Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater More distortion with 4ohm?

The advantage of gold-plated terminals is that there is no corrosion over the long term, certainly a good thing. However, non-gold-plated terminals are perfectly capable of making as good an electrical connection as gold-plated ones. So long as alloy terminals are kept clean (try rotating the RCA connectors to remove any corrosion or use a contact-cleaning spray). I would point out here that professional connectors used where recordings are made (studios) are, for the most part, NOT gold-plated.

Large, heavy-duty heat sinks are a sign of attention being paid to effective heat dissipation of the amplifier output stage, but there are various means of cooling output transistors, including thermostatically-controlled muffin fans (some may be noisy) that are quite effective. Certainly, if you're paying thousands for a Bryston amp or the like, I would expect robust heat sinks and gold connectors. However, to dismiss excellent gear on the basis of not having gold-plated connectors is simply cavalier. By the way, the addition of gold connectors on consumer equipment is a relatively recent feature (within a decade or so). And they do look nice!

Alan Lofft
Axiom Resident Expert

I was pointing out the fact that these manufacturers were advertising items as features that are part of any proper design. Heatsinks (or heat dissapation) a feature? Not exactly something I would want to have left off an amplifier. This is not a feature, but part of the design specifications of an amplifier.

I agree with the connector comment. The main point I was trying to emphasize was that they needed to be sufficient quality to resist corrosion and other issues that crop up in this area. But lets face it, if Yamaha(to chose a name at random) is building a mass market amp, what are the chances they will address proper design points across the board? This goes along with my statements that by having to design a product for price points, certain limitations are placed on the products.

Cavalier? Probably so. But I know what I like, and I definitely take all ideas and opinions in stride when making my decisions. For the most part, the opinions are of friends and magazines. However, I find both leaning to their particular interests. Opinions are very subjective, because as we all know, if you have not experienced a wide range of inputs, the frame of reference is skewed. You had access to areas of the audio world most will never imagine, and buy virtue of this fact have seen and heard the best and worst of this industry. But again, I am sure you have never dismissed something simply because of a preconcieved bias.

Experience is the key. Do you like it? THAT will guide you in whether you buy it or not. As we all have different needs, wants and economic situation, we need to acheive a balance. Do you like a $4k Speaker? Does it fit your budget? Then you may buy it. If it does not fit a category listed, you should not take anyones word on the quality.

Anyway, welcome aboard!

Regards,

BBIBH

But remember, we are not paid to say nice things about stereo company's, we say what is necessary. Our survival does not depend on ad money, and we can be true to what we hear and believe.

Lets not get into a flame war over this. Remember, Alan is an industry veteran with years of experience in the various areas of the industry. His opinion is based on what he has experienced, and it is a welcome addition. I did not take it negatively that he posted a reply, and you should not either.

He has a right to an opinion, and I am sure we will benefit from him sharing his experiences. I would insert that any reader should use his responses to increase their awareness of issues, and as with any opinion (individual, corporate, editorial), it should be a piece of information to be used in your search for answers. If used properly, opinions can guide us to the "promised land".

They should not be the sole reason for choosing a piece.

Regards,

BBIBH

ChrisR:

I don't know where you live, but if you are looking at Axiom, I assume you are buying via etailer. I never thought I'd buy speakers without hearing them first, but took a chance on the Axioms (and SVS subs, for that matter) and am quite pleased with my choices. (M60Ti, VP100, M3Ti).

You should consider purchase of a receiver from an authorized internet dealer. A few that come to mind are:
Onecall.com
J&R.com
oade.com

You can get the Onkyo 898 for ~US$1000 this way.. which is in your budget, and I believe meets your requirements.
http://www.audioreview.com/PRD_125784_2718crx.aspx

I bought my Onkyo 989 from Onecall, and was pleased with the service and price.

Just another point of view...



--speedy

Follow-up
Well, I've breaking in my M60s for a couple of weeks now, and I have to say they are awesome. They happened to arrive when my folks were in town to visit (for the 1st time in my new town) and my dad, an admitted music afficianado, got to audition them with me. He at first thought they were too large (concerned with spousal acceptance) and without reservation assumed that they would have better bass response than in his system. We were both wowed by the midrange, though, and subsequently spent several hours rediscovering my CD collection.

I only bought the M60s, and have deferred upgrading the center and surrounds of my system for now. Why? Well, I have yet to upgrade my receiver, and my old mass market receiver has only 20W to the the rear surrounds. So I've been brooding about this and decided to hold off on a receiver upgrade until I can afford something better. I'm still dreaming about the the B&K AVR 307, but just can't swing it right now! Unfortunately, no stores in my area seem to carry anything higher-end than Denon, Onkyo, etc., so I can't audition the units I want. I am aggressively saving, though. It could happen sooner than you think!

Good for you! Nothing better than a great purchase!
Glad to hear that Axiom is building quality time and family bonding features into their speakers !

Update us when you complete your system!