Now that's the kind of stuff I wanna hear! Thanks everyone.
Hey TomTuttle, your signature is a phrase I have been standing by for years. Cheers!
This started as a quick response but turn out a tad detailed, so here is the summary: I like them a lot.
More detailed: I use PSB L/C/R, not Axioms, and the QS8s blend perfectly. The multi-pole nature of the speakers really diminishes the need for timbre matching as reflection is more the name of the game. I have not used it for SACD music (need an HDMI AVR!!!), where direct radiating surrounds could be better, but on concert Blu-Rays and 5-ch stereo music the QS8s never stand out. The just create a very nice rear image that is both subtle and broad, but detailed. Yes those are opposites. What I mean is, 90% of the time they just make a wide non-distracting image behind you that makes may small room feel much larger - as they should. But when a detailed sound (train, bullet, etc) actually travels L - R, or F - R, you can track it detail along its path. And my system is 5.1, not 7.9 like some here, so good rear imaging in my low-level theater is even more impressive. (
Did I just call my multi-thousand dollar system “low-level”? I got to get off this forum, you 7.9 freaks are giving me woofer envy.)
My experience with decent direct radiating surrounds is that they can be setup for either, non-detailed reflection (by aim) or pinpoint accuracy, but not both at the same time. The Qs8s do both very well and I’m extremely happy with them. I won’t try to give you a golden-ear review of the harmonics, but I can attest that they hold their own at well over 100 db (total system, not running alone). Playing Pink Floyd’s ‘Brick in the Wall’ at absurd levels the helicopter circles the room and moves from towers with twin 6.5” drivers to the QS8’s twin 5.25 drivers and the sound does not crush at all. The Helo is the same size, with the same wallop of the blades. That impresses me as the front stage has a total of six 6.5 drivers plus a nearby sub, so I expect a dramatic shrinking of the soundstage once it gets to rear – didn’t happen. I did hear one QS8 clip while torturing it, but I have to blame my amp. I was running all 5 channels at over 100 db and the sound I heard could easily have been the amp petering out. Have never heard another bad word out of them and that’s impressive. I love my PSB’s but they have flaws I could name. The QS8s are not subject to the same level of scrutiny as surrounds, but they give no reason to complain so… I must say 5 of 5 stars for performance.
Value is 5 of 5 without a doubt. You don’t get the warm fuzzy feeling of a local store demo, but at this price I would have to give 7 of 5 stars if I got to demo them first. I don’t count the return policy as a free demo as I would have to pay for return freight. At this price range, that is an expensive pure demo. Good price for caveat emptor insurance, but not for a demo.
I do have some criticisms I’ll relay. To be completely critical: (1) Ergonomics: the banana plug binding post can’t be used with supplied wall bracket – I think that could be tweaked and should have been in the design phase as it is so easy to fix. Not a big deal, but if you want to use really short wire coming out of the wall it is hard to put bare wire in its place. 4 of 5 stars for Ergo.
(2) Fit and Finish: 4 of 5 stars, not considering price. (In this price range, again, this has to be reference level.) One problem with the finish is Axiom’s inability to cure my cheapness. I ordered black vinyl, too cheap to order real wood veneers, and I got black vinyl that looks like black ash wood, not the piano gloss mahogany real wood veneer I wanted. I’ll let them slide on that. The veneer is perfectly applied with near seamless edges. Not that you would expect less with modern mfg, but as most of the speaker is hidden behind grill cloth they could have skimped here and didn’t.
But the real imperfection (on my unit anyway) is a tweeter plate not mounted perfectly flat on the surface. It is a surprising imperfection given that I don’t recall ever seeing such a problem, even on cheap speakers. And the tweeter plate is not mitered or recessed into the face so it is hard to make it uneven – but it is. Looks like a hand install as a robot could never make that mistake. I’ll give them credit for hand crafting, which I appreciate, but take star for QC. Bear in mind, the tweeter at issue lives under a cloth, so only I know it is there. Otherwise, fit and finish are very good at any price.
And to the extent it matters, they are tiny. When I first saw the boxes I almost shipped them back without opening – I have outdoor speakers bigger than this. But they are dense little bastards; feel like little tanks. They are easily 50% heavier than a comparable bookshelf speaker. Much of that is magnet (4 drivers) but the cabinet is 100% solid. Gives a great feeling of quality to any woodworker. And the small package size really helps on the WAF, and placement. I had several issues to deal with (we call them windows) and the small QS8 gave me options larger speakers could not. They disappear; until you pull off the covers, at which point the aluminum-ish cones have a very nice hi-tech look (that matches my PSB drivers, if the fashion-tech police come by). So I have to give appearance 5 of 5.
Overall, they have exceeded my expectations and made me wonder if the M80 could equally exceed my expectations of towers.
Glad to get that off my chest.
