has a "low dampfact."

Plus, damping factor is really more of an issue for really large concert loudspeaker matrices than it is for home systems. Unless you're using very small gauge wire over long runs or running some extremely low impedance speakers (which the 4 ohm M80s aren't) or running a whole lot of speakers in parallel - it really doesn't become a problem.

Bren R.

I was going to comment on the "low dampfact" but I'm sure it would fall on deaf ears.

Don't be clown'n on my new band bro, wut it is is is low dampfact, they rock the burbs, wut u go off on the ho amp, that wut I talkin bout. Werd.

Rick, all you need to know is that the Emotiva he has is better than Rotel or Krell because he says so!

Rotel, isn't that some brand of pasta?

I have always had a bad habit of refering to it as "dampening factor."

That's a different ratio that has to do with relative humidity.

Bren R.

Funny thing is Mark I could have sworn he said he sold his M80s.


Randy, I didn't understand a damn thing you typed

Really, does anyone ever?

Don't hate the playa, hate the game.

Shows what you know

Had some of that the other night, it gave me a jolt good enough to go for a run around the block!

Must be good stuff