My M80HP’s arrived yesterday – they shipped surprisingly quickly – left Axiom Thursday via regular shipping, arrived Monday morning (In Vancouver).
So, for a quick, very unprofessional review after 4 hours of listening. First, they replace an old set of Klipsch Heresy speakers, so my basis for comparison is those, and a pair of Linn Majik 109’s that a friend has.
My hopes were that the M80’s would have bass response at least as good as the Kilpsch (with it’s 12” woofers) but would surpass it in the mid’s and high’s (where I thought the Kilpsch was weak). And would compare to the Linn’s mids and highs but with better bass.
Maybe my expectations were unrealistically low – but suffice to say they were blown away by the M80 HP’s – the bass extension on them is incredible – the Holly Cole Temptation CD became an entirely new piece of music to me – the bass was deeper, clearer, far more visceral than the Linn’s or the Klipsch’s were able to show. And the mids and highs were clear and spacious, much better than even the Linn’s were able to produce. And when you crank the volume up, they really shine – Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon just sounded better and better as it got louder – everything stayed crisp and clean, with nothing strained – very comfortable to listen to. And last, my Hi-Def copy of Kuniko’s Cantus was a thing of beauty – the marimba rang clear notes in a completely empty soundscape - the impacts of the hammers were separate from the notes, the music itself just floated.
And last, nothing to do with the sound – but I got them with the walnut veneer – and Axiom did a great job – the finish is excellent.
So, after 4 hours, Axiom has a very happy customer.
Rick
