I participated in that test and I would agree. I don't have the experience nor the proper vocabulary to describe the subtle differences in sound I heard between the two but I will share my end result as general impressions.
At first listen, something in the 800Ds (of course I didn't know which was which at the time)caught my ear and seemed to make me prefer them. A few songs in, what first caught my ear started to become 'too obvious' and grew just a bit tiresome. I began to prefer the other speakers a bit but it was a tough call in many categories. In general, although the M3s didn't have that first attention grabbing, "in your face" emphasis, they consistently seemed to better portray all the various music tones more accurately pleasingly. ((After writing "accurately" I realized that that is probably a bit subjective. Without also hearing the exact source material as it was produced, how can I claim "accuracy?"))
Honestly, if I received either speaker as a gift, I would be extremely happy. But in the double blind testing, it turned out my score sheet gave a slight edge to the Axioms. If I had to buy them and I must say I enjoyed both, price becomes the defining factor.
Again, this is the opinion of an average Joe. I'm not a speaker professional but hats off to Axiom for allowing us average Joes in and giving us the opportunity to experience how a real double blind listening test works and for being brave enough to include the competition as part of that test.
Last edited by Murph; 03/25/11 12:41 PM. Reason: changed a thought
