Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Speaker comparison

I'm a newbie here so please take it easy on me when I ask this question! I'm building out my basement and am including a home theater. It should be in the neighborhood of 19' x 12' x 7' in dimension. I've been evaluating Klipsch, RBH, and Axiom. I already have Klipsch Reference speakers upstairs in a 5.1 system for my family room, so I am familiar with them. I've read a lot about Axiom speakers but have not been able to hear them first hand.
I would like to ask those with a discriminating ear and with an honest opinion how they think Axiom compares to Klipsch and RBH and whether they are satisifed with their performance.
To give you an idea of my setup, I'll probably go with the m80 towers up front with the matching center and m22 bookshelves for the surrounds and rears. I'll also either use one or two of the EP500s for my sub. All of these I'll mate to a Pioneer Elite VSX-74TXVi.
I would like to read your comments and get a good understanding of what you feel are Axiom's strengths/weaknesses compared to RBH and Klipsch (if you have the listening experience). Thanks!

I've read alot of reviews on this board but I don't think I have ever seen one for RBH speakers. That would be interesting.

On the Audioholics 2005 Product of the Year page they picked RBH speakers for their "cost no object" speaker system, and Axioms for "moderately priced high performance". The RBH system was $23,000 while the Axiom was under $4,000.

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/2005productawards.php

EDIT -- just took a quick glance at the review... looks like it might focus more on the RBH cabinetry system than on the speakers themselves.

I've never heard the Klipsch or RBH, but if you do go with Axiom in a 7.1 configuration, I HIGHLY recommend using the QS8's as surrounds and either the M22ti or M2i as rears. Don't pass up the amazing QS8's.

I totally agree on the QS8s. Great surrounds!

I have heard that RBH speakers are very nice, however, as John mentioned, they are higher in price. I think Axiom is the best bang-for-the-buck speaker out there, especially for a direct supplier. I used to own Klipsch, but long term did not like the horn sound, I wanted something that was more faithful to the recording I was listening.

I also agree with Spiff on the Qs8's, they are the best surround out on the market, in my opinion. No direct radiating (bookshelf) will give you the same experience. They are also very very good for music. I personally prefer Qs8's all the way around, but that is just me.

If you live in Maryland, there may be someone in your area with Axiom's willing to audition for you. Check the Hearing Things forum.

There are a few people in your state as well as adjoining states. DJStunna has 60's which are very close to the 80's. Just PM any of those folks.

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Auditions&Number=76567&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=1

Also check out these maps, we are currently working on them.

http://www.frappr.com/axiomauditions

http://www.frappr.com/axiomauditions

sirquack,what model klipsch did you own?

Ron, It has been a little time since I had them, I believe they were RF3-II's. Actually, a friend of mine was upgrading to the next higher line of Klipsch and wanted to sell them to me, so I auditioned them in my home for about a month back before I heard some Axiom's.

I did like them a lot, but long term I don't think I would have liked the sound from the horns. Back in my metal days of the 80's I probably would have kept them. However, my 60's are killer whenever I get the itch to listen to some Whitesnake, Dokken, Winger, Tesla, etc....

Thanks for the recommendation on the QS8s, I'll take a look at them!

I was actually looking at RBH's "in wall" speakers to basically have a nice clean theater setup. However, as my wife very wisely points out, if we decide to leave the house, that becomes a larger problem. I did point out that if we did go with those speakers I would rip them out of the walls if we moved! However, I do like that the Axiom speakers dimensions seem smaller than the Klipsch's Reference line. And just doing a bit of online digging revealed that there are truly many people that absolutely swear by the QS8s. It makes me wonder if it might be wiser to go with the new Axiom in-wall/on-wall M22 equivalents for the fronts and because the QS8s are already small enough, use them for the surrounds and back. My only concern would be that the M22s would not produce a lot of power or that the quality of the sound would be considerably less than the M60s or M80s. Also, does anybody have an opinion on whether it is better to go with two EP350s, one EP500, or two EP500s? I really couldn't manage the space required for the EP600 unless it lay flat on its side.