Since i haven't pulled any of these speakers apart i could not say whether the components inside are more or less expensive than each other (although Ian or Alan may have done such a thing and could tell you, but that might give away the general true base costs of the Axiom build and hence, not really be a good idea from the company perspective).
I do agree with you that the price of Axioms has gone up and now puts them in a position that removes them from the super bargain quality speaker to the more general pool of brand names competing at the same price level. In fact, i think i may have been one of the first people to buy Axioms within one month of their price increases. I had to wait until the end of June before purchasing and i recall their prices went up around April or May. Needless to say i wasn't too happy that several hundred dollars was added to my original estimated expenses so close to my purchase date but after picking up some Factory Outlet deals, the cost came back to my original estimates.
For THAT price i'm very satisfied with these Axioms.
Ultimately though, it was the customer service and personal attention that sold me as well. I was tempted in looking around at some other speaker options after hearing about the price increase. However, I decided i was willing to pay a couple of hundred extra to have that security of a good company standing by their products (and not having to deal with a local vendor). That being said, about $200 extra would be about my personal limit for such service.
I really do need to get out and do some more auditioning. Its been awhile since i've heard Paradigm speakers.
