Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo So that's what it's suppossed to sound like...

Just wanted to post my experience. I recently wandered over to the Axiom site after reading a recommendation on some discussion boards and after a local audition decided these were the speakers for me.

At the time, I figured 95% home theater/movie/sports use with very little music. I like music, I listen in the car, but I don't have time to just sit down and listen to it. At least I didn't before.

I can honestly say, I'm pulling out old stuff I haven't listened to, I'm finding music I thought was okay before and now I can't listen enough. I'm enjoying listening to music a whole lot more than I used to.

I'm no audiophile, and I'm no expert, but man, I see what I've been missing. It's still mostly a home theater setup, but more and more I'm enjoying good old stereo (plus sub) music.

I'm sure this is shocking for you guys, but thought I'd give my thumbs up anyways.

Haha! that was my experience also. I bought my Axioms thinking mainly HT, but my music collection has grown twice as large as my movie collection since, not to mention blowing the dust off of my old cd's. Enjoy!!

Not shocking at all and quite common. Nice to see your enjoying your system, congrats.

Welcome to the world of excellent sound. The perma-grin doesn't start to wear off until after the first year.

My experience was actually the other way around. I listened to a lot of music, but found the movie experience soooo much better with great sound that I'm watching a lot more movies than I ever expected to.

Let me tell you about permagrin- the opening of Hurt Locker with the deep bass notes played out on the EP500... but that's the other forum...

Welcome aboard the happy wagon!

I want these speakers that allow me to see my music as well

You mean like when they put non-Newtonian fluid on a speaker cone?

If you swallow a lot of non-Newtonian fluid -- slowly -- and then load up on fiber, you can sh** temporary bricks.

First-hand experience?

My hands were not involved.

Rob, definitely enjoy that music on the fine equipment you have. A suggestion for even more enjoyment, however: there's no good reason to voluntarily restrict yourself to "good old stereo"(I never do anymore)when you have a surround setup. Processing such as DPLII extracts the surround ambience(in varying quantities) that's mixed into the front channels(there was no place else to put it)in 2-channel source material and sends it to the surround speakers where it belongs. The result is a little more realistic home listening experience.

Welcome Rob

Enjoy your great 2 channel system and your Axioms.

I enjoy multichannel music, but I voluntarily restrict myself to 2 channel (2 + a sub) and don't feel like I'm missing anything.

A good 2 channel system can make terrific music and leave you wanting nothing more.

I'd still like to have a dedicated 2-channel music setup, but I get distracted by other things. What pair of speakers would you go for in up to a $5k budget?

Hey CV, $5,000 for the speakers or the whole system? Either way, you can get a superb 2 channel system. I'd have to do a lot of auditioning before I bought. I'll think about which speakers and amps I'd audition.

As to turntables, I would not get the MMF 2.2LE. Even though it's a nice table, the plinth is not sufficiently isolated from the tone arm.

Let me think about it and I'll add my 2 Cents to what others may post.

Hmmm, I should probably cap the whole system at $5k, since I have no idea if I'll ever even budget that much. My main interest is in the speakers, though, since the main purpose of building another system is to try another sound besides what my Axioms offer.

I agree with you here 2x6. Although I do listen to music in multichannel at times, which is usually either live recordings (audience ambiance) or whenever I'm not doing any critical listening like when I'm in another part of the house with the system playing, but most often whenever I'm in the sweet spot for the sole purpose of enjoying amazing pure bliss it's in 2 channel stereo.

Congrats!

I thought I would like the surround music more, but the T60's do such a good job of filling the room with sound... I agree with the 'live audience' feel. when I have time to just sit in the 'spot' and listen, the vocals are more real and spatious in stereo. If I'm moving around, doing stuff, then I tend to go towards the surround sound.

What I enjoy most, and I have a hard time describing it, I can crank the system up and it doesn't seem "loud" to me- in that I can listen at those levels for a long time. On my old system, I would play it "loud" but after a while I had to turn it back down. Is that what people mean when they talk about fatigue? I can crank these bad boys up to where the whole house can hear it, but I'm not getting fatigued or worn out like I do with my other system. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blow out my eardrums, but these seem easier to listen to. Does that make any sense?

That's exactly what folks are referring to whenever a speaker is described as fatiguing or not fatiguing.

Funny, often I'll be in the sweet spot or even the same room listening and then go out of the room into another part of the house and think to myself "Whoa, I didn't think it was THAT loud" whenever it didn't loud at all in the listening room.

I understand listening in surround if you mostly listen to (essentially) live recordings as JohnK does with classical.

But with just about every other genre, there is no "natural ambiance" to be redistributed to other channels. Often, musicians are recorded separately and placed in the mix in a somewhat artificial "stage position" by the pan control.

It can sound fine, but there's nothing "natural" about it to extract.

With just going from a dedicated 2 channel system to a surround system I must say I am really enjoying listening to music in multichannel mode.

I go back and forth, but lately I've mostly been listening in stereo.

I have good luck matrixing my 2-channel music. It does usually seem to sound better, but my OPPO is the only device I have that outputs a stereo signal when listening to music that my Integra can manipulate in such a way, which restricts my music listening to CDs. I thought the PS3 used to let me apply surround processing, but now it just says "Stereo" on the preamp and won't let me do anything to the signal. Of course, my PC outputs in multichannel already, but is only utilizing the front right and left for music. The Xbox 360 also outputs in multichannel already, transcoding to Dolby Digital, and besides that, its noise is too distracting. I occasionally think of buying a Squeezebox or something, but it seems kind of ridiculous to spend the money on one when I already have an OPPO, an Xbox 360, a PC, and a PS3 hooked up that really should be able to handle music playback. I usually just sigh and locate a CD to listen to. Do any of you think the Squeezebox would be worth it in my case, or should I simply get a receiver that can stream my music collection whenever I upgrade that?

I'm using an Airport Express to stream iTunes (controlled with my iPhone via wifi) and mini-Toslink cable, +/- ipod dock. I'm eyeing the Onkyo iPod dock because it will then display song info, etc on the display if I fire it up and then I can control with the Onkyo remote.

I don't any Apple products to be on my way toward that kind of setup, but that does sound slick.

I made the change to the darkside a few years ago. the AX will work with with iTunes on a PC... It also creates a LAN port wherever you plug it in. That's what I use for my BR/Sat Box/and AVR internet connectivity.

I don't think I'm ready to go through that kind of transformation, but I appreciate the information on how it all works together.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but now I'm really thinking about my music streaming situation. I don't really want to spend $300+ for the Squeezebox, so I'm looking at the WD TV Live. Does anyone have experience with this? I saw it at Costco, but I didn't notice their price. Still, even its retail price is a lot less than the Squeezebox, and it seems like it would do what I want.

I think hijacking threads is mandatory on this board

Well, the WD TV Live is a disappointment. It says it has WMA support, but it fails to say it doesn't support lossless WMAs. I just can't win.

I'd like to hear this system:

The Vincent SP-331 (hybrid tube and solid state amp) is The Absolute Sound's Editor's Choice Award winner for 2008, and their Amplifier of the Year 2007!

can be had for about $1,100

The companion SA-31 Hybrid Preamp is also an Absolute Sound's Editor's Choice winner for 2008, and is only $599 retail.

Thiel SCS4 bookshelf speakers about $2000.

REL Britannia subwoofer. about $2,100.

Sony XDRF1HD FM tuner $79.
MMF 5.1SE turntable with Goldring 2400 cartridge about $1100.

I'd take a chance with this rig at about $7,200.