Hello,
I'm new to the boards, and to Axiom speakers. It seems they have great customer service, and a great online community here (which is always a good sign). This seemed like a good place to start. :-)
I have a couple questions about the Epic 80 home theater system. To be up-front, I'm a longtime B&W fan, and was about to shell out for a set of their new 700 Series (704 fronts, 705 surrounds, plus matching center and sub). A friend of mine (who is also a B&W fan), had an opportunity to hear a pair of Axioms while on vacation this Christmas, and told me I had to check them out before I plunked down the money for the B&W's. I'm wondering if anybody has compared the new B&W 700's with the Axiom's, and what their thoughts were. I know sound quality is very subjective, but I'm just looking for thoughts or opinions from those who have been here before. The speakers will be used in a system that does about 50% music and 50% home theater. Music quality is probably the most important aspect to me since that is where I do most of my "critical" listening. Which really just means that I'm more picky about the music reproduction than I am about the home theater aspect. For the most part, I find that speakers that are good musically, also tend to make good home theater performers as well. As such, how the M80's compare to the 704's is very important to me.
I also want to make sure it will mate well with my current system. I have a Maratnz SR9200 A/V Reciever (140x7), and I want to make sure it will work ok (for the 4ohm load) and sound good. The Marantz is very warm sounding, so it benefits from a open forward-sounding speaker. I really like this reciever, but I'm having a tough time finding speakers to pair it with. The 700's were my next step at finding a good match for the Marantz after going through B&W 604's (great overall sound for the $, but not very detailed or accurate), and Def Tech 2004TL's (nice soundstage, but needs to be well clear of all walls or the bass sounds really boomy and the highs from the bi-pole tweeters sound very harsh - unfortunately, setting them 3-4 feet out from all walls was just not an option in my livingroom).
It really is hard not being able to audition before you buy, so I'm wondering how you guys might think the Epic system might stack up.
I also must admit that I'm a bit skeptical considering the price, especially when compared to the speaker systems I've tried and the ones I'm considering. Any info or opinions at all would be really beneficial to me.
Thanks for the help!
Sully
