Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Hello, new Axiom owner with a question

Peter, if you're considering banana plugs, may I suggest GLS Audio Safe-Connect Banana Plugs.



They are more expensive than similar Banana plugs from Monoprice.com.



But, the GLS plugs have a couple of advantages over the Monoprice plugs. One, they have rubber grips which reduces the possibility of short circuits, and two, they are a tiny bit shorter which should be less strain on your receiver's and speakers' binding posts. Only you can decide if those slight advantages are worth the extra money.

If you click on any of the GLS plug packages, and then scroll down the page, you'll see they are easy to connect and require no soldering. Contrary to what is said on the Monoprice web page, their plugs connect similarly and also require no soldering. For some reason the web page says "Solder Type." I suppose you could solder them if you wish.



I recently had the occasion to use the GLS Safe-Connect plugs when hooking up my brother's system, and was quite impressed by them. They grip the wire (12 gauge) very well, look good, and seem well built. My only complaint was that the tiny red and black strips on the grips, which say "GLS Audio" and identify the positive and negative plugs, are not attached to the plugs well and could possibly come off with repeated usage.

Thanks for all the replies on my question, it's truly appreciated.

But it appears my problem is no longer speaker wire, it's actually receiving the speakers. For three days now DHL has outright lied about my delivery status when I call them. These speakers have been in Portland for 5 days now if one believes the tracking info. I am convinced they have lost the delivery. I've already contacted Noreen about this. There is a reason why you don't see many DHL trucks. Has anyone else experienced this from DHL?

I'm at the point now where I may very well call Axiom on Friday and ask for a refund and let them deal with DHL claims. I need speakers by this weekend and may very well purchase them from a local vendor here in Oregon instead. I'm extremely frustrated with DHL -not Axiom- and would hope that Axiom chooses a different cartage company in the future. DHL has to be the absolute worst to use. At work we never use them for the same reason what I'm going through now.

What grief!

When I had my axioms they were delivered by Fedex. I'm not sure if they changed over to DHL as of late or if it's just a local thing.

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Can you call Axiom right now and explain your situation? I see that their phone service is open from 9am-11pm EST Mon-Fri. No need to wait until Friday to call...

I agree I would call them too. I'm sure Axiom will do all they can to make you happy, they are a great company to deal with.

PDXGuy,

I feel your pain after going through a somewhat similar bout with DHL.

I ordered a second system for my dedicated theater last Wednesday. I got an email later that afternoon stating they shipped and was passed along the tracking numbers. First thing I noticed was, wow, they switched to DHL. Well I thought nothing of it at the time and took note of the ETA, which was slated for today Feb 20th.

Well, at first I thought the signs were great, for they actually showed up on the 19th, but then I noticed that not all of my order was delivered. So, I called DHL only to learn that the my mains never showed up, which is way they were not delivered. They told me they would call me and let me know when they have arrived and to let me know when they would be delivered.

Well they didn't call, and instead just dropped off and left my speakers on my pourch for anybody to take. I was pissed to say the least, not to mention the fact that the boxes look as if they were, well, let's just say they're tore up pretty damn good.

I haven't had the chance to unbox them yet, so I'm not sure if any of the speakers are/were damaged, but that will be on tomorrow's list of things that will get done.

Axiom rules, which is why I remain loyal and true to the company and the products in which they manufacture and sell, but this move to DHL is a very bad one in my own personal opinion.

I just wanted to share my story and let you know that you're not alone. I wouldn't give up on Axiom. I would give them a call and explain everything in full detail. They'll take great care of you and get this problem resolved.

Hi Sutter,

I do hope your speakers are in excellent condition, if not, I'm certain you'll be letting Axiom know.

As an update, after posting my last comment I again called DHL and insisted she contact the Portland office to get a delivery status. Of course, one must assume they actually do this. She came back on the phone and said she was told the speakers would arrive in 30 minutes; by 5:30PM. The office accountant was there until 6:15PM and phoned me to say DHL had not arrived. Again, more lies from DHL. I called them back and told them I need these delivered by 3PM today and of course, they promised they would. If they don't arrive, I'm going to Magnolia Hi-Fi tonight to purchase speakers from them instead. There is no way Axiom is going to get me speakers by this weekend. I'll simply have to insist on a refund and if they don't give me one, my credit card issuer will reverse charges for them.

This is very unfortunate, and I agree with you that Axiom switching to DHL will not bode well for them in the long run...and it won't take long. I spent a LOT of time researching the Axioms, and now due to a very bad business decision by them, it's very likely I'll never be a satisfied owner.

This is the first time I've had an issue with ordering on-line from anyone, and it's also the first time I've done business with a vendor who ships DHL. They're probably OK for overnight envelopes, but not freight.

Axiom, if you actually read these forums, do your -potential- customers a favor by no longer shipping with DHL.

Regards.

This really is too bad...the speakers you have on order with Axiom are probably going to be better quality than those you get at the store (for a better price too).

Mabey you can get a "trial" from the store, and return them when your speakers arrive (if they arrive).

I would contact Axiom asap. You never know what they may be able/willing to do to help you out.

What do you have happening this weekend that makes the delivery so urgent? (Other than of course wanting them delivered as promised, which anyone would understand!)

Sounds like he's been talking to Axiom.

I would point out that there are 2 days left in the week--don't rush into getting stuff you may not be happy with because of delivery problems. Yeah, it's frustrating--I've dealt with DHL before.

The speaker delay isn't Axiom's fault, but it IS Axiom's problem for choosing DHL as their shipper. I'd most definitely call Axiom and let them know what DHL is doing to you. I suspect that Axiom will do everything they can to get those speakers to you and to make sure you're satisfied. They really are great that way, so don't let DHL's screw-up discolor your opinion of Axiom.

If your speakers are actually at your local depot, then I would have to think that there is a very good chance that they'll show up today or tomorrow. It's not like they're stuck at a warehouse clear across the country.

One of my M80's looked like DHL had routed it through Baghdad. This is just the top. The bottom had another slash clear through the front of the box and halfway down each side that looked like someone had taken a knife to it. Surprisingly, no damage to the speaker.



DHL actually delivered my M80's one day earlier than scheduled, which was a nice surprise. But they also just left the speakers on my front porch without a signature, call or email. Kind of bittersweet. Sweet in that the speakers were there and waiting when I got home from work, and that I didn't have to call DHL and make arrangements to pick them up at some depot or take an afternoon off work. Bitter in that they sat on my front porch for 5 hours in plain view of traffic and I would have questioned the driver on all of the box damage. I live in a nice neighborhood, but anyone could pretty clearly read what they were and with a web browser could learn that there was $1,300 worth of equipment just sitting there. I had even requested from DHL's website for a call/email on the day of delivery, which never came. As a side note, UPS delivered my amp on the same day (signature wavier on file) and the driver left it at my back door, away from public view - a nice touch.

Shipping is free from Axiom, so it's hard to look a gift horse in the mouth, so-to-speak. It's pretty easy to assume that DHL under-bid UPS/Fedex for Axiom's business, but Axiom needs to know that in some cases our equipment is not arriving on time or in the most pristine condition.

As a side note, I've listened to everything that my local Magnolia store carries, Martin Logans, Def Teks, Vienna Acoustics, etc. Only the Vienna Acoustics sounded close to Axiom. The top of the line set that Magnolia carries (Mozart Grands) were $2800/pair. They do sound (and look) lovely and I would say that they do sound similar to M80's. However, the Magnolia guy said that it takes 2-3 weeks to get once you order them. Perhaps your store carries them in stock, but don't be surprised if they don't!