Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo New Poster, Future Axiom Owner

I'd like to state that this website uses a bizarre format for a forum/message board. Why not a simple, all-inclusive "Reply" button at the botton? Why must I reply to individual messages? Axiom should look to examples such as the Miata.net or OCForums.com message boards for examples of efficient, user-friendly forum layouts!

You know, just in case somebody is listening.

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I haven't actually listened to the 703; to clarify, my friend had a B&W setup (not 700's) and that prompted me to visit the B&W website, where I researched the 704/703 speakers.

Thanks for the tip on the factory outlet. I don't mind waiting a few weeks for a ten-percent savings.

Peter: My budget does not include a TV. I'm currently using a Sony Wega 27" projection unit. It's only two years old and will work for the forseeable future. A larger Plasma would be a nice future upgrade for home theatre, but for now I'm focused on the sound. I think I've decided that I want the Epic 60.350 setup, purchased through the outlet channel for a price of $2107.10 USD. That looks like plenty of speaker for my room. Everything I've read about the M60s tell me that they are perfect for me (really don't need the M80s). Everything I've read about the QS8 tell me that they are superb and well worth the cost over the QS4. The reviews of the VP100 illustrate that it will be great for my room, that the additional cost for the VP150 isn't necessary. The only thing left is the sub, but I think that EP350 will suit me fine; perhaps I will upgrade it in a couple years.

So that leaves the electronics. Unlike speakers, receives, amps and sources are difficult to research. Each company has made literally dozens of each unit, and finding which one best suits my needs and budget could take six months. I've seen lots of reccomendations of the following brandes: Denon, Rotel, Yamaha, Pioneer, and a couple others I forget. Here are my needs: 5.1 (I don't see myself ever NEEDING 7.1), quality, enough power (preferabbly a bit more than necessary) to drive the entire setup, and ergonomics (ease of use, layout of buttons and menus... while the sound quality is the most important, good ergonomics make any gadget that much more pleasurable to use). I see that Axiom is offering Sherwood Newcastle products, but I can't find much information. If I pick the above speaker setup and the SD871 source with the R-871 receiver, my total through Axiom comes to $3815.20 USD. That doesn't include cables, but it looks like a great setup at a price well within my budget. Are there other electronics out there that offer similar quality with lower cost, or higher quality at the same cost? For the same money, what can I get that is better than Sherwood-Newcastle? Keep in mind that I'd also like a large-volume CD changer, as long as the quality and sound clarity are high, because such changers are very convenient.
Additionally, I'd prefer all the electronics to come from the same company. Although the sound is the most important objective, aesthetics are awlways a factor when spending this kind of money (which happens to be quite a lot for me). For personal OCD reasons, I'd prefer that all the electronics match one another.