Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo It's Been Nice

Well, the time has come for me to sell my M60's and VP150. When I bought the speakers my listening preferences were 75% movies and 25% music. It is currently 80% music and 20% movies. After I bought my turntable and began to listen to music for extended periods of time, I realized I began to get fatigued as I listened to volumes at moderate to high levels. My wife usually asks me to lower the volume when she's in the room and "tells me she's getting a headache." Late evening (lower volume) levels never bothered me and I really enjoyed the sound. I've added wall treatments, changed cartridges and repositioned the speakers numerous times, but I've been unable to rid my system of the bright, harsh sounds I hear when listening to vinyl or cd at louder levels. As for movies, I absolutely love the M60's. I wish I had the money to keep them as my 5.1 speakers, but that is not feasible. I've been auditioning speakers (Monitor Audio Silver RS6's, B&W 603, 704's) and hope to find something that suits my 2 channel preferences a little more. Tomorrow I'm off to hear some Quad 22L's, various JMLabs and hopefully some Wharfedale Diamond 9.6's. I will be keeping my QS8's as they are wonderful surround speakers. Thanks to everyone at Axiom and here in the forum who answered any questions I had.

Well, I'm sorry the M60s didn't do it for you. Hopefully you can find some speakers you like (there are plenty to choose from).

Don't be afraid to stop posting here. It's not like a requirement that you own Axiom speakers. We just won't believe anything you say from now on!

It's interesting. I enjoy my 60's and 22's for home theater but I tend to enjoy them the most when listening to DVD audio and SACD's. I just think this is what shows them off best. Of course my room might have a lot to do with this preference compared with yours.

Happy hunting. Don't forget that when you take your new speakers home they will sound very diff. from the store demo!

i'll buy your VP150!!! email me or call me tomorrow ok?

mduxter@cogeco.ca

i really need it!

This is the time when the "Combined M3 M40 M50 Posse" does some self anyalysis and wonders "What If"?

At down around 10 or 15% we're sometimes too small to be heard or taken seriously.

If we'd have been a bit more aggressive, perhaps this thread would have had a different tone.

To bad your Axiom's didn't work out for you. Because they are so accurate/efficient/neutral, they produce the music faithful to the original recording. In other words, junk in junk out. If I listen to a CD that is poorly recorded, you will hear those flaws. When listening to a track that is produced with high quality, it will sound amazing.

What your hearing is not the speaker being bright/harsh, etc. You said it yourself, you are listening to vinyl. You may have a problem finding speakers that muffle or give you a laid back sound.

Good Luck on your venture...

Try to demo some Magnepans if there is a dealer near you and if you have the space and WAF for them. Very nonfatiguing, "you are there" experience . Good luck and have fun with your hunt for new speakers.

In reply to:

---

My wife usually asks me to lower the volume when she's in the room and "tells me she's getting a headache."

---

I am running m60's in my stereo only no sub system. Obviously 100% music listening. I love them at high and low volumn levels. It never fails that when the wife is out of the house the volumn creeps up pretty high. She "always" makes a negative comment when she comes in. I usually turn it down before she comes in if I hear the car pulling in. When I don't, it is not long before she tells me she has a headache. If you are looking for speakers that won't give wives a headache at loud volumns your choices will be few and far between.
Most women just don't like music played as loudly as men do.

Get yourself a pair of high quality head phones and have the best of both worlds.
oz

In reply to:

---

Try to demo some Magnepans if there is a dealer near you and if you have the space and WAF for them.

---

Seconded. Excellent speakers. Very poor WAF which is why I don't own a pair.

>Get yourself a pair of high quality head phones and have the best of both worlds.<

Oz I've been offering to buy my wife a high quality set of ear plugs for the last year with no avail. What is it with women and HGTV, 'Sex In The City', shoes, cats and...'IT'S TOO DAMN LOUD' anyway?

In reply to:

---

'IT'S TOO DAMN LOUD'

---

15 to 20 less volume on the scale when she enters the house here. Mark Johnson's "kick in the chest" sound only happens when she's not at home.

