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The M22s arrived yesterday. How long should I allow them to break in before doing some critical evaluations? My personal experience is that good speakers sound even better after a break-in period.

First impression is that it's a balanced speaker... very neutral. It's more efficient than my NHT 1.3s, which became apparent when I was doing A/B comparisons.

Here are a few brief listening notes from a few hours with the M22s, comparing them with my NHT 1.3s (which they will be replacing). Note that I listened with sub hooked up for both, using the same 80Hz. I'll do some comparisons without the sub later. I had difficulty getting the tweeters of both pairs lined up, as the NHTs are shorter and have the tweeter situated beneath the woofer vs. Axiom's tweeter being on top. I didn’t notice a ton of difference with the Axioms off-axis, though, which was nice.

A few brief comments (a more detailed review will follow after spending more time with the speakers):

1. The M22s play louder, and are cleaner when turned up [I didn't get too carried away since they are brand new. I did allow the speaker to reach room temperature before hooking up.] The NHTs can be a bit harsh when cranked, but the M22s remained neutral at the same volume levels.

2. The M22s had a different presentation than the NHTs. The NHTs sounded richer and fuller (6.5" woofer vs. (2) 5.25?), but this may be due to a bit of coloration in the mid-bass for the NHTs. The M22s seemed a bit thin at first in comparison.

3. My wife thought the M22s sounded better.

4. These are tall bookshelf speakers!

5. Soundstage seemed unfocused. It could throw instruments well beyond the speakers, but I found that voices (and the soundstage in general) seemed to jump around. Before everyone comments, this is most likely due to placement. I tried my best to get them set up just right for testing, but I lacked both space and stands of the appropriate height. This tells me that they are not going to be forgiving when it comes to placement. I had them situated out into the room a bit, away from the walls, angled in a bit towards my listening chair (7-8' away from the chair). The NHTs have an uncanny ability to solidify the vocals mid-speaker (assuming this is the way the music was recorded), though you do have to be sitting precisely in the “sweet spot” to get the most out of this.

6. These speakers blend nicely with my PC-Ultra sub.

My opinion is that the M22s could benefit from better source electronics. My Pioneer DVD player (digital out) + DACs onboard my Pioneer receiver is likely not getting the best out of them. In fact, my aging NAD 5000 CD player (using analog output) sounded a bit smoother. While both speakers could benefit from better source electronics, I believe the M22s will benefit more. Their uncolored presentation begs for better source material and front end.

I've read reviews that state the M22s can be bright. I noticed no such thing - even right out of the box when most speakers would be "tight" and have a tendency towards brightness. I’d qualify my system as leaning towards the “bright side” – particularly in the source electronics.

It was interesting comparing the two distinctly different speakers. Both do well on vocals, but the M22’s neutrality puts them ahead in this respect – particularly on male vocals. The NHTs had a richer sound, but seemed to add a bit of coloration in the midrange/mid-bass, and a bit of extra spit in the high frequencies. They definitely had a warmer presentation. The M22s had the same level of detail (or better) without adding anything, which is likely why they sounded better (and smoother) at higher volumes. Their neutrality came across as being thin or dry at first, but the more I listened, the more I realized that it wasn’t missing anything but the added coloration I was used to hearing.

I plan on buying a CD or two tonight. One is a CD that was used to demo the Thiels when I first started speaker shopping. I’d like to hear it on the Axioms. I already exhausted all of my “test” CDs.

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My wife thought the M22s sounded better.

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We know who the real Audiophile in the house is .

Oh no, not the speaker breakin discussion again. I'll just trust the feedback Alan and Ian have provided in the past about if any breakin does exist, it occurs within the first few seconds or so....

Welcome by the way.

Budget, or may I call you Bud , there are those who believe speakers "break in," and those who believe the perceived difference in a speaker's sound over a period of time is the listener becoming acclimated to the sound of the speaker.

There is really no need to debate the issue. Regardless whether you believe a speaker breaks in, or a listener's ears/brain break in, I think most would agree that it is a good idea to spend a couple of weeks listening to a speaker before making any critical judgments. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy those puppies. At some point, you'll know whether they are for you or not.

Nice review! Look forward to the detailed version sans subwoofer. It is a lot of fun to read about speaker comparisons, but they are extremely hard to write (for me, at least). Enjoy the new speakers.

Pics would be cool, too. Especially of the NHTs and the Axioms together.

I could provide pictures, but then everyone would laugh at where the speakers are located. I've had to make a few compromises in order to get the house ready to sell. I used to have all my equipment set up properly in the family room, but space utilization in that configuration was poor. Now, the room looks much better, but the sound has suffered. Maybe a close-up of the speakers will do.

