"Why dumb down the speaker to appeal to the lowest common denominator?"
I'd hesitate to make a blanket statement like that. I am neither dumb, nor the lowest common denominator, but the Axioms were a tad bright for me, and the resistors have served a purpose. I absolutely loved my Axioms before using the resistor (just ask my wife), and wouldn't trade them for anything. However, I live in a NYC one bedroom apartment, with one possible location to put the speakers, hardwood floors, obviously no opportunity to acoustically treat my walls (b/c it's our only living space), etc. I don't think I have sensitive ears, but the speakers occasionally sounded bright. Yes, I know this was usually due to a poor recording or my room set-up, but there are lots of poor recordings or less than ideal room set-ups out there. I would never presume to tell Axiom how to build their speakers. But, those of us who may find the Axioms a bit bright (which has been mentioned in professional reviews as well) are not dumb, and it certainly doesn't mean I don't love the Axioms. And the resistors are a nice, easy compromise to keep the Axiom sound, with somewhat reduced highs.
