Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater HT 5.1 - Did you buy all at once?

I am looking for a new HT setup to upgrade from my old Mission 707's and Infinity RS sub. I just replaced my old Yahama amp w/ a Denon AVR 1082 (same as the 3802). Considering Energy (C5's + associated center, surrounds and sub) and KEF (Q5's + associated center, surrounds and sub) but I am intrigued by the Axioms. From the reviews I have read, they sound like the type of speaker I am looking for.
For those of you who took the plunge, did you buy it all at once or just the fronts to see if they were to your liking? I love the Missions I have because of their midrange, especially horns and vocals. (Favorite demo album is Joe Jackson, Body and Soul). Thanks for your replies in advance. Does it sound like the Axioms would be a good fit for me? Looking to spen about $1800 for a 5.1 system, with floorstanders for the fronts, since this would be a 75% music, 25% HT system.

I A/B auditioned (in stereo) the Paradigm Monitor 3 vs the JM Lab Chorus 706. The 706 had a more detailed sound that I liked. That convinced me I'd like Axiom's detailed sound, but I wanted surround not stereo. I ordered the 5.1 M22ti/VP100/QS8/Hsu STF-2 config (sounded great), intended for a custom entertainment cabinet. The cabinet didn't work out so I upgraded to a 5.1 M60/VP150/QS8/Hsu VTF-3R config. It's very impressive and I'm fully satisfied with it. At this level the limiting factor isn't the speakers but the source material, so I don't see the need for further upgrades. I'm continuously amazed at how these speakers reveal imperfections in the source material or mix, and I don't have golden ears.

I auditioned the Mission M5 series, a few different Klipsch speakers and the B&W 600 series. The B&W 700 series may have been a decent comparison, but they spun off into a price/value direction that wasn't appealing. The Axioms won handily, AND they were less expensive. I have the M60/VP100/QS8 set with an SVS 20-39 PCi. In a word - WOW.

I'm not an audiophile, but I provided a "first impression" post last week that you might find useful here

Hope the info helps.

I auditioned the Kef Q5's ($600) as well and decided on Axiom m22's ($400) instead. For the money, the m22's are a bit better. The Kef's were nice (and very pretty to look at), but I preferred the detail and clarity of the Axiom's. And even though they're bookshelf speakers, the m22ti's sounded fuller than the Kef's. The Q series is sorta Kef's mid-entry level line. The m22ti's are top-of-the-line for Axiom and I would assume compare favorably to more top-of-the-line Kefs costing 2-3 times as much.

Also, I just bought the m22's and a HSU STF-2 for now, but plan on getting Axiom surrounds and channel next year.

phillyguy,
I did some auditioning with a friend about a month ago who was also out speaker shopping.
You might be interested to read this summary of some of the speakers we heard which includes Energy and Mission.