Describing the M3s as musical is "dumb"? Alan, you are an offensive, arrogant twit. I suppose your years of service as a flak qualifies you as the resident Axiom expert with a license to insult Axiom owners. I recall your description of the tube output, Ah! Njoe Tjoeb CDP as a "distortion generator," all the more interesting since you admit you never heard one. I bought mine because it was well reviewed by audio commentators whose opinions I respect, and as for my own experience with the Ah!, Ah think it's great.
Anyway, the M3 could be the best speaker in the Axiom line-up with a little more refinement. Certainly, at its price point it's terrific. I had a pair of M22s and did not like them. I don't know why not, since among my favorite speakers are the Michaura M55s which use two 5.25" Axiom aluminum drivers and the Axiom 3/4" tweeter. Perhaps it's the hex shaped cabinet or the wonderful 3/4" titanium tweeter, but to my ears, the M55s outshine their big brothers, the Axiom M22s. As between the Michaura M55s and the Axiom M3Tis, although I love the M3s, I gave mine away after spending some quality time with the M55s. Maybe my M22s were defective or unsuited to the 5 wpc SET tube amp I used with them, I certainly expected more from the M22s.
I hope Axiom keeps developing its bookshelf speakers, especially the M3s. I think it would be great if Axiom picked up some Reference 3a de capo mm i's and some Dulcets, (very musical speakers) and tweak the M3s until they come close to the wonderful sound produced by the reference 3a speakers. Of course, the Dulcets are $1500 a pair and the de capos $2500, so it would be quite a coup for Axiom to upgrade the M3s to match these wonderful speakers.
Maybe an M45 would work - a large bookshelf with a 6.5" driver from the M3/M50/M60/M80, and a 5.25" midrange driver from the M2/M22/M80, in a bookshelf. Maybe such a speaker could be voiced to match the Reference 3a de capo mm i.
