Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Bookshelf hell!

Since the speakers will be placed on an entertainment center (top) and the tower is not an option, I will continue down the monitor path. I have auditioned small speakers that could easily do the trick. The sub can make or break this setup.

The tweeter and mid on many monitors are the exact same component on the towers in many cases.

My goal is not loud, it is excellent quality and a great value. This system will remain a two channel and my next room will get my first home theater setup. I have never been that interested in home theaters, but am in the process of finishing my basement in my new home.

Again, thank you for the advise.

Sitting close to the speakers will do just fine.

However, how "high" are you putting the M22's? Are they going to be in tight places? M22's need a few inches in the back for the port "breathe".

Al, welcome. Any speaker can "fill" the room that it's playing in; the question is if you can have an adequately high sound level at your listening position. This can be roughly calculated using reasonable assumptions. Budget appears to be a major factor in your decision and at reasonable levels you should do well with M2s plus one of several fine subs in the $200-$300 range, such as the Hsu STF-1, Outlaw LFM-2 and XSub from AV123.

Hello aladinsan

I've had M22s, M3s, M2s (M50s) as well. I've used each of these speakers for music with a sub. In my systems, the speaker which worked best for me was the Axiom M3Tis. Not by a little, by a lot. They imaged better than the M50s. I think the soundstage they throw is better than the M50s as well. The M3s are more musical than the M2s.

Personally, I think there are things that bookshelf speakers can do that towers do not do as well. Disappearing is one - superior soundstaging, superior imaging. The M3s are stars. They are not perfect - but they're great.

This seems to be at the heart of my decision. The M2i vs. the M3i. The speakers will be set rather high, which is not optimal (80"). Imaging and soundstaging comments in articles I read seem to conflict with each other. The M2i's receive high marks for clarity and detail.

They are so close in price, I am trying to direct myself to getting this right up front. I do not change system components very often, as exhibited by my amps.

I am also looking for articles the compare either speaker with more recent versions of speakers I have actually heard in stores. Much of what I have read is from 2000-2003.

Again, thank you for the advice. Trying to learn about subs is just as confusing. I want musical subs w/ accurate base, not distorted loud movie base. I would prefer a unit that is not to big! The AV123 looks attractive, but where is it sold?

X-Sub

I would go with M3s given the size of your room unless you are going to only be listening at modest SPLs. They have a slight bass bump around 100-150 Hz as do most small speakers designed for standalone use but I don't think you will notice that very much.

The M2s are REALLY nice and extremely accurate (I ran a pair with sub for quite a while before upgrading to M60s) but the woofer is pretty small and that does limit the amount of "loud" you can get...

X-sub

How good is it compared to EP125 or EP175? How good are these low powered Axiom?

Thanks,
Gena

I have m3's and m22's and m80's.

the m3's are much better than the m22's for stand alone music (more bass).

if running a sub, i'd go with m22's as they are much more detailed with better mids.

Why not buy all three, try them out, send back the two sets you don't want? that's what the 30 day in home trial period is for.

Hello aladinsan,

The M22 in blind A/B tests is essentially indistinguishable from Pardigm's Studio 20, with a hair (perhaps 1 dB) more midrange and treble detail audible from the M22. The M2i is extremely close but not quite the equal of the M22 in clarity and detail. Both are more neutral than the B&W 600 Series. I've not heard the Vienna speakers so can't comment on those.

Both the M2i and M22 are more linear than the Energy. The Paradigm Studio 20 has a tiny bass hump like the M3ti, with a little less midrange and treble detail but we are talking nuances here.

Defining "musicality" is vague. If you run the M3 without a sub, then it's more musical because it has more subjective bass output. With a sub, either the M22 or M2 are more "musical" than the M3 because there is more clarity and detail in the mids and upper octaves than the M3 has.

But that term "musical" is kind of dumb. Speakers are not musical instruments, intended to impart their own sets of harmonics and tonal colorations to the incoming recorded signals of musical instruments. Ideally, they should be neutral reproducers, with no colorations added. The farther a speaker deviates from that ideal, the less neutral and the less "musical" it becomes.

A well-designed subwoofer, properly located and adjusted, will be as compelling and thrilling on powerful orchestral, jazz and pop music as it will on movie soundtracks. For your large room, the EP500 would be an excellent addition.

Regards,