I purchased "When Hell Freezes Over" (Eagles) last night. It's a good CD if you like the Eagles. 'Hotel California' is a great track to test midrange clarity and bass "quickness". I did a quick A/B with the NHTs, and the differences were quite clear. M22's win this battle hands down. Even my wife (sitting way off-axis) quickly noted that there's a big difference between the two speakers. Midrange clarity is clearly better on the M22s.

I realize there's some debate about speaker break-in. If Alan says these speakers need no break-in, that's good enough for me. He should know. In the past, some manufacturers have suggested a break-in period. Some reviewers swear some speakers benefit greatly by break-in (the Thiels, in more than one review, were reported to improve over time).

Personally, I'd take the manufacturer at its word. If they say give it 40 hours of use before doing any critical listening, that's what I'll do. If they say it doesn't need more than 30 seconds, that's cool, too (better, actually).

My thought is that even if the speaker doesn't need a break-in period, a _quality_ speaker will tend to sound better over time. Not necessarily due to any mechanical or electronic break-in, but due to the fact that it takes the listener time to hear all the nuances that may be missed initially. For me, it will be to get used to NOT hearing coloration.

Congrats on your M22s, Its a great feeling getting those speakers from the courier isn't it?

Now do yourself a favour, LEAVE this forum, and NEVER return to it, if you choose to stay, you MAY suffer from upgraditus and soon may find yourself "making" the finances work for a new amp and M80s...

Nice review and I'm glad you're happy with the 22's.

As for the break in, I think you said it yourself in the review best...

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Their neutrality came across as being thin or dry at first, but the more I listened, the more I realized that it wasn’t missing anything but the added coloration I was used to hearing.

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once you have a little time listening to the new speakers your ears start hearing things differently...

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My thought is that even if the speaker doesn't need a break-in period, a _quality_ speaker will tend to sound better over time. Not necessarily due to any mechanical or electronic break-in, but due to the fact that it takes the listener time to hear all the nuances that may be missed initially. For me, it will be to get used to NOT hearing coloration.

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You said it perfectly. I think this is the exact reason some manufacturers say the speakers should be broken in, just so the listener gets used to the new sounds and can appreciate the nuances of the new speakers.

I can finally say that I too am an Axiom owner as my M22's just arrived.

Quickly hooked them up and placed on some chairs and wasnt that thrilled. I listened to some Blue Rodeo and Tragically Hip that I know and they did sound thin and hollow.

I then tried my Buena Vista Social Club CD and man was it great....clean, crisp, clear. The horns and percussion instruments jumped out at me. I then put in Nirvana Unplugged and the applause from the first track made me feel like I was in the 5th row, it too was a great recording.

I followed up with some Bob Seger, Stevie Ray Vaughn and my wife's favorite Dave Matthews Band CD. I'm not a real big Dave Matthews fan, but it sounded great.

I guess this is either the mythological "break in" or just the fact the M22's reveal poor recordings and great recordings for what they are.

Funny that I would rather listen to the Hip CD over the Dave Matthews before my Axioms arrived, but now its reverse.

Anyways, I'll put in some time with getting stands, setup and listening to my favorite music in the next while, then get back with more thoughts. BTW, should I set the speakers to small or large? Small seems to make my sub drive more bass.

Most will say set them to small and set the cross over to 80 for the sub, When you were listening to mine I have them set to large and the same sub settings(80hz) on the receiver. I will guess, it sounds better in large setting on my system because I have a weak sub.

Just go with what you hear sounding the best. After all it is there for YOU to enjoy.

Oh ya and welcome to the Axiom Family, Congrats!

Post deleted by me!

Well, you're in a mood today, ain'tcha?

Al, that's right: when you set the M22s "small", the main channels bass below the selected crossover frequency is directed to the sub rather than the M22s.

I made the mistake of playing several of my old 70s recordings when I first received my M60s. I was disappointed, it just didn't sound all that great.

Finally I played a well recorded CD and was shocked. Axioms play it like it was recorded and sometimes it sounds worse on Axioms (with poorly recorded music) Vs speakers that tend to color what you hear.

The sub really cured a lot of those issues though on old recordings. Now I have some serious air moving in the listening area when I throw in an old Stones or Kinks CD.

Thanks John. I left the speakers set to small and put in some time listening to some more music last night. Gotta say paired with my STF-3 sub, I really am enjoying the sound.

I feel a strange calmness and sense of satasfaction now that they are here. It should last 2-3 days until I start researching about a subdude, center channels or what stands or brackets to use on my QS8's that are on order..

>>or what stands or brackets to use on my QS8's that are on order.. >>

Well, option #1 is VERY cheap :



or, you could use the more expensive Axiom FMB option: