Many times what you hear in a negative way is a result of the room characteristics, incorrect calibration setup, speaker placement, or the quality of the music track (for ex. compressed mp3's). But there still is a chance that the speaker design can result in uneasy listening for many users, and that is very subjective. Everyone will have different opinions on what their ears like.
With that said, I have never really considered Axiom speakers of being harsh or bright. Back when I was looking for speakers and found out about Axiom, I thought they sounded similar to Paradigm "Studio" series and the B&W 703's.
The only time I've heard any hint of harshness, was when I was listening to ripped music with compression. That is not the fault of the speaker. But, if you are listening to a properly recorded music track, you will be astonished how good it sounds.
Hopefully, you can do an audition of some Axiom speakers.
