John Thomas Jr. ,
Your "quest" for new speakers sounds alot like mine. I wasn't saying your questions were not valid; merely that speaker listening is too subjective to take someones advice as a basis for a buying decision. I could tell you that I LOVE my m22s, and I DO- but you may get them, and prefer something else-?......
Believe me, I felt the same way you did about not hearing the Axioms, and about the shipping costs. BUT I realized that after listening to the speakers that I chose as MY personal possible choices, the ONLY way to see if the Axioms suited ME were to buy'em and try'em. I ALSO do A LOT of research before buying, but there comes a time where you just have to decide to do it or not to do it. It truly depends on how much value you place in your own time and money. In MY OPINION, Axioms can't be topped for the price/performance ratio. However, I was only able to make that judgement after taking the plunge and ordering a pair.
Good Luck at any rate!
