I had these delivered a few days ago and, so far, I am very pleased. I had never heard Axioms before but all the positive reviews at AudioReview coupled with the posts here convinced me to try them and take a chance that I would not have to pay substantial shipping charges to send these back (I have previously paid $85 to send a dead HK7200 back to OneCall).
What I am hearing from the M60's is music that is extremly clear, voices that seem like they are right in front of you, very good bass (which is good because I am not getting a subwoofer for this set-up) and the ability to hear each distinct instrument a lot easier. My first impression when I hooked them up was "Wow, these are great" which was the impression I was hoping for. Often you read about speaker reviews from buyers of other brands on forums that start first with slight disappointment and then more and more satisfaction as they say the speakers get broken in. I am not sure if these people are just trying to convince themselves that they made a smart purchase. I have read on this forum from some Axiom people that break-in is a myth which my uneducated, untrained, middle-age ears might be inclined to agree with.
As a point of reference I am using the M60's for stereo only with a vintage receiver (1977 Sansui 9090DB, 125 watts per channel). I bought this back in my college days and never had the heart to get rid of it as it is truly a beautiful receiver in contrast to the black boxes you buy today.
Also I should note that I have a home theater in my basement where I am using Ascend speakers (4-170's and 1-340) and an SVS which I am also very happy with. To be honest if Ascend made a true floorstanding speaker, I probably would have purchased that rather than taking a chance on the Axioms.
But again, I couldn't be more pleased with the Axioms. What had me slightly concerned about purchasing them is the rap that you read that they are too bright. I am not sure exactly what that means but what I am hearing is much more detail which is pleasing to my ears. On a final note, the fit and finish on these speakers is excellent.
