I was there :-)
Listened for Paridigm Monitor 7 v3 in a local shop, almost fell in love with those (power handling, clarity, craftmanship), almost bought it ( made a deal for $650 USD - very good deal as a matter of fact), but I heard about AXIOMs and decided to gammble even without listening to AXIOMs and bought M60ti. WOW! Crisp highs, VERY detailed mids, precise bass ( not muddy, but good enough to live without sub for STEREO listening, I listen to a lot of jazz, like solo Monk, Peterson, Webster, Loussier, a lot of opera, rock (Aerosmith) , solos (Kaas)
The buttom line is - Am I glad I took my chances and got M60s!
The only thing to keep in mind - if your listening room is "bright" you might have to do some work to change that, or you might be overwelthed by highs ( they are so detailed that some call it "ear fatigue" - but it really -DETAILS or "hot" records made for boomboxes or car stereos.
Also, there are a lot of folks here who might let you audition AXIOM, depending on where you live.
Good luck
