Soundman. Thats an interesting response.
What is it about the rockets that make them better for HT? I understand the comment about the center (havn't looked at centers personally), but is it more than that?
What makes the M60 better for music?
That "looks like crap next to..." made me cringe a little, but real wood does look better. FWIW, for more cash, you can get an excellent wood finish from axom as well. I had a chance to see a bunch of different finishes when I visited Axiom. The real rosewood was just... wow!
By the way, Axiom has recently released an new vinyl finish, high gloss cherry, that looks almost as nice as the real high gloss cherry finish (I compared them both directly).
As for brightness, that seems to be a preference. Most professional reviewers do not describe them as bright. On paper they have a very even response across the spectrum, no emphasis on the highs or lows. I happen to like this sound.
A slight step up in price from the M60 to the M80 gives you quite a bit more bass and more detail across the entire frequency range. For me, it was a no-brainer, I'll be spending the $300 more for the M80.
For me, it is a music first decision so your comment about them being better for music is interesting. I certainly won't be doing any room treatments!
On power handling, the M60 is rated for 250w max. Thats a lot of power so your comment puzzles me a little. My understanding is that most often, a speaker is blown when the amp/receiver is underpowered and driven into clipping.
How big is your room and how loud to like so listen?
A real wood finish speaker with a sound you like at the price of the M60s is one heck of a deal!
If I had the extra cash, I would get an unfinished wood speaker and treat it with oil to really bring out the grain.
Fred
Hey Fredk,
I'm sorry if my comments offended you. I don't mean to put down the Axioms. Let me explain a little. I think your main question was why i liked the M60's better for music then for movies. Well, this was because for music listening, I was just using the L-R channels. The M60's are a nice sounding speaker so for music I wasn't using the other speakers in the package. The weak point of the Axioms is the center channel so my point was that for movies, where usually 70% of the movie is coming through that center channel, it may not be the best performer. The center channel used with the Rocket's is infinitely better then the Axiom center channel. I don't mean that in a rude way, but the RSC200 is one of the best center channels I have ever heard.
OK, as for the power handling issue, I can assure you that my system was not underpowered. I am using the Emotiva Ultra Theater Series LMC-1 & LPA-1. Check out the review here:
http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/amplifiers/emotiva-ultra-theater-series This processor/amp combo has plenty of reserve power for most applications, significantly more then the average receiver. So, this was never an issue for me. I cranked it up pretty high and it blew the tweeter. It was like my amp was laughing at the M60's. Now this may have been a one-off situation, but I'm just saying what happened. Also, you asked about my room. It is about 16x16 with vaulted ceilings up to 16 ft at highest point that opens up to a kitchen that is about the same size as the listening room.
Now, I know you mentioned that Axiom offers real wood speakers. I am aware of that, but going with those speakers doubles the price of the speaker so you are getting a much better value with the Rockets. Real wood speakers are standard on the Rockets and they are one of the prettiest speakers I have seen.
As for the brightness issue. That is where this subject always gets hairy. Some people love it, others hate it. It's just a certain sound and it's really just a preference if you like that sound or not. Personally, the Axioms sounded great at first, but at high listening levels they can sound a tad harsh, not as easy on the ears and that is the brightness that many people describe. Others describe it as really accurate. I do agree that Axioms have an accurate even response, but these measurements are not taken in real world listening environments. Every room will sound different unless treated. In my experience, that is what happened. There was an emphasis on the high frequencies with the Axiom's if not running a sub. If you like this sound, then that is great! But it didn't do it for me in my room. Once I got the Rocket's set up all the brightness went away. I can listen at really high listening levels with no audible distortion. They really do well and can handle loads of watts. This was just my experience. I'm sorry if I came off the wrong way. I really do think the M60's are still a nice speaker.
