Howdy all,

I'm new to the Axiom forums and I just wanted to say "Hi!"

Thanks to all the helpful threads here on the forum, I'm considering ordering the Epic 80 package (minus the sub) this Sunday. I currently have an HSU VTF-3 (but not the newer Mark II) to handle sub duties. I'll be driving them with a NAD T773 receiver ( 7 x 110W Minimum Continuous Power into 4 / 8 ohms, all channels driven simultaneously), and they'll be used in a medium-sized family room. I just wanted to run a few thoughts/questions by the helpful Axiom Addicts here on the forums.
I just got done auditioning some B&W 703's, which were quite nice. However, I ended up deciding to go the Axiom route instead. It was something about the whole Axiom home theater set costing $1,000 less than just the 703 main speakers that did the trick for me. That extra 2% in performance really costs you - that and the exotic pure walnut finish which greatly improves the sound quality.

Anyway, I really liked the M80's that I was able to audition at a relative's house for several hours one afternoon. They had a beautiful transparent and dynamic sound from top-to-bottom. The only knock I had on them was that sometimes it would sound a bit bright (bright may not be the right word¡Kmaybe forward or aggressive). Granted, this was more apparent with my stellar collection of 80's rock CD's - there's nothing like the over-processed sounds of Def Leppard - but it was also noticeable even on more recent, well-recorded CD's. Norah Jones' vocals on "Come Away with Me" had a bit of harshness or shine to it, as did Diana Krall's vocals on her "The Girl in the Other Room" album. Vocals in general, especially female, just seemed to have a little extra bite to them.
I didn't fiddle with his setup at all, so the brightness could be attributed to speaker placement or just the room itself (although it was a carpeted floor with a decent amount of room furnishings). What have some of you guys done to tame the forward-sounding treble of your M80's? Also, his pair was about 2 years old. I'm wondering if it's possible that Axiom updated or made changes to the M80 since then (maybe changes to the tweeter or crossover)? Would getting the M60's instead reduce the brightness a bit because it only has the one tweeter?

Also, how's the EP350 subwoofer that normally comes in the Epic 80 package? I ask because I wasn't really blown away by the 2-year-old EP350 that my uncle had with his M80's....especially compared to my current VTF-3. I was hoping that maybe they made changes or upgrades to the model over the past couple years because I know my wife will eventually want a sub that matches the finish of the new speakers - so if Axiom has improved the 350, I may take a chance on ordering one with the rest of my speakers.

Any opinions or insight would be really helpful.

Thanks for putting up with the silly questions from the newbie.

Sully