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Re: INSANELY BRIGHT?
#16882 11/08/03 06:11 PM
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This thread which I STARTED will live FOREVER, it seems. I AM FOREVER DOOMED TO SEE those 2 WORDS. WOE IS ME!

Re: INSANELY BRIGHT?
#16883 11/09/03 12:22 AM
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LOL littleb. Funny this thread has revived because I was just thinking this morning that the threads about brightness in the Axioms, about using the resistors, etc. had died down dramatically in the last couple of months.

I think that the whole brightness thing took on a life of its own at some point, and it started becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy-people heard what they thought they were supposed to hear. I mean, I used the resistors in my M22's for a couple of months because it seemed like the thing to do. I got rid of them several months ago and will not go back to them. The M22's are best left alone.

Now, the consensus seems to be, that Axioms are not inherently bright, but rather portray the recording that it is fed. They certainly don't mask the high end, but the clarity and detail of the Axioms now seems to be more celebrated than harped on. Hopefully, this thread will die again.

Re: INSANELY BRIGHT?
#16884 11/10/03 02:24 AM
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Well... it is true that there are lots of folks who prefer a laid-back, sweet, relaxed, polite and mellow speaker sound, who genuinely feel that such speakers are the ones that sound accurate, correct, neutral and natural. For many Axiom fans, however, these speakers sound dull, distant and unclear. Certainly in my personal opinion, these former folks don't really know how live music sounds.

To my ears, Axiom speakers sound neutral and accurate, but for those people, they are "too bright." So, who is right??? In fact, it is often darn difficult to objectively describe which speakers are more "accurate," and that is what makes the whole thing very interesting. Ian and Alan will immediately tell you that a flat on-axis frequency response is only a small part of the whole story -- in the actual listening room, you hear a lot of reflected as well as direct speaker sound, so the ensemble of off-axis frequency responses are almost equally important among many other things. And the vast majority of loudspeakers available today (including the Axioms) are VERY rolled-off in off-axis treble response.

So, there is still much room for the speaker designer to "voice" his speaker so that it sounds "correct" for him. What constitutes an "accurate" or "correct" sound may well differ from designer to designer. On top of this, quite a few brands, for whatever reasons, intentionally voice their speakers so that they deviate significantly from what the designer thinks is the "accurate" sound.

This is indeed an interesting topic...

Re: INSANELY BRIGHT?
#16885 11/25/03 11:39 PM
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would an HK receiver and work well with axiom speakers since it also seemsbrighter on its own or would the combo be too bright?

Re: INSANELY BRIGHT?
#16886 11/26/03 12:18 AM
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(This is the thread that never dies... It just goes on and on...:) )

newconvert,

While some people might consider Axiom speakers to be bright, please keep in mind that "bright" is an extremely relative term. You have to ask yourself "Brighter than what?" For example, I had Paradigm Monitor 9 tower speakers before I purchased my Axiom M22s. Yes, they are definitely brighter than the Paradigms, but that is a very good thing. Allow me to explain...

I have come to equate the term bright with the following desirable qualities: detailed, airy, uncompressed, revealing.

In contrast, speakers that are not bright get the following terms: veiled, compressed, laid-back, and bleck (to use spiffnme's term).

Also, don't pay any attention to the brightness reputations of solid-state receivers. It's a myth. As long as the receiver has enough power to drive the speakers, it will sound fine.

Re: INSANELY BRIGHT?
#16887 11/26/03 12:46 AM
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Addendum to Peter's (pmbuko) comment. All currently shipping H/K receivers have sufficent power to run any Axioms. I would venture to guess that most of H/K's line for many years has had sufficient power to run Axioms.


I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
Re: INSANELY BRIGHT?
#16888 11/26/03 01:32 AM
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I've heard the M22ti's played through an H/K 525. It sounded just fine. One reciever or another isn't going to make all that much difference. Yes, they'll sound a bit different, but not so much that you'll want to avoid one speaker brand or another.

And yes..."Bright" is the negative way of saying "clear, detailed, and forward".

Much like "laid back" speakers are often called "veiled" or described as sounding like a damp towel has been laid over the speaker.

What sounds terrific to one person sounds like crap to another. Axiom owners enjoy detailed, clear audio. We like to not only hear the guitar strum, but the pick striking the string. You'll hear everything with a pair of Axioms. If that's to your liking, you'll love them.



Re: INSANELY BRIGHT?
#16889 11/26/03 01:38 AM
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thanks. i agree, i too prefer bright in a positive sense. it's just when i read various reviews that talk about bright turning into irritating or female vocals sounding too shrill etc, that's when i become a little concerned that bright could be overdone. i'm probably not using correct terms, i just want the best of both worlds, clarity, detail and also that needed bass when appropriate. thanks for the continued help :-)

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