Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Help With Speaker Selection

Nice write-up, Rich. You're right, the hardest part is choosing which Axiom speaker to get. Bottom line--you can't really go wrong.

I love the fact that Axiom still offers the M50s. I haven't heard them--I was lucky enought to snag one of the M40s--but I like that the M50s offer a slightly different sound then the M60s and M80s. People have different tastes and a more expensive speaker doesn't always qualify as the "better" speaker.

The one thing I feel really, really,..uh,..really bad about, Sean; was not taking the chance a few years ago to audition all three of the "competing" floorstanders at the same time in my home!! I'd have loved to have the M40, M50 and M60s there to line up next to my M3s!

But I missed my chance!

I'm guessin' that, from warmest to coolest, that the M40 would have been the warmest and most "Tube" like, with the M3, as I found in my home; just about neutral, with the performers almost exactly at the speaker plane. And then the M50s I notice to be just a tad more foreward from the M3s and a bit closer to my understanding of the M60s; moving a little more foreward and cooler yet.

You're right though! It's great to have a choice within the Axiom framework of similar sounds! No lack of family resemblence here! Ya can't go wrong at that

And John is also correct with his A, B, and C "feelings" anallogy! Varying degrees of all three at different times and differing intensities!

It's been(and IS!) a fun trip!
Rich.

Mark, welcome. Usually my preference is bookshelves plus sub, but your GTP400 is a basic two-channel pre-amp with no provision for bass management. If you stay with it you won't be able to take best advantage of a bookshelf/sub combo without additional processing to crossover at e.g. 80Hz; the bookshelves would run full-range. So, the better move in my view would be to go with the M60s if the budget can be stretched or the M50s if not. With your 15' longest room dimension, room gain beginning at about 38Hz will give a theoretical 12dB per octave bass boost, which should result in good bass down into the mid 20s. This should be very good with nearly all music(pipe organ 16 Hz pedal excepted)although not as impressive with explosions and other LFE in movies as a good sub would be.

Long-range, even for an all-music setup, you might consider multi-channel equipment which can process(e.g. DPLII, Logic 7)two-channel source material and send surround ambience to surround speakers such as the QSs, where it belongs, with a resulting increase in realism.

Rich, that would have been a fun comparison--having three floorstanders. I have to say, the M40s do exhibit a "tube" like sound, and subsequently I prefer driving them with a solid-state amp.

Someday I may move on to different speakers, but I think I'm going to hang on to the M40s. After all, they are a collector's item now!

Ya know Sean, when I used the term "Tube like" in desribing what I thought the M40s may be like, it was actually meant to be a supreme complement!!

Really!!

I currently have a diningroom system with a solid state amp driving some brand "X" speakers that, unfortunately, is my primary "tunes" room. And as my main music site, my final vision for it is a pair of M3s driven by tubes, or perhaps a Sonic T-Amp, and(maybe)accompanied by a smaller musical sub.

The dream that "went away" was the same room with a pair of M40s, all on their lonesome, perhaps driven by the older Onkyo that I'm currently using now.

Speaking of "collectors' items" If I'd have gotten some M40s; then I'd have a complete "matched set" of all three M3 style Axiom speakers! Yeow!!

Insert uncontrolled sobbing, right "here"
Rich.

Someday I want to try a system very similar to what you have in mind with your M3s. I'm thinking an SET amp and a small musical sub. With the right components, it could be a very sweet little system.

Thanks for all the advice. I am leaning towards the 50's and I figure I can always upgrade to the 60's within 30 days and still get the free shiping both ways. Whatever I decide, I better do it quick with the price increase on the 17th.

Just spoke with Brent and ordered a pair of the M50's. Should be at my door on Wednesday.

Congrats on the new buys.

Now it's anticipation!!!!

Ohh, the excitement of waiting!

Only thing is, I was absolutely flabbergasted my axioms came when they did. I went to the door thinking "Oh, my receiver is here" since I ordered it from a state away, and my AXIOM's where here in TWO DAYS from Canada.

Anyways, enjoy your purchase.