Admittedly I do not pay much attention to this guy and I do not know his/Axiom's history, but I did not take that as a shot at Axiom. He was just stating what we all know and have discussed on this board, speakers designed to price points have certain compromises. He indicates that early on.
One thing I did note, he did not seem a fan of crossovers that were minimalist, as in a single component. Yet perhaps the finest speaker lineup I have ever heard (Reference 3a, and the incredible Suprema) were built to that standard.
It's impossible to get the refined performance of a passive speaker like the M5 without a brilliantly-designed analog cross-over. Nirvana of course is a single driver that covers the entire audible range. No cross-over, digital or analog, would be needed.
I know the whole history and this is why I love Ian. After listening to so many of the v4 (with more coming), I love Ian even more and Andrew too. They are Canadian heroes! I can say, without any doubt, anyone who chooses to buy non-Axiom speakers is making mistakes on many fronts.
