Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Thinking of buying M3 v2

Me thinks you will be happy with your M3s

There are several people that think the M3 is Axiom's best speaker.... you won't be disappointed!

Welcome to the group, Shane!

Yes, the problem of hearing Axiom speakers is an issue, especially since you live in Australia! I've never heard M3's or M2's, but I own M22's. As I've built up my Axiom system, I have done quite a bit of 'comparison listening' to other brands. While every speaker manufacturer is a little bit different, there are a a few that (IMHO) are fairly similar to the sound that Axiom strives for.

Do you have any Paradigm dealer's around? If so, that might be a good place to go to get a bit of the 'flavor' of what Axiom speakers sound like. In my opinion, Paradigm is the 'mainstream' brand that sounds the most like Axiom. They're just more expensive. IMHO, Paradigm Reference Studio 40's sound a lot like M22's, and Reference Studio 100's sound a lot like M80's. I can't say for sure about M2's and M3's, but I'd guess that Studio 20's would be somewhat like M2's.

Energy is another brand you could check out. I haven't heard any of their speakers in a while, but the last time I did hear a set of Veritas's, there was that same neutral, clean sound that Axiom prides itself on.

Moving slightly further away from Axiom's sound but still generally similar would be B&W 7-series speakers. The bookshelf 705's have a similar sound as M22's. 703's sound quite a bit like M80's.

Yet another brand that might give you a taste is Vienna Acoustics. Again, a similar type of neutrality, clarity, and tone as Axiom's - just more expensive.

Good luck!

Welcome Shane. I have had my M3's for about 8 months now and find them to be fantastic little speakers. I've put them through their paces on many occasions and they always shine. They really come into their own as the volume gets up there. The bass is very impressive as well. My listening area is much like yours by description and they can certainly fill it with big sound. I think you will be very happy with them. Be sure to let us know your thoughts if/when you get them.

The M3's are a wonderful sounding speaker. Axiom's customer service is outstanding. Buy them; you will not regret it

I have the Algonquin (outdoor) version of the M3s and am still really amazed at the bass they are capable of. I now have them running in the room next to my home theater, through my same Denon receiver on Zone 2. The first time I was listening to music on the M3s, I actually went into the theater room to check if my EP-600 was turned on as it just seemed like too much bass from a bookshelf speaker. They have a very nice neutral sound. I'm going to have separation anxiety when I finally move them outside!

Jason

We certainly have a dealer here who sells Energy, and Paradigm certainly has a big presence in the eastern states, so I'm hopeful of finding some here. B&W are ubiquitous of course.I heard some a while ago and wasn't that impressed, but they weren't the 7 series.

I'm off to a conference in Sydney next month. If I have time I'll see what I can find there.

Shane

It looks like there are a few people in Sydney on the audition thread, not sure they've checked in lately.

Well, it looks like I won't be getting the M3's for a while. The price just went up 32%, thanks to the falling Aussie dollar

That too bad. Any hope it is just for a short while?