I have always liked the black dust caps on the white drivers - the traditional look that immediately separates them from the majority of speakers/competition. There is a lot of brand recognition in the classic look of the drivers.
I agree about liking the look of the dust caps but by getting rid of them it eliminates one source (however small) of problems, loose dust caps. I had one vibrating on a brand new M22 though only on one song at a certain passage. Tapping it clearly showed it was loose along part of the edge. Axiom quickly shipped me a replacement but still I imagine if you can eliminate even a small source of problems it pays dividends in the long run.
As for the magnetic grills, on all my Axiom speakers that I own the grill mounting is very solid. There is no way that the grills would fall off EVER. Not sure why they would want to change what is perfect already regarding the grills.
I’ve broken all the tabs off one QS8 grill after droping it from about 5 feet. Also broken individual tabs from a couple other QS8s during “drop tests.”
I’ve also broken individual tabs off the grills of one M80 and my EP500 by kicking them with my foot when walking buy. So while the plastic tabs generally work ok they don’t stand up to caveman treatment.
Not sure if my types of experiences have factored into their thinking but based on them I can understand the desire to change.
