Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater A Journey and New Axiom Impressions - Long

As it appears is the tradition, I feel compelled to weigh in with my first impressions of my new Axiom HT setup. For existing owners, you'll know what I mean. For those coming to peruse this board while shopping like I did, I hope this helps.

A little background - I've been into HT for a long time. Fairly early adopter of new gizmo's to enhance the video experience. I can still remember in the 70's (yeah - look at the age thread, I'm 53) hooking my TV audio to my stereo system to improve the sound over the crappy speakers in the TV. Then I bought an early Dolby Surround processor (way before pro logic) to get simulated surround channels since there really wasn't any mastered material at that time.

In terms of the audio/video focus, I tended over the years to prioritize video over audio, although not by too much. I was able to buy a 45" 4:3 TV back when that was the monster and enjoyed it quite a bit as I had (and still have) a C Band satellite system with incredibly high quality video feeds. When HD wide screens were introduced, I bought a 55" set, upgraded my C Band system to 4DTV and added the high definition decoder to get HBO and Showtime in 1080i, and sprung for a progressive DVD player to take advantage of the 480p capability (this was before every other DVD player started to offer progressive outputs).

I finally topped out (for the moment) by upgrading the TV to a 65" wide screen and getting a High Def STB for OTA reception once the stations started coming on the air with DTV and the networks started offering some HD content. Final touch on the TV will be installing Duvatyne to cut down internal reflections in the light box, and a full calibration by one of the top dogs in the Mitsubishi world in a few weeks when he returns from his cross-country calibration tour that he does annually.

On the audio side, I was keeping up, but not at the level of the video - budget does kick in at some point. I had been running moderately priced AVRs and keeping up with Pro Logic, then the DD/DTS 5.1 stuff, and picked up a high end Polk satellite/sub system. After getting the video side to where I wanted it to be, I decided to put the upgrade budget into a higher end audio system.

Upgraded the AVR (not quite ready for separates yet) to 7.1 and just kept thinking to myself that I needed to do better with speakers. Started shopping around, found a link to the Axiom site, started reading the reviews and comments from all the folks that post here - which I found to be very honest and helpful. After thinking about how I needed to rearrange my viewing room (HT is embedded in the living room - although tweaked to optimize the HT experience), I decided to take the Axiom plunge about a month ago.

I went with 2 M60ti's for the fronts, a VP150 for the center, an EP350 sub, and 3 QS8's for surround/back. As others have posted, the order arrived as promised in two days, with a personal confirmatory email from Amie. The packaging is impressive, and everything arrived intact without a hitch.

I've spent most the time since getting the room rearranged - as I said it is the living room with the HT "embedded". In order to do that right and not have it stand out (especially with a 65" wide screen TV in the mix) you have to be thoughtful. Also lots of help from the wife who enjoys the HT as much as I do.

The system was finally finished on Friday but I was too tired to focus on calibrating it so we deferred our usual Friday night DVD session until I could get the speakers balanced, tweak the sub, etc. as to not color the first experience. But in casual TV viewing, the difference was immediate, if only because of the VP150. Clearest dialog I've heard from the system to date (this is my 3rd center in recent history).

Anyway, I was able to spend some time yesterday with the trusty rat shack SPL meter and used both S&VHTT and AVIA to get the audio balanced, the bass management set up, and do a little listening before the first movie audition. I will say in the past, I had struggled with getting my previous speakers balanced correctly, get a fairly seamless sound stage, and not have the dreaded holes in bass.

Calibrating the Axioms in this regard was a breeze. I started with all speaker's bass crossover set to to 80Hz, and finally set the M60's to 70 HZ (for the moment) and left the VP150 and QS8's at 80Hz. And guess what? No holes in the bass frequencies (I had a huge dip before, probably due to both the older speakers and the room). I found a good spot for the EP350 fairly quickly (just lucky, I guess) and I find its capabilities to be more than adequate for my room, as well as being pretty tight on material I've listened to so far.

My tradition for years has been to use the opening of "Top Gun" to test out new audio equipment so I popped in the DVD and sat back to take a listen. The first thing I noticed (and I had to go back and listen a couple more times) was the level of detail that I heard from this soundtrack on all channels. I've read the comments about Axioms being "bright", but I will say in my viewing environment (I have a very "soft" room - carpet, wall treatments, furniture, etc.) it translates to startlingly crisp highs (not at all harsh though), bringing out content that I had never heard before in the scores of times I have listed to that particular piece. I literally had tears in my eyes after listening - must be age or I was happy with the result!

Added Star Wars I (pod race)/II (assassin chase) as well as a little 6.1 ambiance, Armageddon (opening meteor shower), Matrix (lobby shootout), Independence Day (arrival of the alien ships - if I had pumice on the floor it would have shook like on the moon in the film), and the Superbit edition of the 5th Element Aria scene on the resort spaceship.

The midrange was very clear and detailed, and the punch from the M60's on bass was impressive - with the best transition to the sub I have ever heard in this room. Did I mention the incredibly clear and detailed highs that bring out detail like never before? Crisp and tart like a good granny smith apple is the way it strikes me.

The QS8's are also incredible. I had been using direct radiating speakers for surround and back channels in the past, and the difference in the QS8's is very noticeable. The noticeable part is that they literally disappear. I had some "localization" issues with the previous speakers, and the QS8's just appear to be a seamless wall of sound - this applies to both 5.1 and 6.1 material. This confirmed what I heard during calibration using AVIA where the sound pans around the room - full 360 degree sound field, consistent reading from the SPL all the way around, and tight as a drum.

I guess I better stop. Still lots more material to audition, and I imagine my interest in music will be renewed once I get done re-watching a whole lot of DVDs just to re-experience the audio.

For those of you shopping for new speakers like I was - especially for HT - seriously consider Axioms as a great value for the money. With the 30-day trial period, you can't go wrong, and if you're like me, they'll never go back.

Cheers,

Doug

I couldn't agree more. Just got my 7.1 set up last week and The Axioms are great. I especially agree with your comments about the QS8. I bought 4 and have them in my system and the sound is awsome! I also have the M80 and they really fill up the room. I have heard great things about the M60 also. By the way I am 58 and have also tweaked my systems and added gizmos through the years. Played a lot of Rock&Roll music and have always loved playing with the different amps, speakers etc through the years.
gthomas

Great review, uncle Doug!

I'm 10 years younger than you, but my musicophile/audiophile history also started in mid-'70s in my high-school years, when I had my first "serious" stereo system comprised of an early Technics direct-drive turntable, a Denon MC cartridge, a TEAC 2-track, 38cm/sec open-reel deck that I got cheap from a recording studio, a Kenwood FM tuner, DIY tube pre- and power amps, and DIY pair of Fostex backload-horn speakers.

But on the video side, I had always been a slacker. When my family moved to the US 12 years ago, I bought a nondescript Sony 32" tube TV, which we still use. Of course, I immediately connected the TV to my audio system, but never had an interest in the multi-channel audio. Believe or not, we never bought one TV ever since then, until I made a huge jump this past March that has become so infamous around here. Right, I went directly from a 12-year-old 32" TV to a 120" front projection system. BWAHAHAHA... That's a 15-fold increase in screen area, folks.

Needless to say, that was literally a quantum jump in the video department. I was simultaneously introduced to a 5.1 system, by the addition of an AV receiver, the Axiom VP150 / QS8 (2), and a capable subwoofer (see my forum profile for the current equipment). And today we are still catching up with what we had missed in our collection of LDs and DVDs through all these years!

This has been a highly rewarding endeavor, in which the Axioms have been playing a pivotal role.