I had read about others on this forum who had similar experiences in the past, but couldn't resist chiming in with what they had to say.

Last week i came to notice one of the midrange speakers on my M80 had a noticeable dent (ouch) probably caused by my daughter bumping into it. After contemplating what to do about it for a while, i finally decided to give axiom a call and ask for their assistance.

Although i was ready to pay a couple of hundred $$s to ship the tower to Canada, have the midrange replaced and sent back, Joe simply told me to email my address and that he'd send me a new cone. Four days later the cone arrives and i'm back in audio nirvana.

I just wanted to say thanks to Joe and all at axiomaudio for making a happy customer even happier! Not only do my M80s sound as good as new, they also look spick-and-span thanks to the new cone.

I can't wait to buy my surrounds and center speaker from you, which i hope will be much sooner than later (need to persuade wife...).

BTW, i really enjoy reading everyone's posts on these boards (including those heated debates that seem to spring up when the topic concerns tube amps and speaker cables). My background is in finance so i have no idea what messages all those scientific terms and graphs convey, but am happy to know i seem to have made the right choice in buying speakers!

I'm even using this board now to look up quality classic music recordings and taking the print-out to my local record store.

Glad things worked out for you. I'm always amazed when someone's first post is about the Axiom speakers they ALREADY own. JohnK is our resident expert on classical (along with Alan, and others). If you have any questions, he'd probably be more than willing to answer them. Glad to have you aboard.

I always get a smile when I see Axiom's Customer Service in play.

Scud, welcome, and great to hear of the good service you received. As Jack indicated, I'd be happy to suggest classical items(anywhere between one and one hundred)for your enjoyment.

Thanks for all your greetings!

JohnK - i've already followed your advice and purchased Holst and Rachmaninoff (#s 27 and 53 of RCA Victor's Basic 100) among others. I'm a novice in classical music and am still trying to determine my preference, but i like what i've heard so far.

I also took Sushi's word and ordered Disney's Fantasia 2000 from amazon (still waiting for the CD). The link started by usujazz back in October 03 has a ton of information in it, and i've printed out the entire thread.

On a separate note, i wonder where Sushi went. His balanced and intellectual comments were one of the reasons why i got hooked to this forum in the first place.

Sushi(Dr. Masashi Yanagisawa)is extremely busy with his research and I marvelled how he was able to devote so much time to the board, then suddenly about ten months ago he stopped. I'd never intrude on his privacy to ask, but I assume that he simply decided that it was taking up too much of his time.

Good to see that you've started on your classical music collection; there's a whole world of great music out there waiting for you. That's a pretty good Holst Planets that Craig had and I commented on, but as I've said a few times here, a really tremendous Planets is the Mehta on Decca Eloquence 467 418. If you'd like to warm up your credit card a bit there're still two days left on a sale at Tower that includes some terrific bargains on Seraphim for only $5.99, with free shipping if over $20. I'd especially recommend the Ravel , Orff , Smetana , and Tchaikovsky CDs. Not on sale, but still a bargain at $7.99 is the indispensable Brahms Hungarian Dances .

I'll definately consider getting that recording of Planets given i like the one i have and would like to compare between the two.

After listening to a number of CDs i bought/borrowed i really came to like (or should i say i noticed i really liked) Pachelbel's Canon. Do you have any suggestions for good recordings of this? Also, would this be classified to be in the 'romantic' genre? If so, are there any others that you would recommend that have similar taste? (rather slow, melodic, unfolding... doesn't have to be Pachelbel)

I'll probably get Brahms' Hungarian Dances too - i'm seeing my CD collection build up before my eyes!!

Pachelbel composed in the late 17th century, which is part of what's termed the "baroque" period in classical music(roughly 1600-1750), which was followed by the "classical" period(about 1750-1830)and then the "romantic" period(about 1830-1910).

It's a short piece, of course and is combined on CDs(over 200 of them)with lots of other things, and it's the other things which might be the deciding factor. What might fit what you describe(if it lives up to the title, as the Tower reviewer says) is this CD which is one included in the Tower sale which ends tomorrow. If you're going to take advantage of the sale for the items I previously suggested, you could consider adding it.

The Planets CD which is my favorite of the four that I have and the dozen or more others that I've heard is here .

Ok JohnK educate me. I'm a guy who likes my rock music but is open to new things. A few years back I had the chance to see Robert Cray which led me down the blues path. About a year ago I saw Prince. That lead me down a whole new path. In a nutshell, if it's not Country I would like to give it a go.

I don't have a clue on classical. What should a guy like me listen to as a first introduction?

Heh.. I'm sure we could get you into some REAL country, too. (ie, bluegrass, not the overproduced pop pap with a little slide guitar and twangy voices, if they even bother, that they put out these days.)

John, I don't know what Canadian(or U.S.) sources you usually use for CDs, so I won't suggest one, but so far as a basic start on a list of classical items I'd repeat the four Seraphims that I suggested to Scud and in particular the Holst Planets and Brahms Hungarian Dances on Naxos, which are as sure-fire CDs as any I know of. Then I also have to add some Rachmaninoff which you shouldn't be without and this is a bargain. Of course if you borrow CDs from a local library, to some extent you can try before you buy, but often the selection isn't very good.

I would say listen to K. I had never been a fan of 'country' music. But a few years back I turned off the anti-country rant long enough to listen to some old school stuff (Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, etc). Then out comes O Brother Where Art Thou and bluegrass comes into my view. Amazing music.
I agree with K that most of the 'country' out on the radio to day is to country music what N'SYNC is to pop music. Uninspired and insincere garbage to get as much of your money as possible with as little effort as possible.
So, please don't let what you hear on the radio keep you from listening to what I would call 'true artists' in country/bluegrass. You are really missing out if you do.

jr

I couldn't agree with these comments more. Living in Nashville can be fantastic, but one of the most depressing things is watching so many freakishly talented people banging their heads against a wall while the undeserving ones slide buy on a certain look and the ability to regurgitate the assembly-line drivel of the songs coming out of Music Row. The writers might possibly be the worst, since they're otherwise decent, talented folks who have been churning out formulaic crap for so long they wouldn't know a good song if it kicked them in the shins.

There are certainly exceptions to this, but the most interesting people living in this town are the true troubadours: Lucinda Williams, John Prine, Todd Snider, Gillian Welch, etc. The unfortunate thing about the hired guns - the musicians in the pick-up band or recording studio - is that they are dazzling. Most of these guys can play like you wouldn't believe. Kenny Vaughn comes to mind. But largely they're relegated to playing the most uninteresting music imaginable.

If you want to get a sense of the better side that country has to offer, try Dwight Yoakam, Alison Krauss or (I'm going to fry in hell...) Keith Urban. Yeah, he's a pretty boy, but he writes his own stuff and he's a hell of a player.