Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Best Speaker Sys. Under 3000$ consideration within

A few of you may have known this was coming from me, as I hinted at it in another thread. so here it is. Although this is the AXIOM forum I believe I can get honest opinions to the following.

I have a MAX budget of 3000$$ for a complete 5.1 HT setup (musical qualities are VERY inportant to me, probably moreso than movie qual.)
Room approx. 15x18 on the small side , or 18x30 on the big side. <--Difference between the two future possibilities of room. I like to play loud at times but not deafeningly so.

eqip. that I have:

yamaha rx-v2500 its a 7.1 rec. w/(130 watts per channel)
Oppo DVD player
JVC HD56FH95 RPTV
all the game systems. so the choosen speakers will get a good dose of music, games and movies thrown at it. Looking for flat response from the speakers , not too brite on top. Sub, I want better acurate musical reproduction as, I care not at all for earth shaking, window rattling rumblings. I hope that is enough info from my end to start with for now. so . . .

here are just a few I am considering

Axiom epic 80-500 package which includes
m80 mains
vp150 center
qs8 surrounds
ep500 sub

PSB Command Performance Home Theater System
Command Performance System
Image T65 mains
Image C60 center
Image S50 surrounds
SubSeries 6i Sub

Onix Rocket Rocket HT Package # 1
RS 760 mains
RSC 200 center
RS 250MkII surrounds
UFW-10 Sub

HSUvtf-3 mk2 sub, is what I am leaning toward atm to replace any of these subs listed. That is not to say I KNOW i want the hsu, just that atm it tops my list.

I truly appreciate any and all replies, idea's on which setup you would reccomend from the few I have listed or a different setup entirely to fit within a MAX 3000$ budget.

I want the best speaker system my 3 grand will buy, so I ask all of you to please consider sharing your thoughts with me. Admittedlly, I am just learing, I have been reading online, everything from pro reviews to super fanboy rants and everything inbetween. I am learning as i go though (I think ), and a byproduct of it for me has reared its ugly head . .yes . . . Frustration . With that being said, don't be shy about throwing your 2 cents in on this most important purchase decision process, irregardless of how small or great you feel your level of knowledge is or the value of your replies. I assure u I VERY much appreciate any and all input, novice, pro, good, bad or otherwise. Thanks for your time and consideration

Stone__Man

Here is a link you might want to look at, just to give you some more ideas, Axiom is in the 5000. system, but that includes HDTV.

LINK

lol, right on HomeDad, thanks man , the reason I laugh is that is the EXACT page that I first seen anything of AXIOM products. great info and suggestions there. For others that have not been there, DO DO DO check it out. great info, great resource.

apprecaite the input Daddy-O

I just replied to your other thread.

If it were my choice and my money (with a $3000 cap), I’d get the following.

Mains – M60’s – 2 ea / $960
Center – M60 – 1 ea / $480
Surrounds – QS-8’s – 4 ea / $1060
Sub - EP 500 – 1 ea / $1200

Total $3700

I’d buy through the factory outlet for a 10% discount (and all mine that I’ve bought from there look just dandy).

You’d also get the 5% discount off for buying five or more speakers.

Less 15% discount of $555

Net total after discounts........$3145


I know, $145 over. But you don't pay shipping, so it's a wash.

mdrew, thats quite interesting, I hadn't thought of that combo. thanks alot for your time and effort, I appreciate it. Now a few questions if I may:
1. why m60 center vice vp150? just guessing here, but woudn't the vp150 have a more . . . ummm even soundstage?
2. vert. or horiz. placement or m60 ? I presume horiz. just below TV.
3. qs8's I haven't the foggiest as to why I hadn't considered 4 of them for surrounds and rears as the yammy 2500 is a 7.1 rec.
placement? rears same spacing apart as the front mains? roughly 6 feet high, and same height for surrounds, mounted about 3 to 4 feet infront of seated ear position?

