Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Are Axioms bright?

I am seriously considering a set of axioms for my home theater centered around the m50's. I haven't been able to listen to any axiom speakers since there is no-one in my area doing demos, so I was just going to do the 30 day safety net.

I have heard many comments on various boards that axioms are bright and fatiguing. Personally, I do not prefer a warm, laid back speaker. For example, I did not enjoy the Monitor audio speakers I demoed in the store.

My prime contenders for axiom m50's are the Paradigm Monitor 7 and the PSB image T55 mains. On the brightness scale, are the axioms comparible, brighter or more laid back. All these speakers use a metal dome tweeter, which I have found that I prefer over a soft dome.

What is the opinion of actual axiom owners?

bflat

I'm amazed at how many time this question gets asked on the forum, well actually maybe I'm not. I used to LIVE over at AVSforum and got tired of battling with people on this same question. Everyone has different taste, but I would never consider Axioms bright. Define Bright? Define Laid Back? Everyone has a different definition.

I guess I would say that my Axiom m60's are very neutral. They will faithfully reproduce the recording you are playing. So basically if you have a CD that was recorded crappy, the Axiom's will bring out those flaws. On the flip side, CD and music DVD's that are done with the highest quality, will blow you away.

Nobody will ever pry my m60's away from me, unless of course I upgrade to 80's, which is possible...

Showing the flaws in a bad recording is one of the things the I really liked about the PSB Image T55's. In fact, I have a few tracks on my demo CD that I put there specifically to find the flaws. They are mostly older recordings where you can hear the limitations of the equipment.

Have you heard the PSB's for comparison?

bflat

I have not, when I was looking for speakers over a year ago I auditioned B&W, Paradigm, NHT, and a few others. I really love my Axioms.

You say nobody is in your neck of the woods? Where do you live? Also, I do think from what others have said on this website, that the m50's have a slightly more laid back sound than the 60's or 80's, man I can't believe I just said that.

You might try searching on this forum for PSB, as I think it has been discussed in the past...

bflat,
I do find my Axiom M60s bright sometimes though it is dependant on the recording and the material being played. Articulate detail can be found in any well made speaker.

If you found Monitor Audios to be 'laid back' (although you did not mention which models so i'm assuming at least Silvers or Golds) then you will certainly find the Axiom M50s recessed. If you are considering Axioms and want a forward sound, i suggest you look at the M22/M60/M80s.

Paradigm, Energy and PSB all make good speakers and also often have a neutral sound. The Energy Connoisseur series has quite a flat frequency response from their NRC graphs, but personally i'm not a fan.

Hello bflat,

SirQuack is correct about the M50s. They are not quite as "revealing" in terms of midrange clarity and detail as are the M60s and M80s (and M22/M2s). The M50s are very similar to the M3s, except the M50s have more low bass output.

I've not heard the particular PSB model you mention but having known the designer, Paul Barton (the brand name is his and his wife's initials) for more than 25 years, and reviewed many of their models while I was a magazine editor, I would say that the PSBs are similarly neutral, with a slight edge going to the Axioms overall.

It's odd how the meaning of "bright" has changed over the years. That used to be a compliment--the opposite of a dull-sounding speaker. As SirQuack stated, the Axioms are wonderful with excellent recordings--certainly not fatiguing or "bright" in the new sense.

You really should listen to the M60s or M80s (or M22s with a sub) to get a clear sense of the transparent, revealing nature of Axioms. The M60s/M80s are very similar to the PSB Stratus Gold, which I did review for a magazine.

Regards,

To be honest I don't really want to consider the M60s or M80s since they will blow the budget on my theater. The 80s are right out, but to afford the 60's I would have to drop to the QS4 rear and vp100 center from the larger models. For me, theater is the main focus, so I wanted to balance the speaker size for the whole room. Though this is another discussion.

I don't remember what monitor speakers I heard. In the store I listened to Paradigm Monitor 7, and some equally priced klipsch and monitor. I like the paradigm best and never wrote down model numbers for the others.

Now that I start thinking about it again (it was a few months ago) I am not sure that laid back is the best description of the Monitor speakers. I just remember that I felt they colored the sound more than I liked, though not nearly as much as the klipsch. I wasn't listening to my music though, so it could have been the recording. Maybe I should make another listening trip. I digress...

I am actually in brantford (Alan, How many people email you questions from brantford?) so there is someone nearby that have the M80s, but they are out of my price range, and appear to sound different from Alan's description.

bflat

Order thru the factory outlet and get a 10% discount, then use the discount to upgrade to the M60's. All it will cost you is a few weeks of waiting.

I agree, I ordered all my 7.1 setup from the Outlet, got the 10%, plus Axiom gives you the standard 5% if you buy 5 or more items at the same time...

