Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo M3ti vs Strata Mini (vs ML Summits)

Hey guys, Attorney Matt here. I felt the need to get Joey's back a bit, since I think he's taking heat for some stuff that I said.

First of all, it's not supposed to be a fair comparison. I want to upgrade my speakers. The point of the comparison was to see how much better the Strata Minis are. That I got to listen to the Martin Logans was just a nice bonus.

Everything Joey has said here is true. I won't repost detailed listening impressions. I will say that although his room situation is not ideal, mine isn't either. Speaker positioning is important, but I thought our test was decently fair; we did use a freakin' laser to line up the axioms. The only thing I would change is having the Logans so close behind the axioms. The rear firing port had about ten inches before it hit the Logans, and I'm not sure what effect this had.

It is important to me to get away from the Axiom's bright sound. Call it forward, detailed, or whatever, but at times it seems shrill to me. The Clapton/King track we listened to exhibited this quality. Clapton's voice was just unbearably bright to me. The minis are more laid back, but I'm not sure I would call them warm. Just less forward than the Axioms, and I really appreciated that quality. Therefore the m80's are out of the question, and like I said, my room is small, way too small for m80's.

So, back to my main point: the reason for the test was to see how much better the minis are, in case I want to upgrade. They are better, especially in the bass department. No surprise there. They image better, the soundstage is more realistic... they are a high end pair speakers. I was impressed with how well the Axioms performed on certain tracks, but I never expected them to keep up with the minis, and for the most part they didn't.

It was really great to hear the difference between a $320 ($275 when I got them) pair of speakers, a $1900 (once you get them shipped) pair, and a $10,000 pair. We should all be so lucky. No, it wasn't double blind scientific listening, but anybody on this board would have been able to tell which speaker was which anyways; that's what a built in subwoofer will do for you.

So I'm ready for an upgrade, and the minis just might fit the bill.

I enjoyed reading your opinions, and appreciate you sharing them.

You guys have more money and better ears than I do.

Hope you will enjoy whatever you decide to get.

The M50s wouldn't be more laid back than the M3s, though. They're part of the same group of (well, 2 now) speakers that lacks the 5.25" mid. In short, they sound pretty similar, although with more bass extension.

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First of all, it's not supposed to be a fair comparison. I want to upgrade my speakers. The point of the comparison was to see how much better the Strata Minis are.

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So you went into the listening session already assuming the Minis were better?
Like i said, blind testing, even if crudely done produces amazingly different results. There are no 'golden ears' lads.

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It is important to me to get away from the Axiom's bright sound. Call it forward, detailed, or whatever, but at times it seems shrill to me

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I had found this as well with the Axioms YET in a blind test with other speakers, i did not choose which speaker was the Axiom when music was playing because the tweeters from the other brands actually had a greater level of detail. The Axiom tweeter in comparison (fast A/B switching) sounded almost muted. Amazing though how my brain thinks "Axiom--bright" yet when the images were taken away and the speaker put into comparison, i would use a word like "muted" to describe them.
Don't underestimate the power of the brain to direct the sub-conscious. We can be honest in our hearts but can our brain be honest with us?
Oooh, so profound.

I'm just waiting for Bren's next comment.


Plinius, oh Plinius? I think it sounds like a great name for a dog.

LOL! Well OK. Maybe one.