Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Comparing M80 V2 to B&W 703, Paradigm Studio 100

Hi All,

I have been lurking here for about a month and auditioning in the meantime. So, hi everyone Great forum!

So far, my favorite speakers have been the B&W 703's and the Paradigm Studio 100v.4. One thing to note, on the B&W audition they were running the 703's on a Mcintosh amp and 100's on a Adcom amp I believe. I know a lot of time we talk about how loud a system can crank, but at the B&W audition my wife was very impressed how crystal clear the sound was at a very low volume. The salesman said it was the amp that made the difference.

The reason I have not purchased the B&W or Paradigm is the price. That's what has brought me here, I like the idea of a quality speaker without the middleman to drive up the price.

So my question: Has anyone auditioned the 703 or 100's that ended up purchasing the M80 v2? I was very pleased with the extreme clarity and punchy bass of the 703 and 100's.

Also, what type of amps are you guys using for the M80's? I have a Yamaha RX-V1800 that I will use for the center and surrounds, but would like a 2 channel to push the 2 towers. Up until I started researching I had no idea the different opinions on amps putting out the same watts

Thanks,
Dave

Situation a few weeks ago:
--------------------------
I have a friend that has Paradigm Studio 100 and another one who has Paradigm Signature S8, while I have M80s. So far, the 100 guy admits the M80s are great, but prefer his Studio 100. The M80 guy (me) admits the 100 are great, but prefer his M80s. The S8 guy was impressed by the M80 for the price and is since taunting the 100 owner that he paid too much for essentially the same sound quality.

Situation now:
--------------
Since then, I am powering my M80s with an Axiom A1400 while the Studio 100 is powered by 7 Outlaws 2200. The 100 owner came to my place 10 days ago and his jaw dropped. He is in line for a A1400 and even considering changing his Studio 100 for the more powerfull M80s. The S8 owner has not yet heard the A1400, but he's dying to now.

I have no idea about the B&W 703. The Paradigm are very, very good. They just get expensive because of all the middle people involved in any sales.

M80s powered by B&K 200.7. Works for me. I'd like to give the A1400-8 a try though.

My son had 703s. He heard my M80s. He sold his 703s.

Very close to an haiku!

Dude!! Eric, my man, don't mention haikus around here. . .trust me.

Why should he not? It
can be a very fun game
and quite amusing.

NOOOOOOOooooooooo!

Eloquent you are,
Yet, Haikus read aloud make
You sound like Yoda.

If sound like Yoda
I must to enjoy this form
sound like him I shall.

Stop! I can't take it.
I'm at work and can't spend so
much time on haikus.

Or you could simply
stop reading the boards and get
back to work, you bum!

Of course, this also
applies to the writer of
this hypocrisy.

Oops... My bad!

I'm sorry, Eric,
You lose. That was not in the
form of a haiku.

In comes the Haiku,
Out goes all of the I.Q.
What a sad life...

Does the smiley face
Count as a syllable? I
Do not think it does.

How about this then:

You are a very
Funny fellow. I cannot
stop laughing out loud.

You guys are crazy.
Who started this madness? Eric?
Tsk, you knucklehead!

What is going on here?
missing something am I? , eh?
silly fun this is.

I auditioned m60's years ago against 703's and purchased the 60's. I now have 80's and would say they are better than the 703's and equivelant or better than the 100's. jmo

Sirquack's response, though
not expressed in preferred form
has beery merit

I appreciate the resposes regarding the 703 and 100 comparisons. As far as the amp goes, I have seen 2 channel amps range from $700 to $4K+ for about the same power. It seems like the Rotel RB-1080 would be a good option for powering the M80's. Any other recommendations for 2 channel amps?

I think the NAD C270 or 272 would be good, I used to own the C370 which was their integrated amp that had basically the identical amp as the C270 and it drove my M80's nicely. If you are looking to spend more the Rotel is probably very nice. I hate to sound like a fanboy but I really like the Odyssey Stratos if you buy used for an amp under 1k. There are a few forum members here running one form or another of this amplifier and have all been very happy

I am most surprised
that my good brother Peter
has not weighed in yet

Guys, haikus aside, I just spent the last five minutes reading this forum and LMAO. My wife walked in to ask me what in the heck I was laughing at... (she didn't get it). The post with the smileys in haiku form was hilarious.

