Axiom M80 v3 or emos ert 8.3

[frankie2075]

i am on the fence.. there about in the same price range.. let me kno which you would pick and your experince with either one..

[turbo]

If you can afford it and don't mind paying about $100 for the return shipping buy both and decide for yourself. It may be a little hassle but you will know that YOU made the right decision.
I have heard m80v2 and 6.2's both nice but different

Credit card

[cgolf]

I haven't heard the 8.3s but I did own the 6.3s and the 6.2s. Both of those were good speakers but I prefer the Axioms by a large margin. I have also owned a couple of pair of the M60s and just purchased the M80s v3. I think Axioms are the hidden gem of speakers. I love the M80s and think they are awesome. Now the next guy might tell you just the opposite and the 8.3s are much better.

Having said that, I agree with Fugsworth. If you can afford the $100 shipping, try them both. That's the only truly way to know for yourself. Our opinions matter but in the end, they really don't matter. ;D

[Deleted]

Apr 30, 2011 0:17:31 GMT -5 cgolf said:

Now the next guy might tell you just the opposite and the 8.3s are much better.

I'm the next guy and I prefer the Emotiva speakers by a significant margin. First let me explain that I owned the smaller bookshelf models of the Axiom first and the Emotiva later. I ordered one only of the ERM-1 Emo's that have the same exact tweeter and two of the same midrange drivers as the Emo 8.3. My Axiom M2i (plus QS4's) which I previously owned had one of the same exacter tweeter as the two tweeters in the M80. I did an extensive blind A/B test and preferred the Emo speaker over the Axiom speaker in 17 out of 19 tests, with two no preferences.

Note that the M80 has two of the tweeters versus one in the Emo 8.3. IMO, that is because the Emo's tweeter is of higher power handling and they don't need two tweeters to reach full volume output.

My biggest opinion on the sound comparison is that the Emo's silk dome tweeter and their tri-fiber mid/low drivers were superior to the Axiom's metal drivers. The Emo speakers are extremely natural sounding to me and never become edgy, irritating or fatiguing over long listening sessions.

After my blind A/B test I ordered 4 more Emo speakers, including the outstanding ERD-1 surround speaker complete my 5.1 system and replace the Axiom's.

If I can find a link to my test I'll link it below. The speakers I owned are the little brothers of the M80 and 8.3 but have the same timbre/voicing as the tower models, so I was hearing a good comparison to these larger speakers in all but the lower ranges. I use a very good sub that takes over at 80Hz. I believe the current M80 might have a slightly newer tweeter but I see it is still a titanium tweeter. For me that titanium tweeter and other metal drivers are the Achilles heal of the Axiom's and many other brands in this general level using metal drivers . Right out of the box they might sound better to many at first because of the perceived clarity and zap in the upper ranges. IMO it soon becomes an audible handicap after extended use. The blind A/B test was an immediate ear opener for me and made my decision easy.

BTW, both the M80 and 8.3 will handle a ton of power. Not sure if you want to hear this or not but for best results you need an amp that puts out at least 300 watts or more per channel onto 4 ohms with all channels operating. The Denon spec of 140 watts into 8 ohms is not with all channels operating. I couldn't find a verified test of the Denon's output into 4 ohms with 5-7 channels operating but I can tell you it is no where near the stability and output of the XPA-5 or other Emo amps with the same or higher power. This is an upgrade to think about in the future.



PS: I found my Axiom/Emotiva test I posted at another forum. It is very long so I'll just sent a link to Frankie via PM. I can send to anyone else interested.

[frankie2075]

thanks guys.. and thanks chuckienut for taking ur time to write and look into it greatly appreciated

[moookie1051]

The Emo speakers are extremely natural sounding to me and never become edgy, irritating or fatiguing over long listening sessions.

^^^
I bought a pair of ERT-8.3s, an ERM-6.3, & a pair of ERM-1s for temporary HT use while my Mirage OM-5s were awaiting repairs about a year ago. Initially planned on selling them once the Mirage were fixed . But they sounded too good to part with. I couldn't agree more with Chuckies' statement above. ;D

[turbo]

"My Axiom M2i which I previously owned had one of the same exacter tweeter as the two tweeters in the M80"

Just a clarification the M2i tweeter is not the same as the m80v3 tweeter.

[Deleted]

Apr 30, 2011 11:07:28 GMT -5 turbo said:

"My Axiom M2i which I previously owned had one of the same exacter tweeter as the two tweeters in the M80"

Just a clarification the M2i tweeter is not the same as the m80v3 tweeter.

Sorry about my not very exact statement there. Later I said:

".....I believe the current M80 might have a slightly newer tweeter but I see it is still a titanium tweeter....."

What I meant to point out was that the M2i had the same tweeter as the M80 model at that time. I presume that the newer M2 v3 and the newer M80 v3 also have the same tweeter, even though it might be an improvement over the previous tweeter. One of my points was to observe that the Axiom tweeter was not extremely high power handling and thus they needed to put two of them in the full size M80 tower to handle the maximum output. I'm betting that the tweeter in the newer models still might not have the smoothness of the silk dome tweeter in the Emo's. It definitely does not have the power handling.

[cgolf]

My resident expert musician (my wife) just sat through a few tunes in the media room and left shaking her head. She said a few things that I like to hear --
1. The music is fluid like the old receivers of the 70s. ;D
2. It doesn't even sound like speakers. It sounds like the musicians are in the room. ;D

Coming from her, that is really some great compliments to the equipment, setup, room acoustics, etc. ;D

I will say that I have had many brands of speakers and forthe most part, they all sounded good (except the Swans I had last ) but I will say for me, in this rooom, with this setup--these M80s sound better than anything I have had.

