Hi all,
I recall the first time I toured some big studios in Toronto, and lots of them had these wretched little Auratone speakers perched on each end of the console. I wonder if they are still around? They simulated the sound of a typical portable or car radio of that time. ('60s, '70s).
Then the annoying Yamaha NS-10 found its way into lots of studios, usually with kleenex taped to the tweeters to reduce the high-frequency output. I've never figured out why that Yamaha became popular with the studio crowd.
I've known about Mackie powered monitors for years but I've never heard them. I just spent a weekend in Woodstock, NY, and toured Levon Helm's recording facility there. The recording engineer used the Yamahas, a pair of Dynaudio models (small, with dual woofers and a tweeter in the center, like our VP centers) and a powered system I'd never heard of. He said he used all three and would be open to trying some Axioms when I suggested it.
By the way, Levon Helm and his various band-members and backup singers were in great form.
As to Axiom getting into powered monitors, it's unlikely at this time. Powered monitors tend to sell very poorly to the consumer market, and the pro market is a very big undertaking.