OK, so quick update:
-Good news: I got my replacement driver and it works fine.
-Bad news: while replacing it, I noticed that 2 of the screws required no force to be removed, I could screw or unscrew them just by hand. It turned out that they had been screwed sideways into the MDF towards the cut out for the speaker so there was barely nothing holding them. Of course, since there was no force that could be applied to tie them, the driver doesn't hold properly against the body of the cabinet. On top of that it's the bottom driver so it could get worst over time. Of course I contacted Axiom and after a couple of days they replied that they will ship a new QS8.
First of all, I would like to say that I think Axiom is a great company that makes great speakers. I love the sound of all my Axioms and their customer service is so far the best I’ve ever seen. The only negative that I see within the whole company is the quality control / quality assurance, there is definitely a problem there and here is why:
- I first bought my M80s in January 2010, I loved them since the first time I heard them and never had any problem.
- Then I bought the VP180 in June. Great center speaker. However, like many other at the time, I was surprised with the new look of the drivers. Since I keep my grills off, I contacted Axiom to see if all my parts were V3s. I got an email from Axiom saying that yes. So in order to have my speakers to look the same, I purchased the 8 all-aluminum drivers to replace on the M80s and that’s when the problems started.
- From the 8 drivers that I received, 5 had their cone either badly scratched or dented. Axiom was great and shipped a quick replacement.
- A few weeks later I realized that one of the 6.5’ woofers was making some rattling noise at some frequency. Again, Axiom sent me a replacement.
- A couple of weeks ago, I purchased the QS8s. Right away upon first listening, something is wrong, one of the woofers makes this awful grizzling noise at all frequencies. Once Again I need to contact Axiom and once again there is no trouble in getting a replacement.
- So then I go to replace the bad driver and I noticed this screw problem. This could have been easily caught by the person responsible for assembling the speaker since you're trying to tie a screw and nothing gets tied !?!
So now, I think that Axiom, like so many ID companies offers great value for the money. However I am building my system one step at the time because, relatively speaking, it’s not cheap and it takes time and hard work for me to save for it. I think that with this price tag should come great sound and great customer service which Axiom definitely has but also great reliability and a great final product problem free. I should be able to get a product with no defect.
So, would I ever recommend Axiom to friends as a great product for the money? Certainly as I already have a few times. Can I tell my friends that they will receive a product with no mistakes and working flawlessly? Unfortunately I can’t because my experience has been far from being headache free. It’s just too many problems with so few purchases. So either I am extremely unlucky or something should be improved in QC/QA.
Now about the QS8s:
I don't know if it's is because it's my first HT or just simply because they are amazing but I really loves them. Their position is far from ideal since they are on my back wall but they are doing a wonderful job at making you feel like you are there.
I listened to some CDs in PLII and NEO6 and really like the ambiance created even though for some reason, in NEO6 it sounds like there is to much echo, I'm not sure if it's the algorithm or my settings. I particularly enjoy 5 CH stereo.
Concerts (DVD and Blu): the concerts that I heard had mostly the crowd mixed in the rears which gives a good feeling about being there. The exception was the Eagles, Hell freezes over, where there even the instruments are mixed in the surrounds. Not lossless but excellent DTS 5.1 mix BTW.
For me, where the QS8s really shine is for movies. It's a completely different experience. Somebody said on another thread that one doesn't have a HT until he has surround and he was darn right. A few good scenes that I've found so far:
- The Matrix: lobby scene and when Neo dodges the bullets in slow motion (priceless)
- The Matrix Reloaded: the car chase
- Star wars phantom menace: the pod race is spectacular but there is constant surround throughout the whole movie
- Daredevil: when he wakes up in the hospital and discover the super sense.
- Wanted: good surround mix thru the whole movie.
My only problem now is that I find myself paying to much attention to what is in the surround and actually lose some of the enjoyment of watching a movie just to watch a movie
. I am sure that will go away once the excitement starts to fade
In conclusion, I really like the QS8s, really recommend them, and I hope to receive my replacement soon and hopefully there will be no problem this time.