In reply to:

---

What is it with women and HGTV, 'Sex In The City', shoes, cats and...'IT'S TOO DAMN LOUD' anyway?

---

LOL

Sounds like my wife, but in her case it's Grey's Anatomy, House, and Boston Legal, among others. lol

I do actually like Boston Legal though. Between William Shatner and James Spader, those two are a non stop riot.


Sutter

EARPLUGS!! I love it. Why didn't I think of that. Probably much cheaper than my Grados.
oz

In reply to:

---

What is it with women and HGTV, 'Sex In The City', shoes, cats and...'IT'S TOO DAMN LOUD' anyway?

---

Exactly!! Women are starting to be as predictable as men. jejeje

Not tonight honey I have a headache.
When my Axiom's arrive if she tells me that she better be talking about sex.

In reply to:

---

15 to 20 less volume on the scale when she enters the house here. Mark Johnson's "kick in the chest" sound only happens when she's not at home.

---

Same hear if not having to turn it completely off due to dislike of the music genre or particular band. Loud when she's gone, easy listening when she is home.

But that is why some genious came up with the whole home theater idea. At least we can enjoy a movie at a nice loud level which shows off my speakers and sub quite nicely. In fact she is usually the one that asks for a little more volume! And I am all too willing to oblidge.

In reply to:

---

When my Axiom's arrive if she tells me that she better be talking about sex.

---

Well done.

You can probably keep your current Axiom setup for HT and get another, dedicated 2 channel system ;-) in the living room, your studio, or whenever you listen to music most.

I saw you had B&W 704s in your list. I had the chance to listen to 703s (a little more expensive than 704s). Sounded great for me! I really suggest you should have a listen if you can afford them. You may add Paradigm Studio 100 V3, and Totem Forrest in your list. Please keep us informed what you got, and as I suggested above: keep your Axioms as well!!!!!

I'm becoming more and more convinced that speaker complaints like "overly bright" or at the other end "muffled sounding" are mostly caused by speaker-room interactions. That is, I don't think that your speakers are by themselves bright, but they may sound that way in your listening space.

If possible, some room treatments might make a big difference. If you really feel like you've got to make a change, you might also consider Onyx Rockets. While I haven't heard them, they are considered similar to Axioms but a little more laid back.

Good luck,

Bill

damn it. i gotta get a hold of this guy so i can buy his vp150. does anyone know him??? or have a phone number for him?

Actually it is against Forum rules to discuss selling/buying speakers. Sorry, I didn't make the rules...

Have you tried sending him a PM to keep this private?

Some people in the past have called axiom and they've been sent different crossovers...this may be an alternative especially if costs are a factor. I believe they are free of charge and only require clipping in two wires.

O.K., I'd like to settle some misconceptions people had with my post. First, I understand that modern recordings are very compressed and that Axiom's are neutral speakers. I just hate having 600 cd's and I can't listen to but 50. I prefer vinyl for various reasons, one of which is a more "warm" sound I get compared with cd. I don't want to argue this point, it's my personal opinion. Secondly, my wife loves loud music, just not on my speakers. She calls them "bright" for lack of a better word and says they give her headaches. WAF doesn't exist in my household (fortunately). If I wanted the speakers I would have kept them. It was totally my decision.

I listened to several speakers today. Wharfedale Evo 30's, Monitor Studio Silver RS6's, PSB speakers (not sure of model), Quad 22L and Harbeth Monitor 30's. The Monitor Audio was easily the weakest of the speakers. Not enough bass, small soundstage, thin sounding. I had two friends with me during the auditions. One a Paradigm Reference Studio 60 owner and the other a Rocket 750 and 850 owner. We listened to Quad 22L's first. Absolutely amazing! We played several genres of music and each of us made the comment how crystal clear they were. Phenomenal soundstaging, great bass extension and just downright musical. We then listened to the PSB's, which in their defense was in an open area. My friend who owns the Paradigms commented how boring the sounded. I think that pretty much summed it up for all of us. Nothing special aside from a good bass, We then listened to the Wharfedale's who the salesman seemed to not like very much. Well, we all agreed that they were very good speakers and that given the same room treatments as the Quad's they might be in the same ballpark. The Evo's had really low bass and had great soundstaging. They weren't as clear and instruments were not as crisp as the Quad's but this may have been due to the area we auditioned them. We left that Hi-fi shop and headed over to another to pick-up my new Dynavector cartridge. We had the opportunity to listen to a $3500 pair of Harbeth Monitor 30's. We all had different opinions of them. Paradigm owner loved them. I enjoyed them, but thought them a bit warm. Rockets owner disliked them over a period of time and said they were too warm. That says a lot considering he has the 750's. We all agreed they had the best soundstage of all the speakers. They lacked bass compared to all of the floorstanders (obviously) aside from the Monitor Audio speakers. They lacked a bit of dynamics for my taste, particularly at that ridiculous price.

