I would recommend auditioning the axioms, even if it is a little strange. I auditioned mine a few months back to a total stranger through this board and it was quite pleasant. We had some coffee, listened to some tunes, and then he went on his way. Listening to these speakers in a willing axiom owner's home will be much less annoying than dealing with pushy/snooty sales people in a high end audio store. And really, if you want to be sure of what you're getting it's worth the hour or so to go and give them a listen.
