Letters to the Editor - April 2006
A/V-ing with Axiom
April 24, 2006
To Doug Schneider,
What would you recommend to match the Axiom M80 V2 (which I
am buying based on your SoundStage! review) in terms of center, sub and rears,
without blowing my bank account? Should I just go for the M80-EP600?
Also, what do you think is the best receiver to buy? I was
thinking either the Harman Kardon AVR7300 or the Denon AVR-4806.
Prem Karunakaran
I reviewed the M80 V2s over on SoundStage! in
a two-channel setup; however, I have heard full Axiom-based home-theater systems at the
Axiom factory and at owner/designer Ian Colquhoun’s house. Without a doubt, if I were
in your shoes, I’d go for a full Axiom setup. It will match your main speakers
sonically and visually. I’d get the top-of-the-line VP150 center and QS8 surrounds.
Where I might hold back, though, is with the subwoofer, at least for now. The M80 V2s can
hammer out impressive bass down to 30 or 40Hz with sufficient power behind them. So,
providing that you don’t need bass to 20Hz -- I don’t! -- holding off on
purchasing the sub will save you quite a bit of money. You can always add it later.
As far as the receivers go, it’s here you have to
be careful. The M80 V2s have a low-ish impedance, making them a bit difficult to drive;
I’ve heard that some lighter-duty receivers that aren’t rated to go below about
6 ohms can actually shut down. My suggestion would be to phone Axiom’s help line on
this one. Someone there can tell you which receivers work well with their speakers, and
which don’t….Doug Schneider
Center-channel "solution"?
April 17, 2006
I read your letter about center-channel speakers.
What’s the solution? Who makes the best ones?
Tim Aisley
My problem with most center-channel speakers is that
they don’t blend all that well with the left and right speakers. As I’ve written
in reviews, they seem to stick out sonically like a sore thumb. The solution for this,
though, depends more or less on the situation.
First off, there are some good center-center speakers
out there. In general, the best appear to be three-way designs where the designer mounts
the tweeter over top of a midrange unit on the front baffle, and then the woofers are
mounted on the front baffle too, on both sides of this midrange/tweeter array. Paradigm
does this in their Signature C3 model, which is a three-way design, as well as with the
C5, which is actually a 3.5-way design. I’ve heard both and they blend with the left
and right speakers (from Paradigm) very nicely. These aren’t the only center-channels
that work well, but they’re an example. I believe that the reason this type of design
works so well is that the midrange-tweeter arrangement closely mimics that of the front
left and right speakers, and because it’s a three-way (or more) design, the woofers
can be crossed over low enough so that lobing issues are minimized.
Another potential solution is to use no center-channel
at all -- just route the center’s information to the left and right speakers by
setting up your processor/receiver as such. One advantage of this is that you don’t
have to worry about whether the center-channel matches or not -- it’s just not there.
You can also save yourself a bit of money. On the other hand, you lose some of the front
soundstage specificity that having a center-channel can provide. As well, the "sweet
spot" is narrowed to the center position, as it is with stereo listening. For those
who use their home theaters with family and friends, then, this solution isn’t as
attractive....Doug Schneider
"Why don't companies just make better
ones?"
April 3, 2006
To Doug Schneider,
I've read your thoughts
about center-channel speakers. My own center-channel is pretty good. Why don’t
companies just make better ones?
Randy Timmins
I suspect they don't because it's hard. To get the
centers to match the left and right speakers, designers have to try to get the tonal
balance of all speakers to be the same. However, the left and right speakers are usually
oriented vertically, whereas the center-channel is usually oriented horizontally.
Furthermore, the center-channel often sits on top of a television screen, and that screen
acts like an extension of the speaker's baffle, affecting the frequency response. Then
there's the whole problem of the center's height versus that of the left and rights.And
these are just a few of the problems!
So, as you see, it's easier said than done. However,
some companies actually do it, mostly because they put a lot of time, research, and money
into getting it right. I've listened to a number of models in Paradigm's Reference series,
and the cohesiveness across the front three speakers was always very impressive. And, as
I've mentioned before, the Mirage Omnisat V2 system does well, too. Good center-channels
are out there; it's just that they're unfortunately few and far between....Doug Schneider |