As I've said before, I really loved my Axiom's for home theater, they just didn't suit my tastes for 2 channel. A few people have made it sound as though I was bad mouthing the speakers which was never my intention. Different strokes for different folks. I've made my decision and will be picking up a pair of Quad 22L's sometime soon (I'm still stinging from the $380.00 for the Dynavector cartridge). I forgot to mention that we all agreed that the finish on the Quad's was exceptional. 7 layers of laquer and a birdseye maple finish. They were stunning and they had the sound to match (for me anyway). Have fun and enjoy the music everyone.

please check your PM's. i NEED your vp150 center. i'm ready to pay ya. please get back to me? thanks

Michael

Hello Doubting Thomas 29

I've been thinking about your post since yesterday and have a few thoughts.

First, I agree with you about vinyl, there is an undeniable magic to a well recorded piece of music played on a good table through a good cartridge ... folks who look at graphs won't get it. You've got to hear it.

Second, it may be your amplification that is the problem rather than your Axioms. May I ask about the rest of your system?

Third, the room is the most significant factor in sound quality. In my last home, I had my big system in a large bedroom in which nothing sounded right. I went from Infinity Composition Overture 3s, to Axiom M50s, to Michaura M665s and then Thiel CS 3.6s, just never sounded right no matter the amplification or receiver or source.

My living room on the other hand made a Sony boom box sound outstanding. Go figure.

Fourth, I've had Wharfedale Diamonds, and they are great speakers.

Fifth, if you like vinyl, maybe you might want to go with tubes?

No one asked, but here's what I would do ...

(1) swap your Axiom mains for whatever you're considering and make sure they sound better in your room than your Axioms. If the new speakers don't sound better ... return them and save your money for something that will make a difference.

(2) Get yourself a nice Prima Luna tube amp (integrated), pour a nice single malt and rainwater, kick back in your favorite listening chair and get ready for some audio nirvana.

Anyway, you're obviously an open minded person who trusts his ears instead of conventional wisdom. Let us know what you end up doing and how it all sounds. Audio is a journey. Someday there'll be inexpensive systems which are indistinguishable in sound quality from the real thing. In the mean time we tweak, we swap components, we search for the true sound.

Good luck brother.

2x6spds, Thanks for advice and kind words. I'm glad to see another vinyl afficionado on the site.

My system consists of a NAD C352 Integrated amp, NAD PP2 phono pre-amp, Rega P3 w/ Dynavector 10x5 (vinyl) and Cambridge Audio 540D (CD/DVD/DVDA).

As for the room, I've done a bit with treatments and such, but not a lot of improvement sound wise. I really hope I don't have some sort of acoustically challenged room.

The Wharfedale Diamonds were on my list of speakers to audition, but I was fortunate enough to run across the Evo's instead. They were my second favorite speaker auditioned behind the Quad's.

Funny thing you mention the Prima Luna Integrated tube amp. After I had my cartridge replaced and set-up yesterday, the dealer tested the tracking using the Prima Luna. I didn't hear any magic from it, but it sure looked great. Not sure if the tubes have to warm up or not. One of these days I'd really like to get one and try it out at home.

Not sure if you've ever heard the Quad 22L's or not. If you haven't, do yourself a favor and give them a listen. The sound is every bit as good as advertised. I'll let you know how the Quad's sound after I get them set-up which will probably be after the holidays. Till then....the journey continues.