Welcome to the group. The bottom line around here is that, yes, this is an Axiom sponsored forum and therefore most of us are here to talk about how much we love our Axioms. There is a certain amount of 'fanboy'-ism around here, but it's pretty light (IMHO). As someone else mentioned, we're pretty respectful of other brands (well, except Bose
). I've been here for many years and I've never come across any situation where Axiom has censored the thread to keep out bad or controversial reviews.
I went to another store to audition some paradigm and klipsch products but the only ones that I thought sounded any good were the paradigm studio 100's... a little out of my price range, unfortunately. They didn't have the studio 60's but I heard all the monitor line and was not very impressed for the price.
I started my Axiom system with a pair of M22's several years ago. When I eventually wanted to upgrade to floor-standing speakers, I sought out a Paradigm dealer to listen to the SR line, as I was specifically interested in comparing them to what I had heard in my M22's. The dealer had SR100's and SR20's. I liked the way the SR20's sounded - very much like my M22's. Clean & detailed, with a surprising amount of presence for bookshelves. I was less impressed with the SR100's. As I recall, they weren't bad, but I for the price I wasn't really blown away by them. The highs were a bit too bright for me, and the bass seemed a bit too muddy. Just a touch, anyway. And yes, they were too expensive. If you thought the SR100's sounded pretty good, I'd bet that you'd really like the way M80's sound.
If you're looking for brick-and-mortar speakers to compare to, try to find a B&W dealer. Everyone's ears and expectations are different, but to me, B&W 703's sound *very* similar to M80's. At least I think so. In my speaker shopping, this was one set of speakers that my wife & I really liked. We just couldn't stomach the price.
I bought my M80's with the intention of sending them back if they weren't what I expected. As you can probably guess, I kept them.
the axioms, bright, shrill, harsh...
Ahh yes, the common criticisms. Our brains adapt to everything. Some speaker manufacturers over-emphasize the bass & midrange. This results in a 'warmer', or 'richer' sound. But sometimes they go to far, and it turns almost 'muddy'. Some people really like this quality, either because they just do or because their brains are trained to it. And that's fine. To each his/her own. But if you spend some time listening to more expensive speakers, what I've found is that the speakers become more accurate. Highs become more defined, mid-ranges become more seamless, and bass becomes strong, powerful, and extremely accurate. Cheap speakers might be all midrange; with dead highs and boomy, bloated bass.
The best example I've ever heard is in the B&W line, as I have a good full-line B&W dealer nearby. 600-series speakers have a nice and rich midrange, but the highs and lows left something to be desired. Less bass, less treble, more midrange. 700-series speakers have more bass, more treble, and less midrange. They sound much more natural and controlled. Music becomes more 'real', and the speakers more easily disappear. 800-series speakers take it to a different level, with sparkling highs, incredibly smooth & natural midrange, and amazing bass that's both tight & detailed and very powerful. Of course, the top of the 800 series are like $10,000/pair speakers. But I've heard the same thing with many speaker lines, such as Polk, Vienna Acoustics, Energy, Klipsch, Paradigm, even Sony.
In a properly set up system, the better the speakers are they more they simply vanish into the soundstage. To me, that's the hallmark of an 'excellent' speaker. So good, you don't even know it's there. Both my M22's and M80's are very good at this.
That's where Axiom shines. They're *all* accurate. From the Audiobytes to the M80's. Sure, there are subtle differences between the lines, but M22's have extremely similar sonic qualities to the M80's. The M80's just have more presence and more power. That's what makes them amazing, IMHO. There isn't a 'budget' line of sound quality. They're *all* excellent. Why? Because I don't think Axiom believes in making substandard lines at specific price points.
jakewash, sirquack, grunt, are always recommending axiom, but no one else. This puts up a huge red flag for me.
Oh man, I wouldn't trust any of them.
Those are some of the biggest posters around here. What you've seen is the fact that they like to defend Axiom's on other boards.
I truly hope I don't offend anyone with this post. I just thought I'd point out this pattern I've seen and wanted to bring it up.
We're a pretty easy-going bunch. Fights are few and far between around here. The bottom line is that the vast majority of us are extremely happy with our Axioms. That's why we're here. So you'll find a lot of happy people. Axiom seems to be a good company. Many here have toured the factory and met the employees. They seem to be genuinely good people making a genuinely good product. Sure, there are occasional problems with products. But I can't remember ever reading of a situation where Axiom
didn't do everything they could to make it right.
But what should you do? My best advice is to seek out someone who lives nearby that owns Axiom speakers. Many of us are happy to give demos of our systems. There's an official list of demo sites under the 'Hearing Things' area. After all, the only way to decide if you like Axiom speakers are to hear them.
Good luck!
