I just read avikonen's post (excellent post by the way) on his speaker comparisons and thought I might share my own because they are very similar on a smaller scale. My comparisons were done using a Denon 3802. The music was Nickel Creek and Diana Krall's, Live in Paris. I'm not usually a big fan of live recordings but this one is exceptionally produced, maybe the best I've heard. I tested the Polks in my home and right away I didn't care for them much, the base had a muddy sound, almost mushy and the midrange and highs seemed laid back when compared to the amount of base and could never seem to reveal the stringed instruments. It’s almost like Polk tried to do too much with a bookshelf and fell a little short across the board.
I ordered a pair of m2's. Having no expectations of low end I liked these speakers a lot. Axiom has it dialed in when it comes to midrange and the ability to blend into the higher frequencies. For my uneducated ear, stand up bass is my measuring stick and the m2's do a great job, clear, crispy and accurate, with good imaging and a pretty deep soundstage for a smallish speaker. I found my bookshelf speaker, woo hoo! Out of curiosity I took them to our one and only hi end stereo shop (Boise). The guys there are stereo junkies (and nice guys) and their always game when it comes to comparisons. Set the m2's next to the B&W dm303's and played the Nickel Creek cd. I was a little bummed; I liked the sound of B&W's better. Even though B&W's are a little more expensive I thought the m2's would out perform them. I agree with with avikonen in his post saying that B&W extends the upper mid base giving the speaker a warmer sound, in a smaller enclosure it also makes them sound more spacious. The m2's were accurate to the point where they almost seem to hold themselves back. I have an uneducated ear and others may hear the B&W's as having a colored sound but I liked them.
The good news is I reloaded with a pair of m22's and went back and made it a good ways through the 600 series before I heard anything as good as the m22's.
Being one of the new guys on the block I would like to apologize in advance if this post is to long. Keep up the good work Axiom, your products are excellent and your customer service can't be touched.
