On auditioning, I would suggest you get to some higher end places – J&R and 6th Ave are discount bins. Find an audiophile store with a full range of a company and be sure to bring your own music. My philosophy is to listen to speakers far outside my price range and see which of those speakers in my range reminds me most of those no-compromise models I loved in the freaking expensive class. I often find that high end companies have good trickle down on design and components, where others that take up much space at BB and CC seem to max out the engineering budget at the low end.
With high end companies (including companies like Axiom that focus on passionate buyers), you might not get the Kevlar woofer and diamond tweeter but you get the same box design, similar crossovers, and comparable drivers of less exotic origin. For me, I liked Wilson WATTs, Martin Logans and the highest end PSBs (Gold Si at the time, I think??). Watt does not go down, and Martins change character as you move down the line (plus they are hard to drive). After working down the PSB line I found a price point with familiar sound that I liked. For the sub, did it again, but this time came to B&W's. For surrounds, took a chance after checking pro reviews, forums, and general characteristics. Then, got lucky and liked the Axiom's. I only have the QS8, so my shipping risk was low in buying without hearing. But I am very satisfied with the purchase. I have run them hard over the last weeks and never heard an unintended peep.
If I was searching for new towers, I would still start the search the same way, even though Axiom seems like a safe bet [Note to Axioum: I would love a little shape to the speakers! Love the B&W 700 and 800 range, just by way of example, and the new PSB Synchrony range is a serious effort.]. Perhaps I would try to find a local Axiom customer and audition their setup (check around!). But I have to admit, not having a local source is a liability – hence the discount price of Axioms. So, do as you have been told – find the characteristics you like, if they fit the Axiom wave of support figure out if the shipping cost is worth the risk. But as mentioned, auditioning in your home is worth 10 auditions at a shop. No shop will sound like your room, and the speakers can’t change the environment they are in. In that way Axiom has an advantage as what you hear is literally what you get.
Good luck. And if it helps, I love my PSB 5Ts, but with my amp you do get some sharpness in the high end when pushed to near 100 db. Not a real problem, just a characteristic on weaker quality sources (mainly) that I would do without if I had a choice right now.
