Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater need help choosing speakers

The extra detail and bass you will get from the M80 is remarkable and noticeable. If the price, nor the size is a deterent, I would highly recommend you look at them. I have M22s, had M60s(briefly) and now have the M80s. The M80s shine at lower volume levels which is why I went with them. There is a reason the M80s are said to be the flagship of the Axiom line up and for the price they are extremely hard to beat. .

i listened to the studio line as mentioned and was blown away , if m80s soun like that sign me up , but i dont see how a $1000 speaker can sound like a $5000 speaker but if so awsome . i am in the newmarket area if anone has m80s and m22 please let me know , i would really like to hear them .i was also wondering why all the drivers are made out of the same material when almost every other brand use different materials for different applacations ie. polypro for mids and something stiffer like carbon for bass drivers , seems kinda of old school aproach , any ideas .

Nah, a lot of brands still use the same material for the different drivers. It's merely a design choice, not a requirement. There's another aspect to your cost question, too, not to mention dealer markup, etc.

Doesn't B&W use kevlar for all their drivers?

Brandon, as I mentioned in your other thread, why not drive up to Dwight? You'll have a great time, and most likely be driving back home with some speakers. Also keep in mind the 60's are very similar to the 80's.

Its a no-brainer (see, you're fitting in here already ) drive to Dwight. Its beautiful up there this time of year anyway.

Speaker price vs quality is a reverse exponential thing. For every $1,000 you get incrementally less improvement for your money (and in some cases you get nothing).

From what I understand, Paradigm has been going upscale over the last couple of years. they are cashing in on years of reputation as a great speaker manufacturer, prettying up the studio line and raising prices. Have you seen the new Studios? Nice curved back, beautiful veneer...

Throw a nice Rosewood veneer on the M80 and you go from a $1,300 speaker to a $2,000 speaker. Did that $700 make the speaker sound any better? Add the dealer markup (gross up 65% which = 40% margin), gross up another another 15-20% for sell through marketing and you are at a $3,800 M80. Tack on another $1,000 for rep. and dead sexy factor (the Studio not the Axioms) and you have a $5,000 speaker.

The math is a little loose, but you get the idea.

So, If the M80 gets you to within 80% (or better) of the sound qualtiy of the Studio 100 at $1,300 is it worth it to take a 2 hour drive to check them out?

By the way, check out the frequency and distortion graphs here at the soundstage network. The Studio 100s are a hair flatter and have slightly less distortion. Off axis measurements are also very close. People can tell tall tails, independant measurements can back up valid claims.

FYI there is a very good link to explanations of the various measurements and how they relate to speaker/sound quality at the top of each measurement page.

Now, get in the car already!!

fredk, great price break down makes alot of sense actually . Im a all black kinda guy so venner really doesnt matter to me . i saw on the site that u can get them cheaper from the factory but they might have some bleamishes , has anyone ordered them this way and if so how did they look . i would also like to some input on a possible trade up deal they have ? thanks for all those who have helped me its much appreciated !!

The FO products are nearly perfect, I know only one person that had a pretty bad set and Axiom still looked after him with a new set of speakers. I have found only one minor blemish on the bottom rear corner of one of my 3 FO speakers. It is barely noticeable at all even when looking for it. If the speakers were new I still would have not complained about it.

I believe the trade up program is just for previous Axiom owners looking to trade in older models for newer or different finished versions.

The factory outlet question comes up all the time. In a poll I ran about 4-5 years ago, close to 90% of people bought there Axioms from the Factory Outlet. You will be hard pressed to find any blemishes or nicks, if you do, they will be so small it won't matter.

All of my Axioms have come from the FO, except my current custom vinyl Ebony Pica's. You won't be unhappy. The extra 10% discount, on top of the 5%,will be worth it, assuming you purchase 5 items.

I just bought a 5.1 system from FO. I looked long and hard for what axiom calls "blemishes". I did not find anything.

Another friend of mine bought a 7.1; 2-3 years ago and we looked at his speakers too and could not find any scratches or defects in the wood.

The 15% discount is well worth it IMHO.

And most importantly the speakers sound divine.