Hello there,

New to the forums here and I have a couple of questions.

I'm seriously considering the LFR1100s for my new system which will be mainly devoted to music, mostly classical/jazz. Do you recommend pairing them up with a subwoofer in this scenario or can they carry the bass comfortably?

Second question, if I were to set up the system to double as a home theater, what are the LFR's ideal matchings for center, surrounds and SW?

Thanks a ton in advance for any guidance.

It will depend on the size of your room and how loud you like to play music.

From my experience with M80's you'll probably find you like both options.
Notably when listening to music or watching a movie late into the night the bass is appropriate/not exajurated/enjoyable/somewhat surprising without a sub.

Welcome to the forum. You are going to LOVE the LFR-1100's. We are currently using a pair in a 2 channel system, and they are stellar.

You might find you get all the performance you need for movies, as we do here.

That being said, we are running M100's, VP180 and M3 surrounds in another system with dual EP800's. The VP180/EP800 make for an outstanding movie experience. The M3's are also excellent - though Axiom does have other options.

Enjoy the process, and don't hesitate to call Ian.

Axiom also makes an LFR version of the VP180. Also be aware you can get the speakers and DSP-based subs in wireless versions. I can't speak to the LFRs but I have the EP800v4 and it is stellar. I've heard the VP180v4 and it is excellent. I personally have the VP160v4 and it never makes me want anything more.

Thanks, Mojo. Is it recommended to match the LFR center channel with the 1100's, or would a conventional VP180 also be a good match?

A conventional 180 is just fine. I expect the LFR180 would be justifiable for large rooms where a very wide front soundstage is possible. Keep in mind if you go with an LFR180, you would need 2 channels of amplification - one for the front drivers and another for the rear.

I have the LFR1100-v4 with a pair of EP500-v4 and a VP180-v3. I found for movies that it does give an outstanding sound.

in Stereo mode, I have setup my Anthem to have two modes. 2speaker (L&R) and 2speaker+sub. For most of what I listen to, you are hard pressed to tell the two modes apart. unless you are listening to classical with pipe organs or 5string bass, there really isn't an awful lot that requires the sub to sound right. For jazz, I can't tell the difference. The sub is moving, but not enough to really add, so it's what I would call re-inforcing the sounds. Holly Cole Trio has quite the range of sound and the LFR just belts it out. And you have to listen to her loud.

On the movie front, I have found that there are some tracks that the subs make the room just shake. I am not sure if it's just they overdo the lower frequencies as most people have inadequate subs so you amp it up on the mix to compensate. But there are times where I just have to turn it down.

I have a dedicated 4 channel ADA1000 for my LFR speakers. I personally have never pushed the amp/speakers loud enough to need more power than what the amp can handle. I have tried an ADA1500 and just can't tell the difference. My room might not be large enough to get any advantage.

Thanks! This is very helpful. Is that an Anthem pre/pro you're referring to? Assuming it does the bass management for the stereo source and sends the L/R signal to the LFR's amp and the SW line output to the sub... correct?
By the way the EP500 looks like a monster, lol. You must have a huge room. I think I'd do just fine with the 350

You have to ask yourself why you want a sub. The obvious answer is for LFE in movies. There's a less obvious answer though. Bass out of a sub may sound better depending on your room acoustics. The sub will give you more options in that regard provided you need them. Also consider the size of your room. What is the lowest frequency that can be heard in your space? Also keep in mind the 350 low frequency response is pretty much the same as the LFR. And I don't think the 350 has a phase control which is important for synchronizing at the crossover frequency.

Those are good points, Mojo, thanks for your insights.

Yes. the Anthem does have individual crossover controls for each connected speaker. I have it set for the LFR to be Large and take sounds down to about 60hz. I then set the sub to start at 100hz so there is plenty of overlap between the two and it seems to work for me.

I never really put much into size being a factor. Heck the LFR is a massive speaker so the EP500 beside it really doesn't look all that much. Now the EP600 and EP800 get quite monstrous. Those are not something that you can hide to one side and not get noticed.

I have never tries any other of the Axiom subs so I can't really say how they work. But I have had several other small subs and concluded that unless it has enough mass and a decent enough driver you might as well not really bother if you have a large size main. I have tried one of my old Mirage subs, and you cannot decern any difference with it on or off with the M80 or M100. It is somewhat additive with my small M3 computer speakers and I use it just on the side that I think it offloads some of the power needed to run so I can play it just a bit more louder. I use them outside.