Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Speaker Face Off!!

Good morning everyone.

It is too bad Mark's CMT-340's didn't arrive before the session.

Here are some of my opinions on the CMT-340:
More forward than the CBM-170, more detail in the highs, better bottom end. Plays louder easily as well. Simply a more dynamic speaker. I think whatever critcism (I use that word lightly) that was given to the CBM-170, Ascend addressed it in the CMT-340.

In listening to the 340 and M22 side by side briefly at spiffnme's place last week, I detect more differences in midrange area between the two, than the highs. Since we had been listening mostly to the M60 and the Veritas 2.2, my mind seemed to match the mids of the 340 with that of the M60, and the M22 with the 2.2's. Would love to do more comparisons....but they are time consuming, and setup can be a pain.

I am going to try and A/B the CMT-340 with the M60 next week. No promises though, my room just does not lend itself well to floorstanders.

One thing for sure......they are all nice speakers, and will give the traditional brands great cost/performance competition. I love the internet direct model.

curtis

I think we might try another comparision once Mark gets his, so stay tuned....

MarkT, could you give a quick initial first impression as soon as you get a chance? With the Axiom/Ascend comparison still fresh to your ears. Then maybe a more involved and detailed report later.

Excellent comparison btw...I've been wanting to hear a Axiom/Ascend comparison for some time now.

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Unfortunately, we didn't get to do much in the way of testing with a sub. We had it hooked up early on, but turned it off completely once we realized it only worked with the speakers hooked up to A. The sub doesn't play with the B speakers...

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Yeah, I understand. And another complication of the 2.1 auditioning is, you have to re-adjust the sub level every time you switch the main speakers, according to the differing efficiencies of the mains. And the adjustment has to be always accurate to conduct a meaningful comparison.

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I love the internet direct model.

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I think there are reasons why the internet-direct speakers are so good. The lack of a middleman in the distribution chain is certainly one thing, benefiting both the manufacturer and consumer with respect to cost. But more importantly, IMO, it's the lack of all those rhetorical BS thrown by salespeople at the local dealers as well as by the "traditional" audiophile magazines. The reputation of internet-direct models, by definition, almost entirely depends on the words-of-mouths in the internet community, which tend to me much more honest and upfront, simply because they don't have to constantly "stroke" the sponsors, advertisers, or for that matter, the conventional marketing system itself. In order to survive, the internet-direct speakers have to sound darn good in their own -- and they have to in your room, where you are the boss and the pickiest reviewer.

Mark has been waiting for his speakers/setup for a LONG time. Let him enjoy it for a while before you make him lug the speakers somewhere for a comparison.

Or bring your M22's to his place. Then again, he will have a 45TX, so MCACC will come into play.

"The reputation of internet-direct models, by definition, almost entirely depends on the words-of-mouths in the internet community, which tend to me much more honest and upfront, simply because they don't have to constantly "stroke" the sponsors, advertisers, or for that matter, the conventional marketing system itself. In order to survive, the internet-direct speakers have to sound darn good in their own -- and they have to in your room, where you are the boss and the pickiest reviewer."

I agree, but I want to point out that by saying "internet community" that we do not just mean customers, but also "professional" reviews, and non-customers.

Look at me for instance and how much I want people to hear Ascends. If I were someone looking to buy speakers, I would look at what Curtis' says with a grain of salt, and do more research. I am skeptical of something that only has customer reviews.
curtis

He was mentioning something about the MCACC last night. Can someone explain better what this is and how it affects the sound?

MCACC

sushi would be better with this because he has a 45TX. But basicly what it is an automatic mechanism the adjust sound levels for each speaker...so you do not have to do it by hand with a SPL meter. And on the Elite models such as the 45tx, it also automatically does frequency equilization to adjust for a flat room response. Everything I read about it is impressive. It even does the sub's level too!

It does not EQ the sub. It only sets volume and distance.