I had a chance to A/B test & compare these two speakers in my own listening room.

Components:
Oknyo M-504 Power Amp
Oknyo P-304 Preamp
NAD S500i
Magnan Interconnects/Speaker Cable

The Polks just totally blew away the Axioms. With everything from Vivaldi's "4 Seasons" to the Eagles "Hell Freezes Over" the Polks just shined like stars. To clear up any questions of fairness, neither pair was defective and I used the same quality hardware up to each set. The Axioms were just outclassed. Sound is subjective, but there comes a point where blatancy outweighs all. The Axioms are nice, but anyone with a trained ear can hear the difference. I will abstain from abusing the cliches often used to describe how a speaker sounds, and no I am not a Polk advocate, and No cigar for Axiom this time. )

For the twice the price, I would hope they would kill the M22's.

When I first got my axiom's, I was impressed, but wasnt blown away. Then I started listening to other speakers in the price range, and realized how great they are.

No, M22's are not going to "beat" most speakers over twice their price, but it is pretty impressive they are being compared to them.

The only speaker in my opinion that is on par (and I personally think better) in the same price range are Magnepan MMG's at $550. If only I had the room, I would have a 5.1 with these instead.

The LSi9's are only $599 pr. And they do kill the Axioms, no question about that. If you hold them next to each other you can see the build quality is of no comparison (the Axioms are somewhat lighter and the cabinet construction seems cheesy in comparison to the real wood finish and heft of the Polk model), and to listen you would hear the sound quality of the LSi9's is far above the Axiom's. I am still curious about the other offerings in the Axiom line up (the larger floor standing models) and may give them a listen. The loyalty to the Axioms is admirable, though I think that most Axioms owners just live with the shortcomings so as not to dwell on the fact that the speakers are just not that good...Remember the "Emporers new clothes"?

Your Onkyo M-504 is one of my favorite amps! Very nice set-up you have there.

I grabbed a pair of Polk Rt-25i speakers to hold me over until my first set of Axiom M3Tis arrived. Circuit City sold the Polks for way under MSRP, and they were very nice little speakers, especially in light of the about $100 they cost for the pair. Polk makes some nice speakers.

I personally prefer the Axiom M3Tis to the pair of M22s I had, maybe it was just a bad luck pair, but they definitely sounded thin. I've since picked up some cousins of the Axioms, Michaura M55s (twin 5.25" drivers and the 0.75" tweeter like the last-gen M2Tis) and they are to my ears awesome speakers.

You may want to try a pair of M3s or if you like floor standers, a pair of M60s.

PS, I've been looking for a nice M-504 for about 2 years. Picked up a Yamaha M-80 brute amp, but am still looking for the twin metered Big Onk.

I saw them listed at Crutchfield ($899), thats what I based my "twice the price" off of.

Like I said, I said I have listened to speakers that sounded better, and would even prefer a set different from the axioms in the same price range. So I am kind of confused as where you get "owners just live with the shortcomings so as not to dwell on the fact that the speakers are just not that good." People enjoy a great deal at $400, but are not fooled that this the end all be all of speakers.

slownlo,

Although I've never listened to the Polk LSi series in my home, I've auditioned them (both floorstanders and bookshelfs) in multiple occasions/locations, including friends' houses and dealer rooms.

To be honest, they've never impressed me: To my ears, the bass is on the boomy side (I can rather say it is blatantly boomy); midrange has a "boxy" coloration; and treble lacks details and airy qualities. Most importantly for me, however, they just fail to disappear sonically, period. I always hear the speakers working hard -- transparency is just not there.

That said, preferences on the speaker sound are, of course, a 100% personal thing; it is clear that the Axiom sound did not appeal to you much. Although you never described the Polk or Axiom sounds any more than "good/bad" and hence I cannot judge what aspects you really liked/disliked of them at all, your post tells one simple fact: No speakers can please everybody -- neither the Axioms not the Polks.

Incidentally, although I personally like the Axiom sound, my own 2.1 system does NOT contain any Axiom speakers -- just to tell you that I am not an all-out Axiom loyalist or fanatic, which I believe very few of the "regulars" here actually are.

I wouldn't buy anything from Crutchfield. They have great customer service and product lines, but their pricing is uncompetitive...

I think we all have been guilty of "forcing" ourselve to like something. My retort wasn't personal,... just an observance of human nature. Don't get me wrong: My hat goes off to Axiom! They offer a fine product, but even you would "prefer a set different from the axioms in the same price range" so why settle?:

Because the hardest part of it all is in the searching...

I am just now ordering a pair of the M80ti's in cherry! I'll post as soon as they come in and share my experience. Hopefully they will charm me. )

Thanks, I love the M-504!

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?ampstran&1068297421

Someone has one for sale at audiogon.com for $395. See above link!

Clinton, for some reason you use language that indicates a bit of a chip is perching on your shoulder, e.g. "blows away" "kills", "cheesy", "just not that good" etc. Hopefully you'll enjoy whatever speakers you finally decide on, but the use of silly terminology isn't helpful.

Absolutely. Its like religion and politics...

My issue though with that particular Axiom model was with the treble rolloff: It was shrill, and over emphasized. Bass definition was non existent, seemingly fake and resonant. I moved the cabs around and experimented with placement to no avail. I am starting to think that maybe its psychological. Before I listened to them I looked up the website and was unnerved by how low in price they were...maybe I psyched myself out? the freind I am holding them for has an AWESOME setup (Mark Levinson/Theil/Magnepan) and I have always garnered his opinion when searching for new gear. The Axioms seem out of place. I have ordered the flagship Axioms out of curiosity (and because they have a 30 day money back guarantee) and figured I have nothing to lose.