Originally Posted By: CV
Originally Posted By: grunt
The way I look at it is if I were to decide to upgrade my mains or whole system for that matter (can’t imagine why I would unless I won the lottery and then I’d upgrade my house (read room) first) I would revisit all potential speakers that focus on neutral presentation. So say if the new Axioms came in at the same price as the B&Ws I though sounded better than the M80s (but not 3 times better) then I would also consider the B&Ws as viable upgrades. To do otherwise out of brand loyalty would not make any sense to me.


Very good points, but I'll say that brand loyalty does make some sense. If you have a history of being taken care of by the company, that's value, too. Also, if I'm only upgrading mains, sticking with the same brand for timbre matching to the rest of the surround system is something else to consider. Of course, we don't yet know how well they match the current lineup and have only been told that the VP180 would be the most appropriate center to match with the new flagships. You're right that I should still look at speakers from other manufacturers in the same price range, whatever that ends up being. I still think there are compelling reasons to stick with the same brand, but I would still expect the new speakers to outperform the M80s by a fair margin, or why keep them.


I don’t disagree that buying from the same place can make sense for many reasons especially if they’ve done you right. However, what I’m referring to is what I’ve read here and in other forums, when I used to bother with them, that shows lack of considering alternatives. It’s one thing to make a rational decision based on various factors, loyalty both ways being a valid one, however it’s IMO irrational to jump on a the bandwagon for a new product if not already keeping up with what other producers have or are doing and without any direct or even indirect experience with the product.

I find it difficult to believe that Axiom can produce a new type of speaker that can outperform the M80s by a fair margin let alone do it without costing a fair amount more. Awhile back a way over the top, IMO, review of the M80v3s was posted which I commented on negatively because the reviewer made it sound like the incremental improvement made the old M80 sound like crap, at least by comparison. With Axiom already comparing it’s speakers in double blind tests to speakers costing many times more as “similarly good” I find it hard to believe they can produce a new speaker that can sound even better w/o charging much more for it. Again bringing up the issue of value, how much more is slightly better sound going to be worth to someone. I submit that most people would benefit more from experimenting more with speaker/listener positioning and very likely room treatments before upgrading speakers, but these aren’t nearly as glamorous. But then I drive a Hyundai so what do I know. wink


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