All that matters is that each of us is happy with what we have.

[monkumonku]

Apr 30, 2011 12:40:24 GMT -5 cgolf said:

My resident expert musician (my wife) just sat through a few tunes in the media room and left shaking her head. She said a few things that I like to hear --
1. The music is fluid like the old receivers of the 70s. ;D
2. It doesn't even sound like speakers. It sounds like the musicians are in the room. ;D

Coming from her, that is really some great compliments to the equipment, setup, room acoustics, etc. ;D

I will say that I have had many brands of speakers and forthe most part, they all sounded good (except the Swans I had last ) but I will say for me, in this rooom, with this setup--these M80s sound better than anything I have had.

All that matters is that each of us is happy with what we have.

Hey, howzabout some pics? ;D And regarding your last statement, I think we need to employ the LOHT ("length of happy time") measure to our equipment because it seems sooner or later it expires.

[cgolf]

Apr 30, 2011 13:27:27 GMT -5 monkumonku said:

Apr 30, 2011 12:40:24 GMT -5 cgolf said:

My resident expert musician (my wife) just sat through a few tunes in the media room and left shaking her head. She said a few things that I like to hear --
1. The music is fluid like the old receivers of the 70s. ;D
2. It doesn't even sound like speakers. It sounds like the musicians are in the room. ;D

Coming from her, that is really some great compliments to the equipment, setup, room acoustics, etc. ;D

I will say that I have had many brands of speakers and forthe most part, they all sounded good (except the Swans I had last ) but I will say for me, in this rooom, with this setup--these M80s sound better than anything I have had.

All that matters is that each of us is happy with what we have.

Hey, howzabout some pics? ;D And regarding your last statement, I think we need to employ the LOHT ("length of happy time") measure to our equipment because it seems sooner or later it expires.

OK Rick, here ya go..........................

1. Game room
2. Media room looking rear to front
3. side view of equipment & racks ;D
4. Rear to front view
5. Front to rear view


s280.photobucket.com/albums/kk167/cgolf2008/Media%20Room%205-11/

[turbo]

Here's mine at the moment.
[

[cgolf]

How does the M3 do as a center channel? I want to sell my Swan surrounds and replace them with M3s also.. ;D

[briank]

Very nice set-up. Interesting tweak with the plants on top of the speakers. I presume this gives it a more organic sound??? ;D

[roadrunner]

Fugsworth

I see the wife found a place to put some plants. ;D Do they offer a flowery overtone to the M80s?

[monkumonku]

Apr 30, 2011 15:05:32 GMT -5 cgolf said:

Apr 30, 2011 13:27:27 GMT -5 monkumonku said:

Hey, howzabout some pics? ;D And regarding your last statement, I think we need to employ the LOHT ("length of happy time") measure to our equipment because it seems sooner or later it expires.

OK Rick, here ya go..........................

1. Game room
2. Media room looking rear to front
3. side view of equipment & racks ;D
4. Rear to front view
5. Front to rear view


s280.photobucket.com/albums/kk167/cgolf2008/Media%20Room%205-11/

Nice! You sound sooo relieved about not having those Swans anymore, too. ;D

[roadrunner]

Frankie,

I too have listened to both the Axiom M80 and the Emotiva ERT-8.3 in the same room using the same gear. I found the Emotiva speakers more Life-like in its reproduction of musical instruments and found male and female vocals far more convincing thru the ERT-8.3. After a couple of hours of listening to both speakers it started to become obvious that the tweeters on the Axiom were harsh in comparison to the Emotiva. The Axiom were causing listener fatigue and sounded like recordings, whereas the Emotiva speakers sounded like live music presentations with no hint of listener fatigue... even after hours of none stop listening.

With the Emotiva 8.3s the imaging and sound-stage were so good that I felt like I could just reach out and touch the musicians. The Axioms were never able to accomplish this "being there" feeling.

[turbo]

Apr 30, 2011 16:22:13 GMT -5 briank said:

Very nice set-up. Interesting tweak with the plants on top of the speakers. I presume this gives it a more organic sound??? ;D

It adds a nice warm "earthy sound" and it keeps the cats off ;D

[frankie2075]

thanks roadrunner thinking of ert. like the look better and prob go with xpa 5 amp. ill wait for the summer sale

[sancho89]

Apr 30, 2011 17:12:53 GMT -5 roadrunner said:

Frankie,

I too have listened to both the Axiom M80 and the Emotiva ERT-8.3 in the same room using the same gear. I found the Emotiva speakers more Life-like in its reproduction of musical instruments and found male and female vocals far more convincing thru the ERT-8.3. After a couple of hours of listening to both speakers it started to become obvious that the tweeters on the Axiom were harsh in comparison to the Emotiva. The Axiom were causing listener fatigue and sounded like recordings, whereas the Emotiva speakers sounded like live music presentations with no hint of listener fatigue... even after hours of none stop listening.

With the Emotiva 8.3s the imaging and sound-stage were so good that I felt like I could just reach out and touch the musicians. The Axioms were never able to accomplish this "being there" feeling.

I agree with the above. The M80 were harsh.

I was at a concert a couple of months ago and remember how good the sound was. I played the same song from a cd and the ERM 6.2 was able to reproduce the music just as well as live.