Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater M80 vs M60 choice - room size considerations

I took delivery of a pair of M2is and VP150 last night. So far I am very impressed. I wanted to get a feel for the Axiom sound before going the full route, but given what I've heard (and seen, very nice vinyl finish) so far, I am thinking of going the full route.

I will do a 7 channel setup. I plan on putting the M2is as rear surround, getting 2 VP100s for side surrounds (horizontal bookshelf placement is a must - do they timbre match well with 2is?) and either M60ti's or 80's for the fronts. The room is 16 x 18 with a cathedral ceiling that peaks at 10 feet from a low of 7.5 feet. I sit 11.5 feet away. The speakers will be 9 feet apart and 2 feet from the rear wall.

Will this system work (mixing the 100s and 2s as surrounds) and will the 80s be too much for the room? Many of the reviews I've read suggest the 80s need like 4000 cubic feet to really sound good, and I've only got 2800. Even the Axiom website suggests the Epic 60 in rooms from 2000 to 6000 cubic feet and the Epic 80 in rooms 4000 and above.

Any thoughts?

I would highly recommend the QSx series for surrounds as opposed to the centre channels.
Some have debated whether having a centre channel in the rear would be better but from what i've heard with the QSx style vs. direct radiating speakers, the indirect firing drivers are far more effective in these positions.
I think the concentrated sound should still be placed up front.

Unfortunately, I have no room on the sides for the QSX series. Maximum height I can accomodate is about 10". The M2i doesn't even work.

Height 10"?
The M2 won't work but a vp100 will?
I think you need to add more details about this room and its constraints.
Pictures are nice, if you have them.

Very simple. Bookcases on either side of the seating area. Bare walls at the back. 7 channel config dictates sides and rears. Bookcases allow a maximum height of 10". VP100 and 150 are around 7" high, give or take. I tried the M2 in its vertical position: it's too high for the bookcase.

Leaving aside the sides, what about the M60 vs M80 question, which to me is the bigger of the questions as I'm not constrained as far as size by room or shelf considerations, but by sonic considerations.

tony,
Now i understand what you are getting at by saying you only have 10".
However both of the QSx speakers are under the 10" height with the QS4 only being 6.5" tall. This gives plenty of space to put 1" rubber feet underneath to allow for the bottom woofer to fire more openly.
I have one of my QS8s sitting on a shelf right now and it works fine. I can post a pic if necessary.

As for the M60 vs M80, according to Alan & Ian, the M80 simply has more bass extension and plays louder. That's about it.

I was the under the impression that the QS's needed to be used in free space. So they can actually sit on a shelf with only a small space underneath to allow the sound to escape?

There are 4 firing drivers for the QSx speakers, one of which is on the bottom side.
Of course it is not "optimal" to have it covered up but if it is at least a bit above a bottom surface then at the most, you will have a fast sound reflection from the underlying plane.
Personally i think it makes the surround sound that much more dispersed but certainly i have noticed it taking anything away from how effectively the speakers make their surround sounds.
Like i said, get some little rubber 1" feet and just lift them off the shelf.
Until recently i actually had both my QS8s on shelves. Now one is wall mounted.
I will see if i still have a pic of the one QS8 sitting on its shelf.

Ok here it is:

I was trying to remember who had that setup. I was getting kind of depressed about not being able to use QS8s because I'd have to have the top woofer about 1-2" below the ceiling. Nice to know that sort of thing sounds ok. I did post in another thread about turning them 90 degrees so the tweeter was pointing at the ceiling, but my post seems to have killed the thread.

way to show off your scotch collection there, chess.