Axiom Speakers v Rocket??? (1 Viewer)

[hawkeye12345]

I've spent the better part of 24 hours browsing this (and others) forum and it appears that if my price range is in the $2000 to $3000 level (which it is) then I should purchase Axiom towers, center and surround and an SVS sub. Is this correct?

I've got a Denon 4806 to power them, will this be enough to get the sound out of the M80s?

Also - wouldn't it be a better setup if I stayed with Axiom for the sub or is the SVS a better sub?

 

[SHS]

LOL time in research is well spent.

Tell us more about your listening habits. HT, music.....both? This will determine the needs for specific types of equipment.

The Denon will drive those speakers nicely.

Most of the SVS's will outperform most of the Axiom subs. Again, which models specifically are you looking at?

The Rockets are sexy looking speakers but I cannot give a comparison between the Axioms and Rockets as I have not heard them individually much less in a side by side comparison.

 

[David Willow]

Yes, the Denon 4806 will power the M80's. Denon is one of the preferred brands to power M80's.

I have the Axiom/SVS combo and love it. Can't comment on the Rockets since I have not heard them.

 

[hawkeye12345]

Listening in this room is almost exclusively HT. The room is located upstairs and is fairly isolated from the rest of the house so I don't think I'm going to bother with doing multi-zone simply because I have two other receivers that I can use for 1. Denon 3803 - family room down and outside and 2. Bose 321 system for garage.

Before today I had no idea that SVS even existed. I'm pretty deep into expense and well over budget at this point so there's no reason to stop now right? I'm going to stick with a 5.1 setting and the 80s seem to be as powerful as I'll ever need and still have the ability to add some nice rears in the future.

 

[hawkeye12345]

Room is dedicated to home theater.

 

[David Willow]

How big is the room? LxWxH

 

[hawkeye12345]

Room is 11W x 16D x 10H.

The height is a little misleading as the walls are oddly shaped. At about the 4' level they start to peak towards the center (kind of like a tent).

After sleeping on this I'm wondering if I'm not wasting money on the bigger speakers for a smaller space.

 

[SHS]

You could forgo the M80's and use a lesser front tower to allow money for other, better sub considerations. Even bookshelf speakers on stands supported by a good sub would give you a very good theater sound. I understand the desire for full range floor speakers though....I went through the same mental anquish over these decisions.

A good center channel speaker is important for HT and the timbre matching is a consideration. Are you considering a 5.1 or a 7.1 system when complete?

BTW, I cannot stress enough the importance of the sub in the HT setup. If you scrimp on the sub you WILL regret it.

EDIT PS; you will not find many friends of Bose here, nor many kind words for using Bose products. It seems to illicit some rather strong and somewhat insulting remarks at times, so DUCK!

 

[David Willow]

For around $3000 you can get Axiom M22's, VP150, and 2 or 4 QS8's. Add an SVS PC13 Ultra.

The M22's are not quite bookshelf speakers, but not quite towers. There are somewhere in between. They will need to be placed on stands. The VP150 will work nicely in your room and the QS8's are amazing for surround. The SVS PC13 Ultra is one of the best subs on the planet (in it's price range).

 

[hawkeye12345]

LOL on the Bose. I've read a few threads that get blasted for even using the word Bose so I thought they would get a kick out of the fact that I'm using them in my garage.

When you talk about 'matching timber', what does that mean?

Let me update the dimensions since I went to the house this morning and took real measurements with a real tape measure.

Width of room: 12'9"
Length of room: 20'
Height of room: a little weird here but picture a tent with a flat roof from front to back. Walls are 4' high and then take a 33 degree angle and reach the ceiling at a total height of 10'. The ceiling is flat and approx. 1' wide. I hope I described it well enough.

I would estimate cubic feet to be between 1680 feet and 2080 feet.

I spoke with a rep from Axiom (very helpful and shocked they were working on new years eve) and the recommendation was to go with as little as their Epic Grand Master bookshelf speakers or Epic 60 for floor standing. According to the recommendation I can get away with these speakers in an average to smaller HT and still be blown away.