I must admit just now I am grinning like a cheshire cat in regard to your reply.

that sub, if I go with the HSU vtf-3 mk 2 I'd save about ... oh.. 340$. IF I go with it & "outlet Axioms" (putting me about 200$$$ under budget) On that note does anyone have a link to a compro of the vtf-3 mk2 vs. the ep500? I've not been able to find one. Reason i ask, is I've seen nothing still that convinces me that it is better, and it costs more $$$. I'm sure there has to be some in here that can speak to the quality of a sub other than Axiom's, be it HSU, SVS, OUTLAW. I guess I should reword a bit to say I've not been convinced that I would HEAR a bass reproduction from the ep500 that is discernably better than the HSU vtf-3 mk2. any DBT links?

appreciate the input guys, keep 'em comin' peepers

Questions and a comment:

Have you heard ANY of the speakers you are considering?

Are we talking about US$ or CDN$?

Fundamentally, I very strongly agree with Mike (mdrew)'s approach. However, there are a couple things that could save you the money to get under budget. In my order of preference:

Start out with 5.1 or 6.1 instead of going straight to 7.1 and buy only 2-3 QS8's instead of 4. There is very darn little discrete 7.1 content out there.

You need the room for a floorstanding vertical center speaker. If that doesn't "work", go for the VP150 and be happy/confident.

Consider the Hsu VTF-3, the Outlaw LM-1, SVS-PB12-NSD/V, et al. It might be all the sub you ever need. Call the manufacturers and talk to them about your room size, listening habits, etc. But - I want to stress this - if I had your budget, I would buy the EP500 and not look back.

Obviously, I'm an Axiom owner and if you stay within their lineup, I would not deviate from the M60 main and QS8 surrounds. Big thumbs up on the Factory Outlet if you can stand the wait - mine are basically flawless.

I have heard the Rocket 750 and 850, but not the 760. I found them to be very different from each other, and I did not care for the 750 compared to the M60's. They are quite different.

If you can listen to any of these speakers somewhere, I strongly urge you to do so.

Keeping all front speakers the same is always a plus – if you have the room. Just imagine, three power towers looking at you…….cool.

Tom’s right, not much 7.1 stuff out there. But, your 2500 will send some tunes to those speakers and it will sound great, regardless of 7 channels or 6. You will be completely immersed in sound. Music in surround is quite a treat, and this is coming from an ol’ two channel advocate that has ZERO SACD’s.

You want to place the side surrounds perpendicular to your sitting area about 6’ off the floor, a little to the rear or front, wherever you can mount them. The rears go behind you (obviously). Keep them about 6’ apart and at about the same height as the sides.

I’ve got the LF-1, had the 500, have the 600 and have a Wharfedale coming my direction for my two channel system. The Outlaw held it’s own against the 500, but the 500 was much, much smoother and reached lower. I liked the Outlaw just fine without any want to upgrade it until I got the 500. Then I got the 600 and effectively screwed myself. For music, I think it blows the 500 away, but for movies, it’s a toss up when you consider the price difference. If I could justify the $2500 for another 600 in piano gloss black, I’d have one for the two channel system. The 500 has been in more than one shootout with SVS and HSU. It usually wins in blind tests. That’s all I know. Ask Ajax or Craigsub for more on subs. Craig’s pretty busy playing with little white balls this time of the year, but you could always send him a PM and hope he replies.

Unless you like muddy highs, sloppy and boomy bass, and don’t care if you ever hear a kick drum or brass horns or a guitar pick, Axiom speakers will give you a big grin. The system I picked out above will most definitely rock that room of yours, whether it be music or movies. And no, I don’t get a red cent from Axiom. Don’t own stock, and don’t really care one way or the other what the hell you buy – other than the shear joy of seeing someone get a great set of speakers without having to take it in the shorts.

I have things to do. Later and have fun with this. Don’t take it too seriously or you’ll loose hair.

good replies so far tomtuttle, mdrew, appreciate it

In reply to:

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Have you heard ANY of the speakers you are considering?

Are we talking about US$ or CDN$?