I too enjoyed the
Post with the smiley faces
It made me giggle

I
write this
randomly because I
think haiku
is the lowest of all art forms.

Seriously, 5,7,5. The only thing that the inventor of Haikus is brilliant at, is convincing people that because he couldn't write poetry.... that this was a valid and meaningful art form.

Sorry, I don't mean to sound bitter, I actually just get a kick out of it all.

Oh and I love Paradigm gear. I love my Axioms more but really you can't go wrong with either (except maybe their subwoofers). Paradigm doesn't make anything even close to the EP subs, in my opinion.

I have never compared B&W in the same room so I can't comment there.

Your brother Peter
Was in Cleveland this weekend.
Returned to dead Tex.

Um, what is "dead Tex?"
Should I be worried, Peter?
Oh, and welcome back ...

I'm concerned as well.
What does Peter mean, "dead Tex"?
Cryptic indeed, hmm.

White hair and blue eyes
Our dear overweight deaf cat
Tex is now a was

Tex is in heaven
Chasing yellow butterflies
Caught one! nom nom nom ...

---

Condolences, Peter. RIP Tex!

Yes, sorry Peter. My condolences, too.




And, JP, kudos on the apropo haiku. I like it.

Sorry to hear Peter.

Tex was one of the few cats I could tolerate for more than a day. RIP, Fatso! (meant in the most endearing way possible. besides, he was deaf!)

Condolences, Peter.



BURN him!!

oh come on man, not that just not right.

Tom, I delivered his remains to our vet this morning. And he will be burned in a group event since I specified I do not need his ashes. $79 for the service. I was about to ask if they had a dumpster out back....

I joke only to help the healing.

When the sad day comes that Dylan or dog passes on, we will bury him in our own yard. It helps to live on an acreage with almost 3 acres. At least I know he won't be disturbed. I'm thinking of building a nice little wood box or something for him.

My condolences.

My condolences Peter...

ZZyzx, I think that the sales man was secretly trying to sell you a very pricy McIntosh amp. I would be very surprised if it was the amp that made the difference between speakers clarity at low volumes. Usually the reason for higher priced amps is how they behave at higher volumes relating to available headroom and quality of components inside..

I have nothing against McIntosh or Adcom or most other amplifier manufactures. Many people on this forum believe that all amps sound the same and the only reason to spend more on one than the other is aesthetics and build quality. I tend do be one of those people. Although I have never done an A B test between a $500 and $4000 2 channel amp, I have done many tests of amps all under the $2000 mark, and to my ears, they all sounded the same.

I have owned Rotel amps and have been very happy with them and would recommend them to anyone. Not because they sound better, but because they are built very well and pay a lot of attention to the power supply.

When shopping for an amp, keep asking the questions about power supply. This is the engine of the amplifier. If the sales person doesn’t want to talk about a company’s power supply, that should be a red flag.

paul

Paul,

Thanks for that information. I was thinking why would one amp with the same power rating cost hundreds if not thousands more.

On a side note, I did call Axiom regarding an amp matched with the M80's. I mentioned to him what the salesman told me at the B&W dealership about good amp making the speakers sound better at low volumes, he concurred.

How dare you interrupt the dead cat condolences!

Condolences resumed.

"Dead Cat Condolences" would be a good name for a band.

I just trademarked and copyrighted it.

You can't have it!

"Give it up for Dead Cat Condolences!"

"Were you at the DCC concert last night?"


You're right. It would make a great band name.

Somewhere in Seattle, or Athens, maybe Chapel Hill, or Austin, some kid in a garage band has dreams of owning quality Canadian loudspeakers and is surfing some message boards. Lo and behold, he is hit with a revelation. Tonight, when he meets up with his mates for band practice, he will share with them his new inspiration:

"Dudes, henceforth and forever more we will known as 'Dead Cat Condolences.'"

Except anybody who calls their buddies "mates" in Canada is assumed to be Australian.

test