I bought them without hearing them but I had listened to speakers that were considered “similar” sonically and A/B compared them to 2 other brands B&W and Focal before deciding to keep them.
Have you decided what type of speaker (e.g. detailed, neutral, laidback etc…) you prefer yet. I’ve notice you posting lots of questions in forums about very dissimilar sounding speakers. Figuring out what sound you like should help you narrow things down a bit.
I “risked” ordering Axiom because of the following reasons:
1. They were reported by professional reviewers to be sonically similar to other brands I liked at a fraction of the cost.
2. Third party measurements that backed up what was being said about the Axioms.
3. Axiom’s straightforward business practices (e.g. shipping included in the price, building their own speakers, they offered basic speakers and charged others more if they wanted to upgrade to “pretty ones,“ low MSRP rather than having periodic “FANTASIC SALES!”)
4. Their NRC driven design philosophy.
5. The fact that Axiom reps and forum members talked me out 7.1 and down from the EP600 to the EP500. (gotta love a merchant who tells you to keep your money).
What I did not consider in deciding to what to try:
1. The opinions expressed by owners in internet forums about which brand is best. Once I decided on brands/lines I did listen to owners on which models might best fit my situation. (then I mostly ignored them
)
2. How “pretty” the speakers were.
Why Axiom won!
They beat the crap out of B&W and Focal in the “best-bang-for-the-buck” race. I did think both the B&W and Focals I listened to were a little better but not near enough to justify the price difference.
P.S. The Axioms also got an honorable mention for coming in “silver and black.” How cool is it to have all your equipment in your team's colours.