Axiom rep felt that the EP500 was equally (if not better) than the SVS PB12-Plus. Any thoughts here? He seemed to make a good case but it was well over my head from a technical standpoint. Great rep to talk to, not pushy at all and full of knowledge and to be honest probably saved me a few a thousand dollars or more. I will be purchasing Axioms for the front, center and surround now just need to decide on the bass.

Roughly

 

[hawkeye12345]

Next question:

Now that we have a fairly clear idea of what speakers will be going in the room, what speaker wire would you recommend?

I'm leaning towards Blue Jeans speaker cable in 12 gauge. Do I need 10 gauge? Also will be ordering the HDMI cable from them. All cables will be IN-WALL. I will be running 2 HDMI cables to TV from receiver which is overkill but you never know right? What other cables should I run from media closet to TV? Receiver is fully capable of handling all inputs that I can think of so I don't know if its necessary to run S-Vid or others.

 

[David Willow]

Well, you did talk to an Axiom rep about Axiom subs...

They probably pushed their EQ on the sub. I say forget any built-in sub EQ and use the Audyssey you already have in your Denon. SVS all the way.

The Epic Grand Master has basically what I suggested with the exception of the center. I highly recommend going with the VP150 over the 100.

The speaker wire from Blue Jeans should be fine. Just make sure it is rated for in-wall installation. While you are running cables, it wouldn't hurt to run everything you think you may need. Overkill up front prevents extra work in the future.

BTW - Your room is about the same size as mine. I have the M60's, VP150, QS8's, and an SVS Ultra/2 (older model). Way overkill. I like it

 

[hawkeye12345]

That gives me a lot of confidence that I'm buying the right gear. Thanks for the advice.

Next is on to color schemes for the room but I believe that is a whole other area of the forum but here's a shot: I'm leaning towards a black base color around the 4' high walls to the point that they start to angle in and then change the paint color to a deep red. I think this will give me a really nice contrast between the walls and allow me to go with black framed wall art that should really pop. I'll add either wall sconces or halogen lights directly at the prints for presentation.

The biggest set back to the above color choice is my couch which is a chocolate brown. If I could figure out how to do a nice caramel and chocolate combination I would frame the wall art accordingly. Any recommendations on color?

Also - is 12 gauge ample for this configuration or should I go with 10 gauge. Is there an advantage or disadvantage either way?

 

[David Willow]

Can't help with the decor. I leave that stuff up to my wife.

12 gauge is fine. 10 would be for really long runs (100+ feet)

 

[SHS]

Timbre matching refers to the speakers having the same accoustic characteristics. The reason you want it is that when you listen to surround mixes the sound will pan from center to left or right and sometimes from one side to the other. If the timbre does not match you can pick out the source of the sound as the sound pans as well as notice a difference in the sound. For example a voice panning from one side to the other and changing as it pans is disconcerting to you after the initial excitement of the new system wears off. A well balanced surround system will allow you to experience the mix with the location being somewhat transparent....until location is important that is. Do an internet search on timbre matching for more accuate info.

I have no doubt that there are other, well made, sub manufacturers. I would recommend contacting SVS directly as well and allow them to help you make choices. They are VERY fair and helpful in my experiences.

 

[Alec M]

It sounds like you are pre-dry wall, so I would definitely run 'smurf tubing' (blue corigated pipe) through the walls (2-3") which will allow you to re-run any future cables you need. We did it in our house, and I have run HDMI (not available in 2003) more RG6, speaker, Cat 6 for controllers not thought of at the time, etc with no problems.

Run the tubing, put some 20 lb fishing line or string through it so when you need it, you just thread the desired cable through the tubing. You can run it around corners, between floors etc. A very cheap solution to any future needs;o) If you lose your pilot line, just tie a plastic bag to a new line, and use a vacuum to suck it to you (courtesy of HGTV).

Cheers!