I actually knew about both those discounts. I was planning on ordering a 5.1 set from the factory outlet to get the ~15% discount and keep everything under $3k. (M50, VP150, QS8, EP350).

If anything I was thinking about stepping up to a EP500 if I had any money to spare, but it seems that the M50 is the red-headed stepchild that nobody wants. Are the M60 really worth $250 more?

Boy did we get off topic? :-)
I would still love to hear from anybody with an opinion of M50 vs PSB T55.

bflat

>>I am actually in brantford (Alan, How many people email you questions from brantford?) so there is someone nearby that have the M80s, but they are out of my price range, and appear to sound different from Alan's description.

I'm in the Toronto area (a bit on the other side from Brantford) and have both M40s and M60s if you want to hear them. The 50s apparently sound somewhere in between...

Believe it or not I have never actually A/B'ed the 40s and 60s. I did A/B my M2s and M60s with a borrowed pair of M3s and was surprised how SMALL the difference was between them.

JB

Bridgman where exactally are you? My parents live near Oshawa, so I come through there often.

bflat

Hello I am very new here BUT I thought I would add my .02 here so to speak. I just recently as this past weekend got to hear the M80's, M3's, VP150, and the QS8's and the sound was anything but "BRIGHT". In fact, I would describe the sound and very natural and accurate. That is, the sound is totally uncolored especially in the mid-range voices. I actually love the sound and as a result will be an Axiom owner in the very near future. The build quality is top notch and the speakers sound as good as they look. Funny thing is the QS8's look a lot bigger on the website but boy they sure are built like a tank. The M3's looked bigger than they do on the website. Likewise, the VP150 surely has some weight to it as do the QS8's. All in all, I left very impressed and the Master and Commander scene not only made me feel like I was right there in the middle of the action BUT it was absolutely breath taking. The EP500 is truly amazing. Hope this helps. Good luck in your decision.

Wow. That sentence really has the possibility of pissing me off--as a red headed owner of M50s.

I'm very satisfied with the M50s in comparison with the 60s, 80s, and 22s. They're as Alan describes, but it's not really that noticeably different, unless you're doing immediate A/Bs. I was in a similar position--can't quite afford M60s, certainly not M80s, but I wanted Axioms, so 50s it was.

They have a few Axiom models on display and can be listened to.

Number One Sound
416-532-6134
952 College Street,
Toronto, ON M6H 1A5

Saturn

Dude, that's your natural hair color, Peter told me you were a natural California Blonde. Anyway, there is nothing wrong with the 50's, that is for sure...

I would not call my M3's laid back nor bright but balanced. A friend on the boards brought his M22's over and we listened to them back and forth. I wouldn't call the M22's bright either but they did have a little more forward sound in the midrange. But he had to couple his speakers with a sub at all times while I don't.



(I do lust for a pair of M60's however )

I'm only 40 minutes or so away in Burlington...

M60
VP150
QS8
HSU VTF-3 MK2

Take a look at the Axiom frequency response curves and tell me what is "bright" about them??

I thought that the frequency response curves looked good, and was suprised that they were even published by the company. Most response curves I found were done by third parties. I was just asking if Axioms are "bright" in a way that I would like, instead of all the negative "bright" comments I read at AVS forum. Not having ever heard Axiom speakers (yet), I can't really comment on how they sound. But I don't like a "warm" speaker, so... I probably will like the axioms based on peoples comments in this thread.

Thanks

Hay, I sent you a privite message.

PS> I did not mean to offend anyone with the red headed stepchild comment.

I don't think of my Axioms as bright or warm. I think my M3 centers blend very well with the M80 mains.

Hi Ken,

Absolutely. We are talking nuances here, and all of my comments on the relative balance of Axiom's models are based on instantaneous A/B comparisons. The M50s are nicely balanced, as are the M3s, with perhaps 2 dB less output through the midrange.

When each model is auditioned on its own, without immediate A/Bs, these slight tonal differences evaporate.

Regards,

In reply to:

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Take a look at the Axiom frequency response curves and tell me what is "bright" about them??

---

Everything is relative. If you're used to a recessed high end, then of course the Axioms will sound brighter than what you're used to. Just like if you're used to bloated bass, the Axioms might sound anemic in the bass area at first.

The important thing to remember is that the Axioms are quite accurate, as revealed by frequency response graphs.

I'm not an audiophile or anything, but my 60's have brightened my smile every time I listen to them. They are amazing. Guy

>>Bridgman where exactally are you? My parents live near Oshawa, so I come through there often.

I'm kind of half way through moving. The old house is in Scarborough (the M40s are there today) and the new house is north of Bowmanvile, right near Mosport.

It would probably be easiest to move the M40s up to the new house so you can A/B them. I'm keeping them at the old house right now to give it some class