Late to reply just noticed the post and It caught my interest. I've been in audio since 1973.
I can say one thing that has remained consistent. Anytime someone uses Bose as a standard for high fidelity there is no reasoning with them until they've heard the system in question.
Quite simply they are speaking out of ignorance. They've never really heard high end in a home enviroment, if at all.
The poster who likened Axiom to a Corvette and Bose to a Chevette is quite correct. All you're friends drive Chevettes and Pintos. They don't even know about Corvettes and can't fathom anything being better then the crap they drive around.
My dad has some Bose 301's. I have Axioms, Aperions and PSB's. Any of these 3 are so far ahead of Bose it is laughable to compare them.
I also have some Focus Audio FS688's in my main system. Little 13x7 minimonitors that sell for $3000 a pair. So I know what bad, good and great sound like.
Rest assured any of the floorstander and monitors Axiom sells are simply great bang for the buck and based on sound should sell for 2X the price.
