Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Could use some help deciding.

Hello everyone. I'm new to the board. I have about $10,000 to spend on home theater/music speakers, an amp and a processor. I own nothing but a TV at the moment. I have a 64" Pioneer Elite HDTV. Should I consider the Axiom speakers or would you suggest stepping up to something more expensive. I auditioned the axioms at someone's home nearby but the setup was poor and they sounded bad. There are lots of rave reviews about these speakers so I don't want to pass up a good sounding system for alot less than $10k if I don't have to. I have also listened to Paradigms, all the stuff at Best Buy, Mirage, KEF, Definitive, Klipsch, etc. You know, after awhile they all start to sound the same. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

First off, welcome.

Second, please describe your listening room. Size, items in the room, type of flooring, etc.

Third, what will the system be used for, movies, music, both? What percentage (50%/50%, 75%/25%, etc)?

Lastly, where did you listen to Axiom speakers? Do recall the models? There may be others in your area with properly setup speakers that would give you a better audition.

That will get us started.

Welcome!

Another question: does that budget include remodeling or furniture?

My feeling is that if the speakers are all sounding alike, you're not listening to the right speakers. The right speakers will stand out. Don't go to Best Buy. Find a stereo shop, and look there. Paradigm makes some nice stuff, but you have to be looking at the high end of the line. I'm also partial to Magnepans, but they can be hard to find. Back when they were around, Hales stood out for me. When I first heard Axiom M22s, they stood out. They still do! B&W's 704 series is said to sound similar to the Axiom M60s (I've not heard them).

Sorry I didn't include this info. The room is 34' by 23'. 9' ceilings. Its a finished room with berber carpet, sheetrock walls, sprayed plaster ceiling, glass patio doors, windows on one wall, in the lower level of my house. A pool table, wet bar, etc is in half the room. The TV is in the other half. No walls divide the room. There are 5 other rooms on that level but all down the hallway. It would probably be used 75% movies and 25% music. I listened to the Epic 80 system with some kind of inexpensive sub that I think he paid $200 for. Maybe its me, but I think his receiver wasn't powerful enough either. The sound was not exceptionally clear and the sort of muffled bass was very distracting.

Welcome.
If it was the epic 80 and he bought the sub for $200. I would bet the sub was blurring the M80's. Did you listen with the sub off? The M80's are 4ohm loads and not many amps will drive them.

For your room I would suggest the Epic 80 500 and even the 600 to fill it nicely with sound and I wouldn't hold back on the amp/receiver either. Denon 380X, Yamaha2700 and up at least.

Give Axiom a call as well and see what they suggest.

Any speaker you buy will most likely sound a little different in your own house than in the showroom. Take advantage of the return policy here if the Axioms don't suit you. Maybe even order only 2 at first. They will carry over the extra discounts later if purchased in time.

>>The room is 34' by 23'. 9' ceilings.

For a room of that massive size I would recommend the following:

2 x M80s for the fronts
VP150 for the center (or 2 x M22s ala mdrew)
4 x QS8s for the surround channels (depending on how far back your rear speakers would be you could utilize M22s back there for 7.1)
2 x EP600 subs

I say if you got the money, you midaswell go all out!

If you buy anything from Axiom, at least consider their EP600 sub and their surrounds. They are some of the best in the business.

Welcome Revel!

I agree with Jason (Jakewash). From your description, it sounds as though the subwoofer was either incompetent, or wasn't properly integrated with the rest of the speakers, and was having a deleterious effect on the whole listening experience. I've never heard Axioms described as lacking clarity. The complaints, from those who find them not to their liking, are usually at the other end of the spectrum.

If you'll share your general location with us, we may be able to steer you to another audition. Of, if you've not already done so, check the Auditioning Axioms in Your Area thread to see if there is someone else in your area. At the very least, you could order a pair of the Axiom main speakers which interest you (M80s?), audition them in your own home for up to 30 days, and, if you found them not to your taste, return them. You would only lose the cost of return shipping to Buffalo, NY. If you like them, then you could go ahead and order the rest of the system.

You've got a large room, so I would budget a good amount toward a subwoofer(s). In a room that size, at the minimum, I'd consider two EP500s or one EP600, or something comparable.

Lastly, I'll make my usual recommendation that you make a toll free call to Axiom, explain your situation (room size, etc.) and ask their advice. They are not some big impersonal corporation. They are down to earth folks whose passion is making great speakers. You'd find them very helpful, and they won't recommend anything you neither need nor want. In fact, there have been a number of instances where they recommended a smaller system than the caller was initially considering. They are more interested in creating a satisfied customer than making a quick sale.

Again, welcome. And good hunting.

You said 10K, and that you only have a TV.

Can you clarify? Do you mean to say that you still need the speakers and electronics for a complete HT? Based on that assumption, here’s what I’d do, which by no means is the “right” thing to do……Just what I’d do.

I wouldn’t hesitate going with Axiom. Ya, I have a full array of Axiom speakers so I guess I could be called a fan boy, but I also have a set of much more expensive speakers that aren’t Axiom too. That being said, don’t let the “budget” price of Axioms fool you into thinking they are not on pair with high end speakers. And their EP subs are very hard to beat, at just about any price point. From your description of the Axiom system you listened to, something was amiss. If you would have said they are too forward or too detailed or just plain bright……then I’d say you probably don’t like the way they sound. But I haven’t ever heard anyone describe their sound the way you did.

For your room size, I’d go with the 80’s for mains, a pair of 22’s for the center channel, and four QS-8’s for the surround and SB’s. For sub, I’d go with two 500’s, or two 600’s if you still have money left over to upgrade from the 500’s. There’s a gazillion different choices of finish for Axiom speakers now, and they all come with a price. You could keep it simple and go with their standard vinyl finish or go all the way up to the wood veneer with a piano finish. If you go with rosewood in a piano finish (the most expensive option), and two 500’s, that’s about 9K. If you go with the same speakers in a vinyl finish, that would run you about 5K. Or, you could even go with factory outlet stuff at another 10% off. Personally, I’d stick with the real wood finish.

Besides speakers it sounds like you are going to need some electronics to drive them. Depending on what you do with speakers, your choices vary from one extreme to the other. I’m drooling over the new NAD Master Series separates right now and trying to convince myself that I really don’t “need” them, but I suspect they’ll be sitting in my rack before too long. The Pre / Po and seven channel amp combo has a retail price of 6K. Or, on the other extreme, you could go with a mid line AVR for about a grand and probably be quite happy with it. Somewhere in the middle is Rotel. They have a great little 7.1 AVR out now with HDMI switching for about 1K. It has 5 power amps so it’s perfect for a set of 80’s. You just pick up a separate two channel amp for the 80’s at about $800. The RB1080 is a great amp and it plays well with the 80’s.

So what about your DVD player?? If you don’t have one yet, the Oppo 971 does a terrific job and it’s dirt cheap. Or, you could dump a grand on one of the new Denons, another grand on a Blue Ray HD player and other grand on a HD-DVD player…….Lot’s of choices here.

So really, how much of your money can I help you spend??? I just love spending money, even more so when it's not mine.

Be careful of associating "more expensive" with "better." You can spend 3 grand on a brand that rhymes with "No highs, No lows" and have 3 grand of crap.