As I had promised, I am posting my opinion on my newly acquired M60ti's. I received them Monday and have only spent about three hours total listening to them, but I think I've heard enough of them to provide a personal review. Keep in mind that I'm not an audio expert like a lot of you, but I think I can provide a decent description of what I hear.
I'll first explain that when I got the speakers home, I immediatly uplugged my Infinity RS4's and hooked up the M60's to my system which is powered by a Denon 3802 receiver. I sort of regretted that I didn't give a quick listen to my previous speakers first so I could do an immediate comparison (I was way too excited to hear the Axiom's). So instead of doing a comparison of the Infinity RS4's to the Axiom's M60's, it was the other way around so to speak. Generally, it probably doesn't matter which order you compare speakers, but I'm thinking that if they are your own, you should listen to the old ones first before the new ones in order to feel immediate satisfaction about your new purchase. The only reason I mention this is because in all honestly, I didn't get the "Wow!" factor that I so hoped for and expected upon my first listen of the Axiom's. This is not to say that I wasn't impressed with them to start with, but I wasn't in awe about them either. I guess it's just a personal preference. It's like knowing a surprise before it happens which doesn't make it fun anymore...if that makes any sense! Of course, if the old speakers sounded *better* than the new, the letdown would be greater. Oh, well!
I'll also tell you that listening to the Axiom's the very first time was with my roommate who prefers deep thumpy bass whereas I like crystal clear highs and natural tight bass. Her comments may have had an influence on what I initially thought about the Axioms. The first cd we listened to was Keiko Matsui's "Live" cd which may have not been the best choice, but it was one that I listen to often.
My roommate thought too much highs were present and not enough bass. Well, to test to the speakers, I had turned off the subwoofer. For me, I had no problem with the bass output...I thought it sounded wonderful right from the start. In fact, leaving the sub on with it's current setting at 80Hz and turned half way up sounded muddy with the M60's (I'll have to figure out a new adjustment for the sub).
As for the treble, I must admit that I was in agreement with my roommate...at first! At this point, I decided to plug back in my RS4's. As I listened a bit to the same tracks from the cd, I was expecting the treble of the RS4's to be much more laid back than the M60's, but was surprised that the output was about the same (volume wise). The treble was just as loud as the M60's, but did seem a lot "warmer" from the RS4's. I thought it must have to do with the differences in the tweeter material. That may have been part of it, but after a closer listen, the difference was definitely in the clarity of the highs. Although the M60's seemed "bright" in comparison to the RS4's, the treble was more detailed and "real" with the M60's. I was surprised that this so-called "brightness" actually sounded more real. Perhaps, what was perceived as "warm" with the RS4's may have been the lack of clarity and detail. However, I cannot say that all speakers which I describe as "warm" lack clarity and detail. In my opinion, they just do not seem as "open". This is how I felt about B&W 603's when I listened to them. I heard detail and clarity (only with levels turned up), but they were not as open and free...very restrained in my opinion. This is why I didn't like them.
During the second day of listening, the "wow" factor had indeed started to kick in! Yes, I would have liked the sensation sooner, but I was not at all disappointed. In fact, I'm loving these speakers with every new listen. Specifically, I've really enjoyed listening to music with acoustic guitar, jazz drums, and female vocals. The realism in these sounds is hard to describe. I hate repeating the same adjectives, but they are so clear and detailed. One other thing that I noticed was that you can pump a lot of volume through the M60's without them sounding harsh. Although one might not find the volume pleasing, the sounds remain clear and tight. This is not achieved with my RS4's.
Needless to say, the M60's will remain in my home. I'm anxious to get the rest of the set to complete my home theater. The Infinity center channel that I have now just doesn't sound very good with the M60's.
Overall, I feel the M60's are a very balanced speaker, with all ranges in sound coming out equally. Perhaps, the highs are a little too detailed for some, but this is my personal preference. Before I knew of Axiom, I almost purchased Klipsch RF3's because of their detailed highs. They also got excellent reviews. But I listened to them on two different occasions to be sure that I liked them and was disappointed the second time around. To me, the Klipsch's horn tweeter was not shrilly or harsh, but it seemed like whatever sounds dominated them, like electric guitars and vocals, seemed to take over the speaker and not let much of anything else through. Basically, it seemed that the instruments were not playing together. Anyway, that's a whole other story.
For the gentleman who wanted to hear my thoughts of the Axiom's as compared to the Boston Acoustics VRM-60's . I can't recall the exact sound of the BA's, but I do remember them being very detailed. In my opinion, the Axiom's sound is similar...very "airy" in the highs. I had also listened to the VRM-90's which are the floor standing model. First of all, they were way too expensive, and to my surprise, I actually didn't like the sound as much as the bookshelf speakers! I can't remember exactly why. There is no doubt in my mind that you will enjoy your Axiom's when you get them. It seems like to me that most everyone here has similar taste in sound.
OK, that's all folks....phew!
Mary
