Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Axioms VS JBL S-310

I have a set of S-310's with well matched center, sub and surrounds. I am still impressed by their accuracy and impartiality, but have always felt that the imaging could be better. Who knows, it may just be related to the room they are in.

Since purchasing that system to go with my 55" Sony set years ago, recently I decided to take the plunge and get a projector for my basement for the really big screen experience.

I am trying to decide if I should go with a new sound system or move the JBL's to the basement, and wonder if anyone here has ever used the S310's prior to owning the Axioms (I would problably be steered toward the M60's should I go the new system route.) What differences between the speakers were noticed, and was it really worth it?

Any feedback would be most appreciated.

Thanks.

AJ

AJ, unfortunately i cannot comment on the JBL vs Axioms here, but i can put forth that in putting together a new basement system, it deserves a new audio setup as well.
I say give in to finding something new, unless of course you are not as interested in audio as a hobby and just want to find something good. In either case, Axioms are a good purchase and will no doubt present a different sound character than the JBLs.

Since I really don't watch any television (I did away with Dish a couple of months ago and don't miss it at all), the living room set is collecting dust except for the occasional CD listen.

What I am really looking for is another set with JBL like quality plus better imaging to boot.

I am not in this so much for hobby's sake, but I am on a quest for the best fidelity / best value available. Axioms appear as though they may fill this bill, but I really need opinions and comparisons from people who have owned the same ( or similar S312 speakers ) to give me their take on the differences.

Hi AJ and welcome. I don't have experience with your JBL's, but even if you don't get enough of a response from folks regarding your speakers, I would still suggest you consider auditioning the Axiom speakers of your choice, so you can compare them in your environment. I was in the same situation, only with Infinity Kappa 8's. I took a leap of faith ... and never looked back.

No matter how much feedback you may get here, nothing will compare to having the speakers if front of you and listening so YOU can decide.

Good Luck!

PS... I'll be looking to sell the Infinity Kappas soon if anyone's interested! (PM me of course)

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What I am really looking for is another set with JBL like quality plus better imaging to boot.

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Well i can say that of all the speakers i've auditioned, many of them tend to have a similar soundstage once it is tweaked. There's only one pair of speakers i've heard that i did not need to tweak and i've heard similar comments about electrostatic speakers as well. More often than not it does come down to the room, furnishings and your seating location. Once properly setup, any reasonably made speaker should image well in stereo.
That being said, if you are looking for great fidelity for a great cost, Axiom is certainly a contender in that area. They are "comparably good" against many more expensive brands.

Before you go changing speakers (much as we like Axioms) the first thing to do for improved imaging is control the reflections from back and side walls.

Do a lookup on "first reflection points" (ie the spot on the wall where sound from the speaker reflects into your ears) and make sure you have something absorbent on both sides.

Next make sure you have something absorbent behind you, or hold a wide pillow up behind your head and see if the imaging improves. You don't need to cover the entire wall in absorbent material in either case, just make sure the obvious reflection points are covered and try to get a nice mix of absorbent and reflective coverings.