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No I have not, I am with military overseas fwiw.
and US$$$

my tv is about oh,,, (guessing here) 22 inches off the floor, where would this m60 center be placed? the vp150 would sit nicely on stand just below tv.

appreciate the "experience" comments. anyone else have past/present experience with these or ANY other speaker combos in this 3000$ range? Please . . . do tell. Look forward to checking back here. Peace

In reply to:

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1. why m60 center vice vp150? just guessing here, but woudn't the vp150 have a more . . . ummm even soundstage?
2. vert. or horiz. placement or m60 ? I presume horiz. just below TV.

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The ideal for the 3 front speakers is having them all the same speaker. The reason center channel speakers are designed as they are is because of space limitations. Not many of us have room for a 47 inch speaker under or above our TVs or screens. That being said, you shouldn't be concerned about using a regular center channel speaker. Most manufacturers voice them to blend as seamlessly with their main speakers as possible. The VP150 matches very well with the other Axiom speakers.

That brings us to #2. Though some of us have used a vertically oriented speaker in a horizontal position with no problem, the conventional wisdom is you should avoid it. Personally I've never tried it, so I can't offer first hand testimony. But, were it I, I wouldn't do it.

As to your speaker options, I'm not gonna be much help. I've never heard any PSB speakers. And though I've owned, and loved, M60s, VP150, QS8s, and currently own Rocket 850s, RSC200, RSS300s, and 250s, which I supplement with an Axiom EP500 subwoofer, unfortunately I've never heard the 760s or the M80s.

Here's what I can tell you about my Axiom M60s and Rocket 850s. Thought they sound a little different, I consider them to be in the same class of speakers (EXCELLENT!). In other words, with either speaker, you are getting an excellent product. Since my personal experience with the speakers you are considering is limited to the center channels and surrounds, I'll restrict my comments to those.

I happen to prefer the RSC200 to the VP150. In no way should that be interpreted as saying the VP150 is NOT a good center channel speaker. It, indeed, is. However, I prefer the QS8s to the RSS300s (same disclaimer as above). I'm currently using the 250s in a small bedroom system, and will be using them as rear surrounds in a 7.1 system when I get my 7.1 processor. I'm impressed with the amount of bass response I'm getting from them (corner loading), but other than that I can't comment as to how they would work as surrounds.

In reply to:

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3. qs8's I haven't the foggiest as to why I hadn't considered 4 of them for surrounds and rears as the yammy 2500 is a 7.1 rec.
placement? rears same spacing apart as the front mains? roughly 6 feet high, and same height for surrounds, mounted about 3 to 4 feet infront of seated ear position?

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When it comes to subs, I've owned a HSU STF-2, Rocket UFW-10, and an Axiom EP500. I've heard the SVS PB12 Ultra, and the rocket UFW-12. Of all of them, I prefer the EP500. It is very difficult to explain why. The Ultra plays deeper and I suspect the HSU VTF-3 would as well, but above 20Hz, I find the EP500 smoother and more refined. That's just my opinion, and all you HSU and SVS owners have every reason to be content with your subs. Stone_Man, if money is an object, you would not be disappointed in the HSU or SVS.

Okay, stoney, if the budget can handle something in the area of $3,000 I'll make a few comments. I'd generally agree with Mike's suggestions. The reason for a vertically oriented center speaker is that, contrary to your supposition, it generally(I'm not familiar with the VP150)has a wider and smoother horizontal dispersion than a horizontally configured center. Setting an M60 horizontally would lose this advantage, and with an RPTV you apparently wouldn't have room for a vertical M60 center. You could consider whether you'd have room for a vertical M22.

As to the placement of surround speakers in a 7.1 setup, the side surrounds should be directly to the side(not behind, as would be better for 5.1)and 2-3' above ear level. The back surrounds should be at the same height and separated about as far as they're behind the listening position(e.g. if they're 6' back they should be separated about 6'). Note that although there's no discrete 7.1 material presently, your 2500 can use DPLIIx to extract ambience from the front channels in two-channel materials and the side channels in 5.1 material and send it to the side and/or back surrounds where it belongs.