Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Speaker Dilema, Axiom and Paradigm

I have recently auditioned Paradigm Studio 20s and love their sound, both musically and for HT. The Studio CC is a nice match. However, they are expensive, don't like their dipoles for rears, and they require tons of power; i.e. seperates. A two channel amp can be added but an expense nonetheless.

Has anyone compared Paradigm, Monitor or Studio series, with relative Axioms?

I am either going to try the QS8's with Studio 20, CC, and PW2200 or still go ahead with the Axioms as initially gestured. I am still a little skeptical about the "brightness" of the M22's or the increasing cost and dilema of deciding on 40, 50, or 60's. I have also heard good and bad regarding the VP150 and the TMMMT configuration and proper diffusion.

Ahhhhhhhh...help! Much appreciated!!

I ditched my Paradigm Monitor 7's, Mini Monitors, CC-370, and PS-1000 for the Axiom M50's, M2i's, and VP100 (I still use the PS-1000 as my sub).

The two systems are about the same price I suspect. The studio series is nice, but as you say its pricey and power hungrey.

Overall I am very pleased with my upgrade. When my Axioms arrived I did a side by side comparison with my Paradigms. Generally I think I gained more accuracy, better transparency, and the ability to reproduce more subtle background detail.

The M50's were cleary a superior speaker than my Monitor 7's. The 7's were a tad more laid back. I thought the M2i's wer superior to the mini-monitors in vocals, although the mini's had better bass response. The one speaker that didn't really imprese me all that much was the VP100 vs the CC-370. The CC-370 really is a great centre channel and just makes dialoge much more natural sounding. I find you really tend to really notice spatially the tweeter of the VP100 (its not as transparent as the CC-370).

Just my 2 cents.

Hi Canman,

I used Reference Studio 20s in my system for years and I can assure you that, with carefully controlled blind comparisons with the M22ti's, the two models are virtually indistinguishable, with a slight edge going to the M22ti's for a little more upper octave detail and a slightly more 3-dimensional soundstage.They also have very smooth bass without that little hump that the Studio 20s have at 100-300 Hz, which gives male vocals a touch of chestiness.

The M22ti's are not bright, unless the recording is. . .

Regards,

Thanks amer.

Alan,
I have stone walls, softer than concrete, but reflective nonetheless. I would like to avoid any problems with the wrong front speakers. I will consider one of the three towers below the 80's if the 22's may not be the best fit.
The room is 15 feet wide and have 12 ft to the front of the room from listening position. The rears will be approx 4 feet behind and most likely a couple feet higher when sitting. I am still on the fence regarding buying speakers I haven't heard, but there are enough postives reviews to warrant the purchase. That, and still shaky regarding the VP150 which will be situated on top of an Elite 53".

I will pair the fronts with VP150, QS8, and either a PW2200 or EP350.

Your feedback is appreciated.

Canman

I'd go with the M60's. They are less bright and forward as the M80's. They will match perfectly with the rest of your setup.

I own the VP150 and like it very much. I don't find it keeps the vocals too centered, however my listening room is not very wide so I haven't been able to judge that extremely well.

The EP350 is great, as are the QS8's. Those surrounds spread sound out so well, it will completely envelop you.

I haven't been a fan of Paradigm since I found out about Axiom. Axiom is cheaper, has better customer service by a long shot, and requires far less power to reach the same volume levels.

I am really putting pressure on myself to pick up the M60's if I go with the VP150, QS8, & EP350. One problem is that the speaker with only have about six inches from wall to the rear of the speaker. I would like to avoid muffling bass response or smothering any other output from the dual rear ports.

What about the M40 and M50? If I go with the VP150 and QS8, am I really going to lose much for movies? I know two channel music will be effect but everything is a compromise.

Also, has anyone compared the EP350 to any other subs? I still was vastly impressed with Paradigm's PW2200. The saleman is putting pressure to pick up a pair of Studio 20s and CC but I know my Onkyo will not compare to the Rotel and Adcom sound produced in store.

Is anyone using an Onkyo for there setup?

Much appreciated!

Canman, there are several posts in these forums that compare the M50s/40s and M60s.
randymans post
fhw post
sonicfox review
just to list a few.

Placing the speaker closer to a wall will typically enhance the bass more than anything. Several people on these forums, including myself, have limited space in which to place our speakers. I'm sure you will find something that will work to your liking. Six inches is not that bad.

As for subs, again there is fair bit of info on subwoofers and brands within these forums. Many people use a variety of brands alongside their Axioms including SVS, Hsu, Adire, Paradigm, Klipsch, Axiom, Sunfire.
Personally i've found some issues with my EP350 although others have had no problems at all.
port chuff

If any salesman is putting pressure on you to buy anything, i highly recommend you go to another store, or in the least, tell the salesman you don't like his pushy attitude and try talking to a manager. I've found they tend to be much better in reading a customer and not pushing them nearly as hard as a salesman trying ot make commission. Perhaps that is because most managers are on salary and not commission, who knows.

As for your Onkyo question, i am presently using an Onkyo DS797 receiver for my system. It was an excellent buy and has so far met all my expectations quite nicely.

Yep..I'm an Onkyo user as well.

Here is my setup:

Onkyo TX-DS787 receiver
Onkyo DV-M301 (301 DVD/CD changer player.....just lazy i guess)
M80's fronts, M50's Surrounds, VP100 CC, M2i's rear, PS-1000 Sub.

The Onkyo 787 has no trouble with this setup for HT use, which came as a pleasant surprise as some owners have had problems with the M80's and certain Onkyo receivers.