I recently had the opportunity to double-blind test the Paradigm Studio 60v2 and the Axiom M60ti. The speakers were set to equal levels using pink noise, while the listeners were outside the room. Once complete, a friend of mine (Mark), and I, came into the room and sat in the sweet spot. An A/B switch and CD player were in reach, so we could select our music of choice, as well as switch from one speaker to the other.
We spent about an hour flipping back and forth, and writing down our comments. Once we were satisfied with the test, the speaker identities were revealed. Results? Both speakers were rated quite closely: the speaker Mark chose as his favourite turned out to be the Axiom, and the one I chose was the Paradigm.
Overall impression: both speakers were very good. The Axioms were more neutral, while the Paradigms had a slight bump-up in the midrange. Depending on individual taste, this was good, bad, or indifferent. The Axioms also had deeper base (surprising since the Paradigms have larger woofers). The Paradigms had a larger soundstage, and were more forward sounding. Mark, as well as 3 others who were in the room, casually listening, found the largest advantage of the Axioms was their ability to more naturally reproduce piano and guitar. I on the other hand, was more impressed by the Paradigms wider soundstage, and ‘fuller’ sounding mid-range.
It was a fun experience. I have wanted to listen to the Axioms for some time now, as I find myself recommending them to friends and family. I figured I should at least hear them for myself, rather than rely on Ian, Joe, Alan and the board members praise.
I think for ~ $1,000 CAD, you’d be hard pressed to find a better speaker than the Axiom M60ti. In my books, Axiom has officially taken over as the best performance vs. $ spent from Paradigm. I’m planning on building a dedicated home theatre room in my basement within the next year, and I’m sure I’ll be adding some Axioms to the mix.
Note: ~ 10min after completing the listening session, Mark ordered himself a pair of FO M60s in Cherry.
