Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Thank you all very much!

I received my Axiom Epic 60/500 5.1 system exactly 7 days after placing the order. This was quite perfect and my intent as I had that day off and was home to receive the speakers. Everything was impeccably packaged and after I unpacked each piece, I inspected them for any sign of damage. Not surprisingly, nothing was found and I proceeded to remove my old speakers and wire in the new ones. What struck me first about these speakers was their build quality. They are amazing in every detail. The QS8’s are small and very cool looking. They really look like they were engineered to create a sound bubble to immerse the listener in. The EP500 is scary, heavy, and powerful-looking. The M60’s and VP150 looked as though they belonged together at the front of my home theatre room helping make the 118” screen look less overpowering. Then, after a quick calibration, I fired up the system. My Yamaha receiver may be 8 years old, but it was easily able to drive the new speakers. I tried out some CD’s. At first the EP500 shocked me with the immense sub-harmonics. It was what I feared—this monster was too much for my 19.5’ x 13.5’ x 8’ room to take. But after I turned down the volume on the subwoofer itself, I was treated to a wonderful surprise. The deafening thump became a more directed concussion, precise and completely complementing to the rest of the audio. As I calibrated it more, the bass became one with the rest of the soundstage. I listened to one of my favorite concert CD’s, Paul Carrack Live in Liverpool. The acoustical sections were amazing, leaps and bounds above my old Energy speakers. I couldn’t believe just how much better everything sounded. Then I tried out some of my favorite Queen songs, and Freddie never sounded so good.

Finally it was time to hear some DVD’s. I tried out the depth-charge assault on the DTS track of U-571. The explosions rocked the house, but never did the deep, booming concussions over-power the high-pitched whistle of the pipes bursting and spraying water throughout the sub. The range of sound was amazing. Every DVD I put in sounded equally impressive. From the powerful rumble of the Star Destroyer at the beginning of, The Revenge of the Sith, to the electronic squeaks and chirps of the buzz-droids, I heard it all in a clarity that my ears have never before enjoyed. Even with minimal calibration the soundstage was completely seamless. I also watched concert DVD’s such as the Black Crows, Mike and the Mechanics and Queen. They each came to life in a way I had never thought possible—boy I can’t wait for uncompressed audio tracks on HD disks!

A good friend of mine who’s a musician and really understands the nature of sound came over last week and tested out my old system. I wanted to be able to compare what I had with what I was getting, and wanted the sound fresh in our heads. I trust his opinion when it comes to sound equipment. A few days later he returned and auditioned my new Axiom speakers, and agreed with everything I heard. It was quite vindicating--I wasn’t just imagining the improvement!

I’ve rarely been more completely impressed with a purchase like this before. From the knowledgeable employees at Axiom, to the helpful members of this forum, everyone helped me make the right decision, a decision that I’m totally satisfied with. I wouldn’t hesitate to highly recommend the Epic 60/500 system to anyone who wants a set of amazingly clean, fully immersive speakers. In the fall I plan to upgrade my receiver to a Sherwood Newcastle R-972 and possibly purchase 1 or 2 more QS8’s, then it’ll be interesting to hear just how much better the entire system sounds.

Again, thank you all very much!

That's a cool room. I'm glad you're enjoying the new setup so much.

Nice set up, Bayne. Glad you like the new speakers. Nothing like setting up some new gear that sounds good.

Great review and nice pad man. I love the curtains in the back entrance...

Very good, Bayne; enjoy. In calibrating the EP500 don't overlook the trim adjustment; you may find that a half or even full setting would give a flatter overall bass response in your room.

Congrats on the new speakers and what a nice place you have Bayne, looks as though the speakers are really loving their new home because they sure look very good.

Have you played around with the placement of the 60s? It's difficult to tell from the picture but it looks as though they may be equidistant from both walls in the corner, if so I'd maybe pull 'em out just a little so that you have opposing measurements from the side and back walls.

Have fun!

Congratulations, it looks great and bet it sounds even better.

I think 2 more Q's might be overkill for that room one more behind the chair should be more than enough.

Congrats, Bayne! Thanks for the writeup. One thing confused me however. You think the QS8s are small?

Congrats on your system and thanks for the comments/pics.

Nice Review, Bayne. Thanks for sharing your impressions.

I'm with BrotherBob; I was also going to suggest playing with the positioning of the M60's to get them away from the side walls a bit more.

That center channel stand is slick!

Beautiful theatre!

Stick around the forum and help us when you can. Go read the Wine Thread and the Beer Thread. It's kind of an initiation.

Thanks for all the advice so far. I haven't spent a great deal of time playing with the speaker location yet since it sounds so good already. But this weekend the wife's out of town and I'm planning on spending some quality time doing just that. Right now the M60's are about 4.5 inches from the back wall and 4 inches from the side wall. I'll first try doubling that distance from the back wall and go from there. What am I listening for? How may this improve the sound from the M60's?

VERY well written....like a review one would expect to find in an audio magazine.
That is a really nice set-up you have there.
I have M60s, (only) and mine are about 9" off the rear wall...this seems ok.

With such a great audio system, it's too bad you had to settle for such a tiny TV screen

Bayne, the object is to have the distance from the center of the woofer cones(not the back or side of the speaker)not be the same from the three closest room surfaces(two walls and floor). The reason is that the sound bouncing off these surfaces reinforces the output at a certain frequency in the upper-bass/lower mid-range, depending on distance, and diminishes it at a higher frequency. If all three distances are the same these effects pile up at the same frequencies, causing a big hump followed by a big depression higher up. So, if possible keep them unequal. Another point is that to prevent a very early first reflection(about a millisecond), keep the cones at least a foot from any surface, e.g. not right up against a side wall.

Thanks for the info. I've increased the distance from the rear wall. The closest rear corner of the speaker is about 7 inches from the back wall, and the closest side corner is about 4 inches from the side wall. So far, I haven't noticed aany great difference, but I'm going to continue to tweak the placement and settings, then it's onto the sub. I will undoubtedly be back for some advice on that one. So far I've followed what I think the manual is telling me: Crossover set to 'Bypass' and Trim set to 'Flat.'