Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Not sure if I want to keep them...

I received my axioms last week: M2i,vp100,qs4 setup for 95% HT use. I have been listening closely for the past week and I can't decide whether to keep them.

First of all, the vp100 and the qs4s are vastly superior to my existing speakers (Advent Cinema Center and KLH surrounds). They sound wonderful and I know I have to get a new center and surrounds.

My current mains are 10 yr old. Advent Laureate towers with a 1" tweeter and two 6 1/2" woofers. I have been doing a bunch of A/B tests between the two sets of mains with various audio/video sources (DD, DTS, ProLogicII, stereo). My Advents have a much fuller sound, almost three dimentional at times. The Axioms are more precise, but also they sound kinda "thin". I am having a hard time justifying the $255 price tag for no improvement in sound.

I have read a lot of other posts where people are just blown away by the Axioms. Are they moving up from terrible speakers? Am I just too used to the Advents to give the Axioms a chance? Has anybody else had this experience?

Any suggestions on material to make the final decision? Am I better off just looking for a new center and surrounds with the same budget and keeping my Advents?

I want to love the Axioms, and I do really like the VP100 and the QS4s, but I just can't decide whether or not to keep the M2is.

tivofish,

Sounds like your Advents cover the bass area much better then the M2ti, and that's not surprising. The thinness you're hearing from the M2tis is most likely due to the fact that they only play down to about 70Hz (+/- 3db). With dual 6/5" woofers on your Advents, they probably go down to about 45Hz. That difference accounts for the thinness you're hearing. As you mentioned, the Axioms are more precise than your Advents. If you bought a sup to compliment them, that thinness would instantly disappear and you'd be in audio nirvana.

If you'd rather not buy a subwoofer and would like a speaker that plays about as low as your Advents do, I'd consider the Axiom M22ti.

TF, if you're listening without a sub, that isn't what the M2s are designed for. They fall off quite steeply below about 80-90Hz and are supposed to be crossed over to a sub in that area. If you are using a good sub, properly crossed over to the M2s, I'd suggest that possibly the Advents are bumped up in the upper bass around 100-150Hz, giving an impression of "fullness" that you've become used to, although it isn't accurate. The M2s should certainly be superior from about 100Hz up.

Tivo, just to echo what the others have said, you can't expect the M2's to be more than they were designed to be. They are the closest that Axiom comes to a sub/sat type speaker. They really are designed to be used with a sub. Heck, even my M22's can sound a bit thin when used on their own and not with a sub. But when I pair my M22's with my SVS sub, however, I have a sound that rivals speakers costing many times more.

Maybe you can explain what prompted you to switch from tower speakers with 2 6.5" woofers, to a bookshelf speaker with one 5.25" woofer. I am sure you recognize the physical differences between the two, and the thin sound coming from the M2 is not surprising considering the comparison.

Obviously, if the M2's are not what you are looking for, return them and try something else. There is nothing really you can do to "manufacture" bass in the M2's. It sounds like you wouldn't necessarily be inclined to step up in the Axiom line, so you might be best off looking at other lower priced options. Best of luck.

Since gem opened this facet of the discussion, I'd like to add some support to his point. If the expectaion was that $255 was going to improve the floor stander audio with small bookshelf speakers, it's not surprising that you might be disappointed. I believe you will find that to be the case with any small bookshelf, not just Axiom.

A pair of M22tis is only $145 more (plus the cost of stands) than the M2is and would be a VAST improvement over the Advents as well as the M2is. The M40 ($490) or M50 ($620), would also put you in a good place relative to the Advents.

I believe that chasing basic bookshelf speakers will not yield audio improvement for you.

Tivofish,

Everyone here makes excellent points. To put it a slightly different way: if you're accustomed to the sound of tower speakers, then from this point forward in your life you will only be happy with towers, or a bookshelf/sub combination.

Jason

tivo,
It seems that everyone has so far replied with nearly identical answers and i'm sorry to add that i have to concur 100%.
Here is a link to a rather lengthy post i put up awhile ago about my experience after first hearing the Axiom M22s i bought for auditioning. The whole concept of being "blown away" is described as rather non-existent, yet to this day i own Axiom speakers (albeit the M60s, the M22s went back).

I do have a subwoofer (Acoustic Research 8" 125W) and a Yamaha 1400 receiver.

I have the Yamaha do the automated settings for both setups during the comparison.

I wasn't expecting the M2is to compare in the bass category, but I was expecting to be blown away by the great sound.

I moved to bookshelves because I knew that my wife would like to get the floor space back and I was hoping that for my small room (12x12) they would be a better match.

You said that you had the Yamaha perform the automated setup. Just be sure to keep in mind the YPAO feature of the Yamaha 1400/2400 can sometimes provide inconsistent results. You might get a better comparison of the Axioms and the Advents if you run the Yamaha in Pure Direct mode (this turns off all room correction features / DSP).

Jason

A lot of what makes a speaker great is placement, and good placement for one pair of speakers isn't necessarilly good for another pair. I know it can be a pain, but keep at trying to find the perfect spot- it can make a big difference.