...But this is exactly what I find the most frustrating!!! They simply are not as good as a really expensive speaker. They are so good that they are bad. They do a remarkable job capturing what is music for the price. But they are slightly out of focus, slightly constrained at the extreems, and only a little round. Damn it! I like them so much because they appeal to my sense of quality, value, and fairness. But I hate them because they perfectly illustrate what the short-comings are between a good speaker and a great speaker on the Platonic scale where price is no object (remember that one from my earlier chapter?).
This all leaves me very frustrated. Who would of thought purchasing a set of speakers would raise a philosophical debate! We will have to solve this next time...
As you can see, I went a little overboard in my last installment, but the whole concept of objectivity is way over-rated! But what would music be without a little passion?
Sooooo, i've stated what the criteria are, spent considerable time listening to my speakers, and given some different ideas about life, love, and philosophy. I probaly booored many readers, but if I made one happy or laugh out loud, i'm happy. I would just like to reiterate that my whole intent in writing this essay was to add a little humor to the capturing of the content and spirit of a very nice speaker!
If I offended any shrimps, people, or emplyees of Axiom please be assured that this was never my intent and I sincerly appologize!
Now, on with my final review. I believe the Axiom M3Ti to be a very good speaker all comers accepted. Its smooth, responsive, and has a punch to the upper bass. Its soundstaging and imaging are good to very good and most importantly in totality you can listen to it all day long with pleasure. A genuine accomplishment.
This is an excelent speaker in the very compeditive sub-$300 range. As a bookshelf speaker, coupled with NAD's L40 (which I have seen for as little as $399) you can get near audiophile sound for under $700! That is truely an accomplishment.
There is one thing I was always curious about- As a starving student this would have been the speaker for me. I'd have slipped a pair in the shelves and voila! But what about the rear firing port? I think I understand the current position but if it had been front firing I might have more success with wall mounting. At the very least the inclusion of a set of foam plugs would be nice.
But, the speaker which really catches my eye is the M50ti! I think this one would have some very nice dynamics to it.
Thank you for your time,
bill
