Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners M2 vs M3 computer speakers

I was lucky when I ordered my computer speakers that they were still in development. I initially reasoned as you likely did and placed the order for the M2s. Then about 3 days later, thought it out a bit more and changed the order to the M3s.

Yes they were bigger speakers, but I buy for sound.

As for your question of setting levels. The windows volume control is all digital and is just upping the bit level loudness to get more volume, or in your case, cutting the bit levels to make is sound less loud. This works sort of but reality is that at low volume levels you are cutting off huge bits of sound data as you can't digitally represent quiet sounds and compress the digital volume level. Think of taking a CD with 16 bits of sound. If you cut the sound level requested in 1/4 then any data that falls in the first 3-4 bits of sound are either lost or the sound levels are severely distorted.

The speakers have a volume control on the back that is Analogue. It is taking the digital sound and applying a voltage to it. if the input is from a distorted signal is then amplified making the wrong sound worse.

However if you do it the other way around and have windows running at 3/4 volume, I think that is equivalent to line out. Then have the speaker volume set to low, then the source is not distorted just the amp in the speakers are really adding little to no additional voltage and the speaker produces a correct representation of what it was intended.

but that is just my take.. worth what you paid for it.