Paul, I think that your most recent reply is on target. I've tried to point out in the past to some who have termed the Axioms too "bright" or even "harsh" on some recordings that what they were hearing was an accurate speaker reproducing a poorly recorded performance(possibly intentionally mixed that way so as to sound more impressive on mediocre equipment). As you imply, the more accurate and revealing a speaker is, the worse a poor recording will sound. Receivers which have extensive equalization provisions, or a separate graphic equalizer can to a degree help with such recordings.
