Before I got to the Axioms, I had been auditioning all sorts of stuff in my range. (i figured I was going to be in for about $10k for 5 speakers and a sub) This included a lot of the known mid/high-range brands like B&W, Paradigm, Mirage, PSB, Vienna, Magnepan, Klipsch, Totem, etc. I was probably leaning toward PSB or Paradigm. I'd read some less than stellar impressions of PSB's customer service, however. People needing an exchange and taking months for a turnaround.
Then a friend had mentioned he got all his stuff mail-order directly from Aperion and was really happy with them and didn't pay anywhere near as much as I was looking to originally. As I researched those, I got to the inevitable comparisons between Aperion, Axiom, Outlaw, SVSSound and the Rockets. Magazine speaker reviews are generally worthless, since it seems everyone likes everything.
However reading user impressions around the net, it seemed like people were really happy with their Axioms and the service. (and who can argue with a Canadian mad scientist in a brown suit) So while I didn't order full sets from Aperion and Outlaw, etc. to compare, I decided to try the Axiom set first. And, to me, sounded as good if not better than Paradigm/PSB stuff I was hearing at HT stores for thousands more. With the budget I had left to spare, I was able to grab the A1400-8 power amp too. (yeah, and that's not a cheap amp at all.. but that's how good the deal is on the speakers)
