My uncle just purchased some speakers this weekend ... from the back of a white van. I wish I could have warned him.

They claim to be "liquid cooled". Hehehe, poor guy.

Cheers,

J

Chesseroo, that's good to know. Exactly what should I be looking for in a preamp, then?

As for liquid cooled, that reminded me of the Aperion speakers I was looking at before the Axioms. "Our audiophile-grade 1-inch tweeter features ferrofluid cooling for high power handling and smooth response."

C.V.

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They claim to be "liquid cooled

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This is sort of a half truth marketing thing. There is often a ferrofluid in the tweeter to keep it cool, but this is not something new or special.
Those white van guys just kill me. Do they have a fleet or something? They seem to be very widespread.

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Exactly what should I be looking for in a preamp, then?

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CV, it isn't the preamp section you should be concerned about. Several sources including Axiom recommend using Denon or Harmon Kardon receivers with M80 speakers as their power supply is beefy enough to run them without going into shutdown protection. Many have reported high enough SPL for their preference as well indicating these units should supply enough, adequate power to run the M80s with reasonable results.
Personally, with a 4 ohm speaker i would buy separates but only to ensure that the speakers had enough dedicated power for a truly high sound output, which sometimes is my preference. Axiom uses Bryston amps at the factory during their testing stages, a very proven name for amplifiers, although also pricey. You can get some older models, say 2 generations back possibly between $1500-2000 Cdn used, depending on the model and specs. At home i'm presently using a less expensive Anthem unit, the MCA30 to power some 6 ohm speakers, but they have been used and are rated for 4 ohm units. You can find the MCA20 amps used for as little as $400 Cdn.
If you go this route, i suggest buying a good but 'lower cost receiver, like a Denon, H/K or Pioneer (see this one here and here)
and use it as the preamp/processor section or to power surround and centre speakers, leaving the amp to power the M80s. Totalling the used unit and new unit cost together is still well under the cost of many higher end receivers.

CV, I think you are on the right track with the receiver. I gave a Yamaha AVR (HTR 5640 I think) and some surround speakers to some friends who had a circa 1995 $1200 Sony rack stereo system. We were all amazed at how good the Sony speakers sounded when we switched out the receiver. You may even want to try your Polk speakers with a new receiver. You may be impressed. As a Polk and Axiom owner I should echo what the other have said about the speakers. Polk makes some very good speakers so depending on which model you have the difference between Polk and Axiom may not be that impressive.
Also, I know there a lot of people who favor separates, but with my modest $300 HK AVR 230 I can crank it up to where I like it (meaning it doesn't really sound "loud", per se, just "appropriate for rock and roll" but not straining or distorted in any way) and at that volume I can't hear my pager on my hip or my cell phone in my shirt pocket or the house telephone 6 feet away (or my wife arriving home and yelling at me to turn it down). Based on that I have decided that I don't need separates. Going forward, you may decide that you need them and you may want to get that started now, but don't underestimate the AVRs - particularly the brands recommended by the Axiom gang.

What is that old saying that goes something like "there is a sucker born every minute."

Unfortunately, your story is repeated every day with speakers, speaker wire, power conditioners, etc. and etc. and etc.

BUYER BEWARE!!!!

I knew about tweeters often being “liquid cooled” and presumed that this was what the claim on the box was referring to. However, my uncle had visions of something much more elaborate. I suspect something more along the lines of radiators and cooling pumps or something.

They must have a fleet. This topic should be covered in grade school as a preventative measure.

Cheers,

J

As a little note, they're not just in white vans any more--and the speakers look a bit more sophisticated. I've seen postings on Craigslist advertising Home Theater Digital Speakers (!!!!) normally retail for $10000, yours for only $2000! or something along those lines.

Dogg Digital Audio is my favourite white van speaker brand. There's a pair on ebay right now, normally $1449 each, yours for $250 for the pair!