m60 v2 VaSSallo Series: Unpacking and Setup

It took about six weeks for the speakers to arrive. Talk about the longest six weeks of my life! The m60 v2’s came in two separate boxes (as to be expected with floorstanding speakers. Each speaker was well packed inside of a black bag with foam all around. Where the foam touched each the speakers, a strip of rubber insulating tape was added to reduce any chance of damage. Generally, an edge or two of the tape would come loose and stick to the bag so in my opinion, the tape was a bit more trouble that it was worth. Basically, the speakers are packed upside down so that when you open the top, you can remove the foam, open the bag, and just kind of pour the speaker out. If you’re smart (and I’m not saying that I was), you’ll open up the small box first.

The small box that came with the two larger speaker boxes contained three things. First there was a leather bound folder than contained a little information about the speakers, setup, and such. Then there were two rectangular wood boxes with the Axiom logo on the top (it looked like they painted the boxes red and removed an Axiom logo sticker from the top so that the wood underneath showed through) and a gold latch. You open the box and encased in black foam are four adjustable spikes, four adjustable rubber feet, a couple of wrenches (in case you ever wanted to open your speakers up), and a black cloth to rub down those gorgeous speakers.

Now anyone that has read one of my reviews knows that I’m a sucker for this type of stuff. Fit and finish is one thing, performance is of course all important, but if I have to dig my new equipment out of a box of styrofoam peanuts, I’m going to think you skimped and that perhaps I overpaid. Axiom makes sure that when you get their premium finishes, you know that they take it as seriously as you. You can more than double the cost of one of their speakers with these upgrades so I feel it is appropriate that the appropriate level of attention to detail is taken. But the REAL icing on the cake was the label on the box and the back of the speakers… “Custom Built for Tom Andry.” Oh yeah, that’s something you show your friends!

Once I took a few pictures, I dragged the speakers into the house. The twin ports on the back and the single port on the front near the bottom give the speakers a much needed handhold. As much as I like the High-Gloss finish, it can be a bit slick at times. As I was moving the Onix Rocket RS450’s away, it was obvious that the m60’s were quite a bit lighter… over 20lbs according to the respective websites! I turned the speakers over and started the process of installing the feet.

Some people like spikes regardless of the surface while others prefer rubber feet. Spikes on wood or tile usually requires some sort of small metal penny sized round with a dimple in the center to ensure that your floors aren’t damaged. As much fun using spikes on carpet is, trying to set them up on hardwood sounds like an exercise in frustration, pierced feet, and ruined floors/marriages. Luckily I don’t have that problem – I’ve got carpet. The problem I do have is that the carpet basically sits on a concrete slab that may or may not (I’m voting the latter) have a level surface. This makes leveling out a speaker and getting them really stable a bit troublesome. But, before I dealt with that, I had to deal with installing the spikes.

Now, I’m not sure exactly what the problem was, but installing these spikes was a lesson in pain. No, I didn’t give myself a stigmata or anything but I did find that the threaded inserts were clogged with some sort of white powder (I assume it has something to do with the finishing process). Whatever it was, it made installing the spikes extremely difficult. I ended up having to screw them in as far as they would go, back them back out, clean out the insert as best as possible, then start again (and yes, I did try to clean them out once I realized the problem – it didn’t help). Out of the eight spikes, one went right in, two went is fairly easily, five were VERY difficult, and one I was never able to actually get all the way in. By the time the whole ordeal was over, I had two blood blisters on my index finger and I couldn’t make a fist for an hour. I’d encourage Axiom to ensure the feet will be installed easily in the future.

After the spikes were pretty much installed, I set them up very near the placement of the m22s. Believe it or not, because of the bizarre configuration of the base of the Full Metal Stands, the m60’s have a smaller footprint. With my original entertainment center which was raised off the ground, the stands worked well because I could slip them underneath. The three foot configuration also made the stands a bit easier to level. Regardless, the spikes are the same. There is the main body of the spike which screws into the speaker. Then there is a smaller “washer” that can be locked down if you need to loosen up the spike in order to level it. What ends up happening is that you set the speaker down, push on the top and sides to see where it wobbles, tip it over and adjust the spike, and repeat. Once you get it stable, you tighten the washer down so that the spike doesn’t move. Or, you can be like me, and once you get it stable, you walk away and leave it alone.

This is all fairly standard for any “spiked” application. The Axiom spikes have the advantage of being very well machined to a perfect smoothness. When the washer is locked down to the top of the spike, it is virtually invisible. They become, as one. Other spikes I’ve used have had more texture to them and are usually brass (which I don’t particularly care for). The Axiom spikes definitely look better though the typical spikes have the advantage of the texture for ease of installation. With Axiom’s spikes, they are so smooth (and in my case, some were so torqued) that it was nigh impossible to know if you were actually moving them during an adjustment. In the long run though, they are going to spend a lot more of their lives just sitting there looking good than they are being adjusted (one hopes) so a sacrifice for the sake of form is apropos.

If you’re smart (and I’m not saying that I was) you’ll have played with toe in and such before you level the speakers. As I’ve found with the m22ti’s, the m60’s do a bit better to my ear with a slight toe in. I have a loveseat configuration at the center of my theater seating so I basically point the right speaker over the right arm of the loveseat and the left over the left arm. If you are not sure how well you have your speakers aimed, consider using a laser pointer. Just place it on top perpendicular to the front baffle and you’re good to go. I always start with straight forward, then toed directly at the prime listening position, and adjust from there. Try to find a CD with a lot of pans. This will help you determine if the speakers are properly balanced.

The speaker terminals on the m60 v2’s are the same as the ones on the m22ti’s. Many of the speakers I’ve reviewed recently have the terminals with a clear plastic covering. The Axioms are all metal 5-way gold plated binding posts. The speakers are bi-wire/bi-ampable and come equipped with a gold plated strap connecting each pair of terminals (red to red/black to black). You can leave that as is (thought you probably want to make sure the posts are locked down to keep the strap from vibrating) unless you plan on bi-amping. Since we’ve never seen any convincing evidence that bi-wiring has any positive effect, you can just rule that one right out. As the m60’s present a fairly easy load, most mid-fi receivers will have no problem driving them. If you have amps lying around or you have a terminal case of upgraditis and nothing else to spend it on, go ahead and remove the straps and connect a separate amp to each of the pairs of terminals and balance the levels. One will power the tweeter and the other will power the woofers. I think it’s a waste, but hey, it’s your money.

The only real concern I had about the High-Gloss finish, other than keeping the kid’s hands off it, was reflections. My speakers flank my component stand. I was worried that the speakers would reflect whichever display I was using that week. And while the speakers are highly reflective, I was never once bothered by glare. This is probably because I have them toed in but you need to remember that the Axioms have a trapezoidal shape which further angles the side of the speaker away from the display. I suppose in a different application there might be problem but I haven’t experienced any.