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

hi i am trying to pick out a 5.1 system . ive herd mixed reviews about axiom and would like input , speakers i liked the best so far has been the paradigm mini monitior , monitor 7 ,cc290 , 190 surounds and the new dps 10 sub . i will be listening to both music and movies and want great sound for both at moderate levels . any help would be appreciated

Welcome Brandon, first off check and post in the hearing things forum and you may find someone nearby you can get an audition from to hear Axiom's for yourself.

I have found Paradigm and Axioms to be simialr in sound give or take a few differences. I would suggest the M22,s VP100 or VP150, QS8s and an EP350 sub. If you go through the Factory outlet you will save 10% and another 5% for 5 or more items.

How big is your room?

Welcome Brandon,

Of course your best option would be to find someone in your area to audition Axioms, or make use of Axiom's 30day trial period. You can check the "Hearing Things" section and look at the list on page 1 of Amie's post, to see if there is someone close to you that will let you stop over and have a listen.

I know what your saying when you say "mixed reviews". I was a long time contributer at AVSforum and other boards. For whatever reason there are a few folks that like to give Axiom a bad name. In many instances it was just hearsay and the actual individual never listened to Axiom speakers.

I can tell you that I've owned my share of various brands and Axiom is the best speaker I've ever owned. In my opinion, they are one of the best "bang" for the buck speakers available. Also, their customer service is second to none.

I will tell you I spent about a year auditioning various brands before I came across Axiom. Compared to the Paradigms, I would say you would have to look at their "Studio" or higher lignup to find something comparable to Axiom. The "Monitor" series, in my opinion, is a couple of grades below in sound/quality.

Personally, before I had a chance to listen to some Axioms, I was about to pull the plug on some B&W 703 floorstanding speakers, and the matching center/surround/sub. Just one 703 cost more than 2 m60's from Axiom.

Boy am I sure glad I had the chance to listen to Axiom. To my ears, and I've been around music much of my life, the M60's sounded better than the 703's.

I now own M80's, and you can see from my signature, just a few other Axiom products.

I can assure you that Axiom makes wonderful speakers, with about 30years behind them based on findings at the NRC in Canada.

If you decide to jump on the bandwagon, you won't be disapointed.

Randy

my room is 14x20x8 . ive herd everything from axiom being great to being great for a short period because they are to bright all the way to being garbage and are only sold by brainwashing on their forum . so a audition would be nice to hear how my ears take them

These comments about bright, harsh, ear bleeding, etc. are a bunch of bologna, and it is a broken record that holds no factual basis.

The reason some find them to be bright is not the speakers, it is the CD's they listen to that have been recorded poorly by the engineers, or the home made compressed mp3 files at low bitrates.

There was a time where "bright" was a good thing. It meant the speakers were true to the original recording designed by the engineer. Don't you want to hear the music as it was intended, instead of some of these brands the muffle the sound. Many call these "laid back" sounding.

Axiom speakers will faithfully reproduce the music to which you are listening. So garbage in is garbage out, that is not the speakers fault. If you pop something in that is a greatly recorded, your jaw will hit the floor, or you'll start to cry on how good it will sound with Axioms.

There are a lot of great speaker brands on the market, and I've owned many of them, however, there is no reason to believe Axiom should be defined on those ways.

Definitely try for an audition. Most of what you hear about Axioms being bright sounding is a bunch of bullshit. They are if fact a very neutral sounding speaker with neither the highs, mids or lows dominating the sound.

What is your budget?

that what i figured . couple questions for u can u explain the differences between m3 vs m22 , vp100-150, qs4-qs8 . ive always found the every speaker company has certain models that realy stand out and i am trying to find out axioms stand outs , thanks

im not concerened with budget as much as buying what i need and not what i dont . i dont listen at reference levels by any means really just moderate and occasionally a little louder

my av unit is a denon 988 , ps3(blue ray) , 46" samsung 750 series lcd , if that helps

I like what Jason has recommended except replace the M22s with the M60s at least. The M80s would not be over kill in you size room. I have the M80s in a similar size room and they sound great.

Your Denon can handle the 4 ohm M80s, no problem.

ive listened to the paradigm monitor 7 (3x5 1/4)and mini monitors (1x 6 1/2) and found very little difference at my listening levels so buying m80 seems pointless to me . im think im interested in the m3 , m22 ,m60 hopefully i can listen to them somehwere , this whole internet sales only has it ups but more downs i would have to say .

Rick, I agree, his Denon would not have an issue with the 80's. Heck, I have the Denon 2805 which is pretty much the same. Having owned the 60's as well, I would also consider them as well. The 22's are great speakers, but I like the extra presence the 60's and 80's will add.

The vp100 or 150 is a toss up. I've only owned the 150, but have heard the 100 is very similar. I would say you could go either way in that room size.

The Q surrounds are the best in the industry, in my opinion. If budget allows I would say get the Qs8's. The extra sized woofers and extra power ability are worth the extra cash.

If you decide to go with an Axiom sub, I would get at least the VP350v3 which is a great sub for the money. Or, step up to an EP500.

Internet sales of electonic gadgets is one thing, but there is no reason to place reputable speaker companies that sell direct to the consumer in that same group.

I would rather buy direct from a well known manufacturer that has been in the business 30 years, compared to some retail chain speaker brand at best buy or whatever.

It's only pointless if you don't want Axioms best. If doing so will not break the bank why not at least consider them?

Brandon, where are you located? Many people here would be happy to let you listen to their system.

The brainwashing thing is a new one on me. That's kinda neat.

The brainwashing isn't working on me. I still have dirty thoughts.

Scrub harder.

We have brains? I thought we were supposed to leave them at the door.

Hi Brandon, welcome to the forum.

Like you, I started my voyage with the Monitor7. They sounded great until I listend to several speakers in the Studio series. If the Paradigm dealer is close to you, do yourself a favour and go back and compare the Studio line to the Monitor7. That will give you a good idea of the sound you will get from Axioms.

I can understand that some people find the M22 and M80 bright, particularly in a very reflective room. A lot of people prefer a significantly rolled off high end. Maybe a better way to put it is maybe that a lot of people are used to a significantly rolled off high end (and low end...). Me, I prefer to hear everything the musicians and engineers intended me to hear.

Axiom makes a very neutral speaker. You need to decide for yourself if thats what you like.

As far as the best, thats the M80. The M60 and M22 + sub are very similar.

Check out the Studio line and find an audition if you can. Then come back and let us know what you think.

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.

Also I used to own paradigm monitor 7 and 5s, big difference in sound quality. At the end of the day buy what sounds good to your ears.

I use mostly older CDs with very little sound processing coding and they sound so good on my denon 3808 and M80 combo.

Sam

So true, I've come to dread buying new music, so hit and miss.

Brandon,

Somewhere long back in this thread you asked about the differences between speakers. While I'm sure you've read all the specs and compared already, you also can check out this video on YouTube. In it, Alan from Axiom goes through the line up with his take on the differences between each as you move up through the product line.

Jason

cool video and nicely decorated listening room!