Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater VP180 First Impressions

Are you kidding? Hook'em up!

Ditto

If you can wait, you're a better man than I.

Do you not have any cables at all that you could use to hook up to the 180 just for a little test listen?

ok, based on what folks at 3 forums (including this one) had to say, i have installed and connected up the front L & R speaker. i did run some audio for a quickie (nothing like one huh!) here is what i used:

John Mayer: Heavier Things - tracks one & two

Tom Petty: Mojo - tracks one & two

i want to quote 2 great minds, "meatloaf" & "tony the tiger"

"two outta three ain't bad - they're Great!"

with just two of the three new speakers installed i'll tell you this the second i turned on John Mayer's first track, "Clarity" i knew, without any doubt that I had something fresh and new and that I had made the right choice in speakers!

i decided right off the bat to go full band on the speakers (stereo mode, no sub) to see what they had. anybody who has listened to Johy Mayer's album referenced above with the first track knows it's a speaker LF ball buster. with the speakers set to full band, with the volume set at what i listen to tv (the news) on it began to play and brothers and sisters i had change jingling in my pocket! it untied my shoes and i was wearing loafers, are you with me!

i cranked it up from 45 to 50 and the bass was so thunderous, i had to turn it down! not undistorted either, clear but just the two speakers were rattling my nick-nacks (both type too :o) I've never felt that before without a sub on, it was furious and unrelenting. chess caving in type beats Al Capone with that bat in the Untouchables beating!

i set the crossover to what i had my RTi10's set to (50hz) still thunderous, well overpowered the Polks (this is not a Polk bashing, it's just what i heard from the Axioms) i left my fronts crossed over at 60hz. I am afraid of how much of a f'n monster my front soundstage will be when i get that VP180v3 next week to have that much power blasting that sound away with such clarity is something so new to me. i'm so happy that i listened to you all and hooked them in. i know the term night and day get thrown around a lot but for me, with these speakers, it's no joke, night and day people. i expect i will just sh!t myself when i get that center and play something in 5.1

i haven't played too much in 5.1 because the front L & R are currently drowning out the center; mind you i haven't re-done the calibration either so it's at whatever it was set at for the RTi10 L & R. after I get the center next week, i will probably run it then and then SPL that with my iPhone.

ok, picture time. i included this shot to show the M80v3 tower next to the Polk RTi10 tower. the Axiom is a little smaller than the polk but it's much bigger in power and sound!



i connected the Calabrine Bi-Wire cables to those bad boys then i let them fly!


here is a full frontal shot of the new front L & R in their final resting places; they are at the toppless speaker bar so they are letting those drivers breath!


looking at them imagine, the next week, the center of the same size will be in the space below between and i will cry like a little girl with tears of joy when i watch movies and listen to music. i will hold out on some movies until i get that center and wire it and slide it into place.

i am already so happy that i'm thinking about buying a pair of M3v3 speakers to replace my TSi200's so that my 5 channel system is completely matched. http://www.axiomaudio.com/m3.html i will leave my TSi100's in place for my surround back two channels as they don't get that much work so they will be fine, but the surrounds are kinda important these days so don't be surprised if within the next two weeks, i buy them. the TSi200's would go in the basement office secondary HT as fronts and i'll move the exting fronts down there (TSi100's) to the sunroom for stereo and maybe get a cheap sub for it too. sounds like a plan to me. those TSi200's will really do a great job in the secondary HT area.

i now open the floor for your comments!

i packed it right back up and i don't intend to unpack it, damn things heavy as phuck all! I should have the proper replacement next week by Tuesday. i hooked up the other two so that will hold me over.

Get the QS8's for surrounds. You won't be sorry.

thanks for your suggestion but i really like direct speakers for surrounds. i have heard di & bi poles before and they sound great too. i just have a thing for direct. mind you, those are very nice speakers those QS8's. i will keep your suggestion in mind. perhaps going this route won't be a terribly bad thing. of course you have gathered that i'm partial to direct speakers, but thanks just the same.

Play any louder and you'll knock all that stuff of the shelves

this is the first time i have ever driven 4 ohm speaker loads with the XPA-5 amp and it took them and rolled with them! this is also the first time i have ever given the XPA-5 amp such a workout! it was warm to the touch after about 1 hour and with my other 8 ohm towers it would have taken at least 2 - 3 hours to get warm.

mind you the amp is not getting hot or anywhere near it. i'm just saying i can tell that the M80v3 are pulling, no, demanding some serious power for the great quality sound they are producing! i also think the amp is happier because it's being asked to do what it was designed and built to do, produce power for speakers!...and plenty of it!

I'd probably use M22s for surrounds if you've simply got to have monopoles--they're more closely matched to the M80s than the M3s.